Your Friendly Philosopher & Guide

The paradigm shift happened very recently, where in people got addicted to the material world so much so that they could not leave it behind and also wanted to move towards spirituality. They are the people who always say – you can have a neat haircut, can have a clean shave, trim your beard to perfection, hanker for money, wear jeans & t-shirt & still remain spiritual. There is nothing wrong in this approach. And not all those people who grow hair are spiritual and not all those people who wear jeans t-shirt aren’t spiritual. But the debate is does outer looks supplement spiritual process.

Now this experiment is only for people who believe in Mata Amrityanandamai. And those who don’t believe in her can skip this paragraph. Close your eyes for a while, and think about her image. I said close your eyes first. What did you see? A lady with a big kum kum on her forehead, wearing a white saree covered completely on the head too. What is the feeling you get? You feel good, you feel peaceful, and you feel spiritually elated. Now imagine the same person in a tight jeans and tight t-shirt. Imagine the same face – do you feel spiritual energy or you get an awkward feeling? Now imagine the same person in a bikini – what do you feel? Ugly? It isn’t just the face, but also the attire that goes a long way….(I have huge respect for this lady, and this is in no way intended to insult Mata Amrityananda Mai).

Most of the times our outlook or the way we dress or the way we want to look like in public or to ourselves is an extension of the personality or thoughts we carry with us. If we want to look attractive – we wear the latest branded garments. If we want to look serious & decent - we wear formals. If we want to be looked upon with ‘I don’t care’ attitude – we wear jeans and t-shirt. If we want to be looked like a person, who doesn’t value money – we try to show off wearing simple & shabby clothes. And if we want to look sexy – we wear clothes that show our flesh.

Our outward & also inward behavior changes a lot based on the people who look at us, or people who know us. As a professor of a college a person would hate to be spotted at a pub dancing with young girls around him though he might have those fantasies wild in him. Hence he will avoid doing those things to save his reputation at least. A Vice President of a Corporate company would not get close to any subordinate woman in the office – though he would have great interest on her. Because he will be always conscious about what others would think. He would avoid showing signs at least in the office hours.

Now what happens when you portray yourself or dress up yourself as a spiritual person even though you are not one? You automatically tend to be more conscious about your actions in public and also in personal life, which eventually allows you go grow faster on the spiritual plane. If I have a long beard, long hair, and keep sandal paste on my forehead, and I go to Spencer Plaza and spot a middle aged lady wearing a low hip saree – I of course have a glance but then I don’t keeping staring, which I might do if I am dressed normally. I become conscious deliberately. If I go out with girl friends (this is just an example) I would not touch them, because I am conscious about what others would think. This again helps me to have control over sexual desires, which happens to be the biggest barrier in anyone’s spiritual growth.