Spirituality is part of religion practicing which human beings finally reached state of enlightenment.
Spiritual practitioners need not indulge in religion in any way. For realizing self, realizing god one need not indulge even a single religious practice (ritual). The reason is clear. The word is spirituality stems from root word spirit which itself is explanatory.
Indulging in spirituality means believing we are primarily a spirit, a consciousness that manifested human form. One may ask, what was the need for a spirit to manifest a human form?
Of its own no spirit called soul atman could purify self of its own. It needs a medium, a body to work out its karma, remove dross impurities within.
In the initial stages when God Almighty Brahman was about to explodes self, all souls’ atmans were pure. The big bang explosion resulted in hurtling souls’ atmans gathering impurities.
The moment souls atmans separated from their source Brahman, God Almighty there desire rejoining the source, desire regaining their lost pure prime pristine primordial form.
In its cosmic sojourn when a soul atman manifests human form, it prompts from within all the time to undertake spiritual journey so that human beings can negate karma to zero. Karma negated to zero means absence of dross impurities within soul atman.
In absence of dross impurities, a pure soul atman need not manifest a human body again. The need to manifest a body any further now ceases to exist.
For human beings to successfully indulge in spirituality our belief in God, our belief in system of God, world of souls’ atmans is necessitated. Unless we believed in God, we could not successfully cover spiritual journey as mandated in Bhagavad Gita.
To understand scriptures, sacred text of different religions of world we need mastering contemplation (the art of indulging in chintan). Only then we can understand gist of sacred texts.
Remaining an introvert we have to demolish our ego in totality. This is made possible by reducing our desires and wishes in stages. Furthermore practicing nishkama karma yoga is essential. The doctrine of nishkama karma yoga means offering fruits of karma performed to God Almighty all the time. As we were primarily a spirit, fruits of karma indulged by us belonged to the actual master. Everything we did or indulged, fruits of the same reached our soul atman within.
Once we start working like a trustee, the spiritual journey of life becomes easier. Similar as nothing belonged to the caretaker, the spiritual seeker also has to abandon attachments forever. Initially difficult to follow but can be realized. Practicing nishkama karma yoga is a tough job. JRD Tata, scion of Tata Empire successfully indulged in business without attaching self to results. The goal of JRD Tata always was welfare of all including employees and countrymen.
Similarly King Janaka (father of Sita in Ramayana) also successfully indulged in affairs of his kingdom without attaching self to fruits of karma performed. Even while living in the kingdom, he was never attached to it. A spiritual traveler also needs working like JRD Tata and King Janaka.
Spiritual practice demands our indulgence in sacred texts most of time. Contemplating on vital issues of life we finally succeed reaching the hidden underlying meaning.
The definition of spirituality as detailed in Bhagavad Gita is the correct explanation of spirituality. If we are to gain enlightenment in present life, it is only through scriptures like Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads (independent spiritual treatises).
Indulging in scriptures we scaled higher levels of consciousness. Indulging in practice of absolute celibacy we awaken our kundalini in stages. Full awakening of kundalini demands practice of absolute celibacy for a minimum period of 12 years in continuation.
To reach higher mental levels control over five senses and mind is necessitated. Contemplating deep into scriptures dissolves our queries within in stages. No queries within one finally reaches state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi (state of absolute nothingness) when not a single thought entered our brain uninvoked. This is the state when kundalini reaches Ajna chakra. Immediately thereafter Sahasra Pushpa (thousand petalled Lotus) existing in brain behind forehead opens fully.
This is the state a seeker, traveler of spiritual path desires. Spiritual growth takes its own time. The spiritual progress was always slow initially but later on we catch up by indulging in practice of celibacy. Practice of celibacy acts like a superfast elevator in a multi-storey building. In absence of practice of celibacy it would take very long before we reached the top of the building.
Those indulging in celibacy went straight up in the elevator. The spiritual journey can be expedited multifold by right practice of absolute celibacy.
Practicing patience, persistence and perseverance on path of spirituality is very essential, we cannot do without! As spirituality demands indulgence in contemplation all the time the need for any religious practices, going to temples churches and mosques did not exist.
Living within the fold of our religion we can always practice spirituality. The best part of spirituality is we do not need a master guru to guide us in the spiritual journey of life. As everything comes from within, it is in our interest that we become an introvert of the highest order.
Inner journey demands control over passions desires and wishes. Slowly we could overpower all the three. The moment total control over five senses is achieved, control over mind followed automatically.
Spiritual travelers must never underestimate power of celibacy. It is practicing absolute celibacy human beings finally awakened their kundalini shakti fully reaching state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
Furthermore nowhere in any spiritual scripture like Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads, any religious practice is prescribed. Spirituality was all about dissolving queries within forever.