So spirituality is essentially a science of the transcendental, an art of the transcendental — how to seek, how to find, never how to get. Because many people come to spirituality wanting to get something, probably friendship, love philtres — not f-i-l-t-e-r-s, which would be more appropriate — but p-h-i-l-t-e-r-s and so many other things, you see: freedom from disease, freedom from penury, and so on and so forth. Spirituality does not even mention these things. We, because of our religious background, accustomed to going on our knees before an unseen, unknown, unknowable God, always praying and begging, translate such needs into the field of spirituality and think here also we can go on our knees and beg. And I hope they don't borrow and steal!

So spirituality is a totally different thing. It has nothing to do with schooling and education; it has nothing to do with religion and its education. One gives the kindergarten experience of the material world, the other gives the kindergarten approach to what we call divinity, but eventually we have to graduate both out of the scholastic limitations, which keep us limited to the material world, material knowledge, knowledge of the material world, and go beyond our churches, our temples, or whatever we have, into that transcendental field where both culminate in an existence where, as we say in the ancient Hindu philosophy, you find existence, consciousness, bliss, all coming together in one grand synthesis. It does not mean, "I exist, I am conscious and I enjoy bliss." It is not like that. It is that existence is consciousness, and being existent and conscious is itself a state of bliss. I have to give you this caution because people say, “Well, I have been in Sahaj Marg for twenty years and I have never experienced bliss.” Whereas in the material world, we do have bliss of sorts, occasionally, which we mistake for the transcendental bliss.

So in spirituality we aim at a state of being, at a level of being, where we are existing consciously in bliss. It is not that I am existing and bliss has to come to me from somewhere and that I have to be conscious and unconscious alternatingly or something like that, but it is a simultaneous manifestation of all three facets: existence, consciousness, bliss. And why did they say this? Because existence does not mean consciousness. Our people were bold enough to say that you are walking around like puppets, wound up like toys, moving and playing and thinking you are alive. It was a fantasy. It was a fallacy. We were not really conscious.

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 People look to the outside only because they have not looked into the inside. When we look into the inside and see the vastness of the universe that is inside, the spiritual universe with its glories, nothing to deface that glory; there is no disease, no sickness, no illness, no corruption, no vice, only absolute glory, absolute beauty, absolute truth, I believe we shall never again turn to the outside universe, one who has seen this inner vision of the Almighty, which is our own self.

Therefore spiritual dharma says: God realisation is only Self realisation. One who has seen closes his eyes forever, which is what we call mukti , liberation in the shorter sense. It does not mean that we become blind, but our attention, our love is all now directed inwards, into our inner self. Other than that we need nothing. I pray to our Almighty and Beloved Master that he may shower his grace upon all of us and make this possible.

Principles Vol 12, p. 249-250

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 So in spirituality we start with the idea that God is in the heart, present as a divine illumination, and progressively we try to deepen this association with that Divinity by meditation. This is the important sense, most important vital sense in which meditation is an absolute must. There is no question of whether it is necessary for me or not. Anybody who says, ”Do you think it is necessary for me?” is thinking of God as if He is a glass of water or a cup of tea. “No, no! I do not need now. I am not thirsty.” God is not meant to slake your thirst or to fill your stomach or even your pockets. He must be a permanent eternal presence within me. Otherwise it is like our electricity, which keeps coming and going, and we don't know when it comes, when it goes; when we most need it, it is not there. What is the use of such a divine connection? Therefore we must always emphasise, that spirituality is not a departure from worship, it is not atheistic, it is not going against religions. It is trying to deepen the sense in which a human being must have a contact re-established with Divinity, which he has cut and thrown outside himself. Therefore, I repeat, spirituality is not something which may be necessary to some and not to others, which may be necessary to some at some times and not other times. It is something which is eternally necessary, because such must be the nature of my connection with Him who is here. In this sense, therefore, spirituality is the ultimate presence of Divinity brought into ourselves. The real connection, established for once and forever, and then we can sort of lie back, relax in a state of utter bliss, knowing that with Him around, here inside, we don't have to really bother about anything. Peace is just to be had by closing your eyes.

Principles Vol 12, p. 295-297