Why are practice and experience so important in the spiritual path? Bhagawan lovingly explains to us so that we may strive earnestly.
Spiritual exercises like worship, singing hymns of adoration, and meditation are prompted by devotion to higher powers. Controversy about their efficacy should not be indulged in by those who are unaware of the depths and heights to which they can lead. These depths and heights can be gained and judged only through actual practice. The proof lies only in one’s personal experience. Far more valuable than the scholarship gathered from a million books is the grain of wisdom gained through a session of meditation. That flash of wisdom (jnana), however slight, is a precious acquisition. It is the product of personal spiritual exercise (sadhana) and indisputable authentic experience. As one cultivates and develops this grain of wisdom, controversy and criticism will cease. All arguments will be only with one’s lower self, until the truth stands revealed. Self-confidence is essential for a person to enter on this path of spiritual practice.
– Leela Kaivalya Vahini, Ch 1.
