Harjit Singh Sagoo explores the benefits of finding spiritual gems in different faiths.
All faiths have something special to share. Just as the legendary Bruce Lee borrowed the most essential concepts and techniques from a variety of traditional martial arts in order to develop a practical method of fighting, spirituality-seekers could borrow practical ideas and practices from various old religions in order to put together a comfortable, freestyle approach of attaining inner bliss. Each faith can be considered a mine of gems. There are numerous types of gems in each of the mines, but you must pick out the ones which seem precious to you.
The following are some of the gems I found:
1) Amrit Vela (Sikhism)
Punjabi for ‘ambrosial hours’. Waking up early between 3-6 am in order to contemplate with a fresh, calm mind.
2) Digamber (Jainism)
Prakrit for ‘sky-clad’. Wearing no clothing in order to feel free from worldly attachment, increasing the connection to one’s inner self.
3) Gyan Mudra (Hinduism)
Sanskrit for ‘wisdom gesture’. Pressing the tip of the index finger with the tip of the thumb, (with the rest of the fingers stretched out) for about two minutes at a time, to increase mental concentration.
4) Zikar-e-Qalbi (Islam)
Arabic for ‘meditation of heart’. Visualising writing of a sacred name or loving word on one’s own heart and focusing upon it to connect with it.
5) Breath Listening (Taoism)
Closing the eyes and listening to one’s own inhaling and exhaling, thereby causing steady calming of the breath and lowering of the heart rate.
6) Shuckling (Judaism)
Yiddish for ‘shaking’. Rocking back and forth or side to side in order to increase focus/memory and keeping physically active whilst praying/meditating.
7) Labyrinth Walking (Christianity, also paganism)
Walking inside and back out of a spiral maze pattern while reflecting upon oneself so as to seek spiritual inspiration.
Aim is to seek wisdom from wherever you can. Share your gems with others as well as encourage others to find and share their own. A bowl of fruit salad is always more exciting and flavoursome than a bowl of just apple chunks.
