The real path of spirituality lies in courage, awareness, and surrender—not escape from reality.
There are both, practical and inner dimensions of spiritual life.
Spirituality is often imagined as a peaceful, blissful path that leads one towards enlightenment, liberation, or higher consciousness. Many are drawn to it with expectations of comfort, ease, and instant relief from life’s suffering. However, those who walk this path sincerely realize, by and by, that real spirituality is neither glamorous nor smooth as it was expected to be. It demands courage, discipline, introspection, and the willingness to face one’s deepest fears, attachments, and wounds. Real spirituality is not easy—not because it is unattainable, but because it strips away illusion and requires one to flow with transformation in the manner it comes up, which can be very different from the desired change.
One of the biggest misconceptions about spirituality is that it offers an escape from life’s hardships. Some are attracted to meditation because they seek an instant respite from anxiety, grief, or uncertainty. However, spirituality does not promise avoidance—it encourages engagement. Real spirituality is not about living in an illusionary world where life moves the way one wants it to. But it can assist in owning up our experiences and dealing with emotions. It compels us to address the turbulence within: regret, guilt, anger, jealousy, pride, fear, grief, expectations! These are various forms of attachment to the past - to what has gone by, and are the roots to misery. Real spiritual practice asks us to sit with discomfort, not flee from it. This facing self, or confrontation with self is often the most challenging aspect of the journey.
Spiritual growth requires relentless honesty. It demands that we look beyond our social masks, habits, and conditioned beliefs. We are forced to question long-held assumptions about who we are and why we suffer. This process can be unsettling because it reveals that all of what we cling to—our identity, control, security—is fragile or inconsequential. If at all, it only helps to increase and prolong our misery. Spiritual seekers must learn to relinquish ego-driven desires and embrace humility. True transformation is a slow-burning fire, requiring patience and persistence without expectation of immediate results.
Results there are, immense, and far beyond one could have imagined. Deep connection with self brings peace and freedom that is indescribable. But it requires one to walk the rough terrain, with patience and perseverance.
Spirituality is not about occasional practice or mystical experiences—it is about cultivating awareness and integrity in daily life. Consistency in practice, and mindful living are the pillars of real spirituality. These require effort and selfregulation. There are days when patience is tested – the challenges in the reality keep getting more intense and one seems to lose the drive for the spiritual practices, but perseverance through these phases is where resilience is built.
Real spirituality does not seek only light—it invites the seeker to embrace the shadow aspects of the self. This includes suppressed emotions, unresolved traumas, and destructive patterns. Trying to bypass this by looking away from intense emotions and clinging to positive affirmations brings only temporary relief, if any. The darkness carried within, if ignored, festers and distorts perception. True spiritual awakening occurs when we allow ourselves to feel fear, anger, and vulnerability without judgment. Only by embracing this darkness with compassion can we move towards wholeness.
Spiritual life demands trust—not blind belief, but faith in a process larger than oneself. Expectations from the practices one follows can be deterring. They will be challenged at various steps on the path. One will either choose to let them go, or relinquish the path itself. Surrendering control, accepting uncertainty, and flowing with life’s unpredictability are essential. This surrender is deeply uncomfortable because the human mind is wired for security and predictability. Real spirituality teaches us that suffering often arises from resistance to let go, rather than from life’s inherent challenges. Through surrender, we begin to experience freedom—not from responsibility, but from the constant struggle to control every outcome. This kind of control is very deeply interwoven in our fabric, and requires consistence practice and awareness to be renounced. At the same time, a chase for relinquishing control can become an invisible control mechanism itself!
A genuine spiritual path enhances the awareness of our interconnectedness with others. The ego, once softened, begins to see others not as threats or competitors but as fellow travellers in the journey of existence. Spiritual seekers are called to act with integrity, care, and compassion, even when it is difficult or misunderstood. Real spirituality is about deepening our connection with ourselves not by renouncing or abandoning our relationships, but by owning up our experiences coming through them and facing ourselves with courage. Very often, we choose apparent righteousness over authenticity. We do things to look good, conforming to the norms of the society or community, even at the cost of our inner voice. It can keep getting harder to distinguish between the voice of the ego and the inner voice, until, through consistent self-work, only the inner voice rings loud!
Real spirituality is not easy because it demands everything we are willing to give and more than we ever thought possible. It dismantles illusions, exposes vulnerabilities, and asks for unwavering courage and perseverance. It requires discipline, patience, and the strength to face both inner and outer suffering with grace. Yet, despite its challenges, this path is profoundly rewarding. It brings clarity, compassion, and a sense of connectedness that transcends the superficial comforts of life. The difficulty of real spirituality is not a deterrent, but a testimony to its depth, its power to transform, and its ultimate promise of liberation.
