Frequently Asked Questions

Nothing wrong in performing religious rituals. In fact, all aspects of religiosity involving traditions, customs, rituals, worship, fasting, undertaking pilgrimages, giving alms and donations are all good. It helps keep going the traditions and keeps alive religions and religiosity. Actually, these acts are like primary education and are meant for beginners like an initiation to spirituality but not yet true spirituality. These acts at least keep people related to divinity and a religious bend of mind. This is what is called shariayat, in Islamic culture or karmakand in Hindu traditions. One needs to move beyond this to hakeekat* and maarifat* (true knowledge and true love) to higher levels. These are like the higher levels of education to which one needs to pursue.

* Please look elsewhere for an understanding of these.

No, it will not. They would only add up to as good karmas and better fruits to enjoy in later lives.

Ritualistic acts would not lead to God realization let alone self-realization. You need to move inwards and perform inner acts for self-relization and God realization. Rituals are simply external acts and more of ostentatious acts. But what one needs to understand or recognize is the objective behind these acts. Very often religious minded people indulge in these acts for some benefits. Some look for wellbeing, cure from diseases, tiding over stressful or unfavorable situations, desire marriage of self or one’s kin or relatives, wanting to get good jobs, success in business, desire personal possessions like house, vehicle and so on so forth. As long as one is doing the rituals with the above intentions, you are never near spirituality. If on the other hand, if one is performing these acts with only love for God or the divine, one is touching on the periphery of spirituality.

In fact, spirituality is an evolution of one’s inner self leading to self-awareness, universal brotherhood, and identity with the universal consciousness. Higher levels of evolution will lead to transcendence and communion with higher principles.

In simple terms cult is more individual centric. When individual takes the Centre stage instead of the wisdom or message, it becomes a cult. In a cult an individual is everything. Everybody is attuned towards the individual.