Cover 2nd Basic Principle of spiritual practice www. S piritual R esearch F oundation.org

Importance of these principles

The 2nd of six Basic Principles of spiritual practice From many to one

The 2nd of six Basic Principles of spiritual practice From many to one The results of our efforts are much more powerful when we concentrate all our efforts on the one instead of the many.

Example of the wells 10 m 1 m 1 Well 10 Wells

Frequent flyer miles example Free From the perspective of getting a free ticket which is better? Accruing frequent flyer miles from various airlines or sticking to just one airline?

Answers to the examples Digging a well of 10 meters deep is more likely to get water. Accruing frequent flyer miles in one frequent flyer program is more likely to get you a free ticket faster.

Applying this principle Let’s now apply this to the various generic paths to God and see how our perspective and actions would change. Some generic Paths to God Path of Action ( Karmayoga ) Path of Knowledge ( Dnyanyoga ) Path of Devotion ( Bhaktiyoga ) Path of Chanting Path of Guru’s grace 2 nd Basic Principle – Many to one

Some generic Paths to God

Path of Action ( Karmayoga )

Path of Knowledge ( Dnyanyoga )

Path of Devotion ( Bhaktiyoga )

Path of Chanting

Path of Guru’s grace

According to the various paths – Path of Action ( Karmayoga ) Initial stage Donations to various charities, devoting time and effort for various causes

According to the various paths – Path of Action ( Karmayoga ) Initial stage Donations to various charities, devoting time and effort for various causes Later stage Focusing on just one cause, that is most Righteous and that will be most effective for his spiritual growth * Refer to SSRF website for definition of Righteousness *

According to the various paths – Path of Knowledge ( Dnyanyoga ) Initial stage At a lower spiritual level a person would be studying various spiritual and religious texts

According to the various paths – Path of Knowledge ( Dnyanyoga ) Initial stage At a lower spiritual level a person would be studying various spiritual and religious texts Later stage Learns and practices from the book that has the most spiritual Truth in it

According to the various paths – Path of Devotion ( Bhaktiyoga ) Initial stage At a lower spiritual level a person visits many Holy places, reads many books of Holy verses * Most religions follow the Path of Devotion *

According to the various paths – Path of Devotion ( Bhaktiyoga ) Initial stage At a lower spiritual level a person visits many Holy places, reads many books of Holy verses Later stage Visiting one place of maximum spiritual purity and reading one book of Holy verses which helps to bring out the highest spiritual emotion and devotion Most religions follow the Path of Devotion * *

According to the various paths – Path of Chanting Initial stage At a lower spiritual level a person chants various Names of God or the Names of various deities

According to the various paths – Path of Chanting Initial stage At a lower spiritual level a person chants various Names of God or the Names of various deities Later stage Later he focuses on chanting on one Name of God or the Name of the deity that is most conducive for his spiritual progress

According to the various paths – Path of Guru’s grace Initial stage At a lower spiritual level a person visits a number of Saints and follows guidance from various sources

According to the various paths – Path of Guru’s grace Initial stage At a lower spiritual level a person visits a number of Saints and follows guidance from various sources Later stage Later the seeker focuses and is devoted to only one Guru (Spiritual Master)

How this principle applies in a seeker’s life To begin with a person has a variety of interests and identities in his life. Interests and activities Entertainment Job Sport Socialising Personal time Hobbies Dining Study and courses Identities Brother Friend Volunteer worker Father Student Son Member of a club or a group Worker in a company

How this principle applies in a seeker’s life Spiritual Practice Interests and activities Entertainment Job Sport Socialising Personal time Hobbies Dining Study and courses Identities Brother Friend Volunteer worker Father Student Son Member of a club or a group Worker in a company But when he starts spiritual practice and starts experiencing its benefits his interest in various other activities slowly reduces

How this principle applies in a seeker’s life Spiritual Practice Interests and activities Entertainment Job Sport Socialising Personal time Hobbies Dining Study and courses Identities Brother Friend Volunteer worker Father Student Son Member of a club or a group Worker in a company Later he begins to channelize all his efforts to achieving his spiritual goal. Slowly he begins to steer clear of activities that are not aligned to his spiritual goal.

How this principle applies in a seeker’s life Identifies with only one identity Brother Friend Volunteer worker Father Student Son Member of a club or a group Worker in a company Executive A disciple

How this principle applies in a seeker’s life God principle or the Soul in each of us Subtle ability

How this principle applies in a seeker’s life Spiritual experience of the same God within and in others leads to spiritual love Spiritual love Spiritual love for humanity Subtle ability Love without expectation Based on the unchanging Soul

In summary Visit www.SpiritualResearchFoundation.org for further details If you are doing any form of spiritual practice please do reflect as to whether it embraces this second principle. Are you going from many to one?