There are diverse spiritual practices in the form of prayers, meditation, yoga, tantra, glorifying the guru or god, meditation and inquiry. etc.
What the goal of spiritual practice might be is described differently in various religions and traditions. In some religions, the goal of spiritual practice is to go to heaven and be with angels, divine beings, and God. In some spiritual traditions, the goal of spiritual practice is said to be union with God. Still, in other schools of thought, the goal of spiritual is freedom from bondage from all concepts including the notions of heaven and God. There are many variations on these themes in the world religions.
The nature of life and existence is generally determined by one’s inherited cultural and traditional conditioning and upbringing or conditioning through circumstances.
From an Eastern meditative perspective, anything that allows the mind to be quiet and content and peaceful in awareness is spiritual practice. The schools of yoga in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism emphasize the path of nonviolence in their spiritual practice. The goal of spiritual practice in these traditions is Moksha or Nirvana. Moksha or Nirvana imply release from all bondage and liberation from the cycle of birth, life and death.
The Advaita perspective within Hinduism emphasizes Self-knowledge as the only means to overcome the idea that one is separate from God or the Universe. According to this philosophy, when the Self is realized, the false cognition that the world is different from the Self simply vanishes.
There is only consciousness, which is the true self; however when the consciousness is conceptualizes with different concepts and ideas, so it becomes difficult to understand and assimilate the nondual truth. Therefore there is no attainment of goal outside of consciousness which is the formless substance and witness of the three states. Consciousness is the center of the physical existence or mind, and it pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states. Deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning revels the fact that, consciousness is the true self.
Holding on to the awareness that the consciousness is the real Self is the goal. The consciousness is already there. The veil of ignorance has to be lifted to overcome the illusion. Therefore Self-Knowledge is the only tool to know and realize the fact that, the veil is mere mirage.
One can find answers to all questions if one first realizes the fact that, the self is not physical body but the self is that, which witnesses the physical body and the universe together, without the physical apparatus.
The ultimate answer to all the questions comes only after one realizes the self is not physical but self is consciousness. One will be able to understand and assimilate the nondual truth only after he becomes aware of the fact that, the consciousness is the true self. Therefore, there is a necessary to realize the fact that, “consciousness” is the true self, in order to realize, the body and the universe are mere mirage created out of consciousness. Therefore the whole experience of diversity is nothing but consciousness. Thus consciousness is second to none. Therefore, to understand and assimilate and realize the consciousness is ultimate truth nothing else will help other then the knowledge of the true self.
