The Bearded Mystic Podcast
Rahul N Singh host of The Bearded Mystic Podcast explores the Hindu philosophy of Advaita Vedanta or Nonduality in a very simple, direct and practical way.
Episodes include discussions into eastern scriptures like The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads etc and discussions about everyday spirituality.
Rahul has been on the spiritual path for over 20 years and has an open-minded approach to spirituality and finds that there is no one size fits all approach.
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The Bearded Mystic Podcast
Questions: The Heart of Spiritual Inquiry
This episode emphasizes the vital role of inquiry in spiritual practice and the balance between faith and questioning. By addressing personal doubts and encouraging curiosity, listeners can deepen their understanding and move forward on their spiritual journey.
• Examination of the significance of asking questions in spirituality
• Discussion on the consequences of relying solely on faith
• Insights on the dangers of rituals devoid of personal inquiry
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Hello and welcome to another episode of the Bearded Mystic Podcast, and I'm your host, rahul N Singh. Thank you for taking the time today to either watch or listen to this podcast episode. Today I was thinking. I was thinking a lot about the importance of asking questions, of having that inquiry, in the beginning of our spiritual journey. It's very important that we ask questions. If we don't ask questions in the beginning of our spiritual journey, if we just take things by faith alone, so one can have faith and inquiry together, by the way but if we just did faith alone and no inquiry, no questioning, no doubt, allowing doubt to arise, what is the consequence of this in the end of the spiritual journey? And it comes down to the more. As I'm working on the course, what I'm realizing is that and thankfully this is addressed in the course that unless you deal with your vasanas, you deal with your samskaras, you deal with understanding reality and the difference between the temporary nature of the world and of Jagat and then the eternal Brahman. If we don't do the self-inquiry, what happens is we don't develop our understanding, our intellect has no foundation. Once the intellect has no foundation, it's very hard for the intellect to transcend. In fact, it can't transcend. It's just kind of it'll be, you know, kind of dumbed down. So what happens in that regard? We start believing in rituals, we start believing in doing elaborate rituals and rites and we believe in renouncing the world completely and we believe in all sorts of superstitions and this becomes a hindrance on the spiritual path. Now, those of us that are work on our spirituality, we do the inquiry, we also have faith in the guru's teachings, we move forward. We we trust that the scriptures are saying the right thing. So what's important is that we have that solid foundation, we understand the truth and we are able to discern between the real and the unreal. Now, the whole point of this is purely an intellectual exercise. Do not think of it being the absolute truth. The truth is beyond the intellect, but we need to make sure the intellect can take in that truth. So, for example, you may get to self-realization. There's no doubt about that, because once you're shown what Brahman is, it's very clear, it's like right in your face. You can't ignore it. But what can happen is have you dealt with actually the desires in your mind, the things that trigger you, whether emotionally or whether just bringing incessant thought patterns like are we have. We purified the mind and I found this in.
Speaker 1:I was watching a video by where Swami Medananda was interviewed by I think her name is Amira Aurora. Her and her brother both have this podcast. They've interviewed Swami Sarvabriyananda Ji twice. Very good, I mean. I love their sincerity, their honesty in how they speak to Swamiji and ask him questions. So Swami Medananda was on there and he was talking about how, you know, advaita is such and such, it's, it's, you know, life, negative in in a way and um, and I just found like he didn't really understand Advaita Vedanta, like it was just blatantly obvious and uh, and and.
Speaker 1:To say that Sri Ramakrishna created his own philosophy, I think is a stretch. But this is what happens, where I feel like the inquiry hasn't been done, so somewhere I feel like he's wanting to get fame for creating this new philosophy around Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda Ji, but really he may be just clutching at straws Now. Yes, that doesn't mean that one cannot be critical of Adi Shankara, but to truly understand his Brahma, satyam, jagat, mithya, jiva, brahma, vena, aparah, it's clearly saying there's only Brahman. And even if and after realization, one should realize that everything in this world that's an object is no longer kind of devoid of meaning. In fact, we see it as Brahman itself, and we don't see division, we don't see separateness. Don't see separateness, we just see the one. That's oneness, and that's the vision that I believe Adi Shankaraji spoke about.
Speaker 1:Now someone can argue with me and say that's not the case, but I think you know. So the inquiry has to be done. You know, do I truly understand what is being said, what is being written and so? Yes, so I've been really kind of contemplating on this how, in spirituality, sometimes people just think faith is enough or that we shouldn't ask questions to the guru or whatever. But I think it's necessary, I think you need to ask questions, you need to remove your doubts, you need to eradicate any misunderstandings If we are truly sincerely wanting to move forward in our spirituality, where spirituality is not just a show.
Speaker 1:Or you know, for example, what's the point of being shown the absolute truth if we're still superstitious? You know the amount of people that I see saying, oh know, for example, what's the point of being shown the absolute truth if we're still superstitious. You know the amount of people that I see saying, oh yeah, I'm self-realized. And then you see them with that blue-eyed thing for Nuzzo. What is this? You know nothing can touch you. If you are truly self-realized, you know nothing can harm you. Uh, self-realized, you know nothing can harm you. Nothing can, because whatever will happen is one could be karmic. So not necessarily that someone's put a evil eye on you, it could be purely karmic and you have to see that out if you want to truly transcend karma. But the fact is when you say Someone put nazar on me, who is this me that you are referring to, that means you have gone back to body mind identification.
Speaker 1:So my whole point is that, even when somebody may claim to have been Given the vision of God, I would question that completely If they still are superstitious, still doing rituals as if you know, if they don are superstitious, still doing rituals as if you know, if they don't do it, they'll have BAP. Do rituals because you love doing them. Don't do it for any other reason. Don't do it because it's a good karma. If you do it for good karma, then you've gone back to body and mind identification. So I hope that makes some of this clearer.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think I was contemplating on yesterday's Mahashivratri event and you know it's important to do those actions. It's important to do those good karma, the rituals no problem, the artis are beautiful, all of this is wonderful, but remember the true point of Spirituality, which is self-realization, or enlightenment, or Jivan Mukti, and if that is not the end goal for you, then I would say drop the spiritual path, don't continue. If you're not willing to ask questions and move forward, don't bother with it. It'll be more dangerous, in my opinion, because when we put on the garb and the clothes of being spiritual and then we act like complete idiots, then this just shows how spirituality is just a very surface level thing, when it's not. It's a very deep thing. It has to resonate with you deeply. And I think that's why I've created the course, because, as much as I've been doing the podcast and I've seen some benefits with some of my viewers who've come to me and they've asked questions and we've worked things through some of my viewers who've come to me and they've asked questions and we've worked things through and the advice that's been given has truly helped them and and that's the whole point that with this course, it's not just about teaching you something, but it's about the interaction, that when you ask me a question, that we have to answer it and we have to find out and we have to go deep into the direct experience. Now, if we don't do that, if we don't get there, then my course will be like everything else and the whole point is not to get this.
Speaker 1:If you do this course, then there's a higher course, then there's a discourse. No, no, this should get you ready for self-realization, and then the rest, after that, is just purely enjoying the nature of spiritual study. That's it. You're reading things from a different like understanding, from a different different, from a different set of criteria. Now, you're reading things not to attain Brahman, but you're reading them as Brahman. You're reading them as formless awareness, and that's the whole point. So when you read something like Jivan Mukti Viveka, you're reading it as Brahman. When you read the Ashtavakra Gita, you're reading it as Brahman, not someone who wants to attain Brahman, who wants to attain Formless Awareness. That's not the whole point. I think I'm making myself clear, but but yeah, the whole point of the course is as much as it's.
Speaker 1:You know those videos that will teach you something. It's also the weekly sessions where we ask questions. So ask those questions. It's important, okay. Anyway, thank you very much for listening Again. Like comment subscribe. You know that. Jazz Rate and review, you know all that stuff. Do that. If you want want to join my discord, it's all in the show notes and video description below. Anywhere you want to support the podcast, do so. It's all good. If you don't want to, it's all good. Just make sure, if you really want to be spiritual, be spiritual, okay. Thank you, take care, namaste.
