Transcendence


After a quite long time, I read an interesting, thought provoking book. "Transcendence" - My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari. 

This blog has many articles with label "Spiritual Science". This book is also about Spiritual Science. How a renown scientist looks at religion, philosophy, spirituality. I recommend, all people - with scientific temperament - must read:
(1) "Chapter 14. Walking Over the Waves" and 
(2) "Part 3 Fusion of Science and Spirituality", particularly "Chapter 19 Mind Is the Matrix of All Matter" that talks about spirituality, quantum physics etc.

The entire book has diversified interesting topics. It talks about 
- various philosopher, scientists, good people of different time and places. 
- big bang, solar system, universe, galaxy etc. 
- statistics about BAPS, and HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj. 
- India's space programme
- India's white revolution by Verghese Kurien
- Life of author A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. His native place. His teachers, relatives, other books. Also his role as president of India. 



The last two pages of "chapter 20. Growing into Highly Evolved Physical and Spiritual Being" sheds light on how status quo of our own inner lives harms us: We denounce wisdom of others when it does not fit into our emotional framework. We choose to agree only with opinions of others who share our personal values and feelings...In this state of ignorance, we become subservient, we are at the mercy of the popular status quo.

It also reminds me, a story about bumblebee and an insect. A bumblebee offered ride to an insect across the beautiful garden. The insect took some of the bad smelling matter in his nose with him and could not understand, what the bumblebee was describing about different fragrance of different flowers. The bumblebee realized it and make the insects dawn into pond and take it out, so it can enjoy fragrance. Same way sometimes we are cut of – like a fortress. A Guru open a window in the fortress. Then also we need to put efforts to progress in this spiritual path. I was one of the fortunate persons, who listened to this story directly from HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Prior to that I read it in some book by Swami Vivekanand or Ramkrishna Paramhansa. 

You will like this book, regardless of you are bright atheist or committed religionists. Here is my favorite content from the book. You may also like it. It is in context of Galileo

People who are unable to understand perfectly both scripture and science far outnumber those who do understand them perfectly. The former glancing superficially through the scriptures, could easily arrogate to themselves the authority to decide upon every question of physics on the strength of some word which they have misunderstood, and which was consciously employed by the sacred authors for some different purpose. And the smaller number of understanding men could not dam up the furious torrent of such people. These people would gain the most followers, simply because it is much more pleasant to gain a reputation for wisdom without effort or study, than to consume oneself tirelessly in the most laborious disciplines.

We all have heard famous quote from Shrimad Bhagavad Gita:  


कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।  

We have control/rights about our own actions only, not on its result / fruit / outcome. The same point when living Guru like HDH Praumkh Swami Maharaj explains with following words, it gives more insight understanding. 

Do not confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence man can reach, but perfection is God's work. 
- Pramukh Swami Maharaj

I have captured many such gems, thought provoking statements in my blog about this book. The book has four sections. So I wrote four blog posts covering pearls of wisdom from each section of the book. You may like to read: 


Book: Transcendence

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