Believing in spiritual truths is the first step towards enlightenment. When we believe in spirituality and open our minds, the possibilities become limitless. However, the primary obstacle is often the resistance from our rational mind.
For the past 50 years, resistance from my rational mind prevented me from deeply exploring and practising spirituality. Fortunately, I was able to overcome this barrier and open my mind beyond logic and intellect. What helped me to go beyond logic and intellect?
Three key realisations from three books. I am pleased to share these insights and the books that inspired them.
Relaisation#1(Book: The Science of Religion by Paramahansa Yogananda): Intuitive learning is more powerful than Perception and Inference. Sense perception and intelligence are limited and hence it is impossible to know everything through perception and inference. Intuition transcends these limitations.
Realisation#2(Book: Spiritual Science by Steve Taylor): While science still grapples with many unanswered questions about the universe and our existence—such as creation, evolution, consciousness, and quantum mysteries—spirituality appears to offer clearer answers. How can age-old spirituality address these questions more effectively than modern science? It suggests that spirituality possesses more powerful tools than those available to science today.
Realisation#3(Book: Transcendence: My Spiritual Experience with Pramukh Swamiji by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam): There is harmony between science and spirituality, despite their differences. The realm of science and the realm of spirituality are different, but they are not conflicting, they are complementary.
With these realisations, once the resistance of my rational mind faded, my spiritual reading and practices became effortless.