‘Relax in the State of Excitement’

These were the words written on a board that was displayed in the 'crew room' of Elementary Flying School of the Indian Air Force. To relax in the state of excitement was, is and will ever be a tall order, especially for those who are starting their flying training for the first time. However, the hard work we were made to put in and the thorough preparation that One Cup of Tea and we were made to go through before every sortie' helped us to handle even emergencies with confidence. Added to this was the 'deep breathing exercise' that reduced tension and worry when things went wrong. Prayer and meditation were not part of the Air Force training process. Religion and spirituality were kept at a safe distance. The Defence Services carefully kept away from everything that could cause divisions in the rank and file. Religion was one such divisive factor. The concept of spirituality beyond religion was not understood by many during those years. This was in the sixties. I had joined the Flying School in 1967. It was only after the encounter with death in an air crash in 1982 that I turned religion. Through religion in course of time I came to spirituality' beyond religion. Religion stresses prayer. Spirituality focuses on meditation. The wonders that prayer and Practical Spirituality meditation can do for reducing tensions and worries are now well accepted even by the Corporate sector. I myself have profound experiences of such wonders through prayer and meditation in my life. Prayer begins at the 'petition' level. We pray to God for our needs, to help us overcome problems, to heal us from our sickness, to help our dear and near ones ... so on and so forth. From this level we gradually grow to the 'praise and thanks-giving' level when we begin to recognise the ever compassionate and loving 'hand of God' in our life. From there we grow to an 'awareness' level when we become aware of God's true nature and his eternal presence within, among and around us. It is from such awareness that we begin to experience the need for meditation which enables us to deepen this awareness and connect ourselves to the 'Source' - the Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent Supreme Spirit. With this connectivity to the Supreme Spirit, we become truly 'spiritual' people. Our call today is to go beyond religion, and grow to the level of spirituality through meditation. Spirituality alone can lead humanity to abiding unity, harmony and peace. True spirituality will enable us to experience ananda, the joyful and blissful peace that the world cannot give or take away from us.