Rational
intelligence / Emotional intelligence / Spiritual intelligence.
We have seen
the importance of the role of the intellect at each moment which shapes the
destiny. We have also seen the importance of watching this in order to improve
the karma-chakra. Here we shall see the broad categories of the intelligence
and their outcome in the human life.
Rational
intelligence.Emotional
Intelligence and
Spiritual
Intelligence.
(Ref,
Article in TOI on interview with Brhma Kumari Shivani)
What does
spiritual intelligence mean?
In order to
understand spiritual intelligence it is useful to first be clear what we mean
when we use these two words.
Being
Spiritual: To be 'spiritual' is to think, act and
interact from an awareness of self as spirit not form, soul not body. Most of
us are taught to believe we are our physical forms, and so we identify with our
body or the labels we give to our bodies such as nationality, race, gender,
profession etc. This wrong sense of self is what creates all fear, anger and
sadness in life. From a spiritual point of view these emotions are always the
result of ego (misidentification), which then blocks access to your true
spiritual nature which is peaceful, loving and joyful.
Having
intelligence: Intelligence is to use what you know in the
right way at the right time in the right place with the right intention. For
example if you 'know' yourself as a spiritual being you will also 'know' that you
do not own or possess anything. When something in your life is damaged or lost,
it does not affect you in any way – you are able to use your spiritual power to
accept and move on. If someone praises the clothes you wear, or insults you in
any way or comments negatively about your looks, you are NOT affected because
you ‘know’ that your real beauty lies within your character, within your
nature, which no one can ever take away. In that moment you draw on the inner
power of that knowledge and use it to remain stable in the face of others
negativity. In effect you are drawing on your spiritual strength which is only
released when you know who and what you are, and then using that strength in
the right way, in the right place at the right time.
Spirituality
is the knowledge of yourself as spirit/soul, and the understanding of your highest
spiritual qualities and attributes, which are love, peace, purity and bliss.
Spiritual Intelligence is the expression of these innate spiritual qualities
through your thoughts, attitudes and behaviors. Being spiritual means the ego
has dissolved, virtue has been restored to character and spiritual values
connect your inner and outer worlds (thought to action). It is the ability to
see every other human being as soul/spirit, and thereby transcend all the false
identities of race, color, gender, nationality, profession and religion. It
is in this awareness that we are then able to recognize and connect with the
Supreme Power.
When you
realize who you really are you will be at peace with yourself not only because
peace is your true and original nature but there is no longer any inner
division and therefore conflict between the many identities that you had
previously created (gender / nationality / profession / possessions etc.)
When you
realize who you really are you are at peace with others. You no longer have to
defend or protect any false image of yourself, so you no longer perceive anyone
else as a threat to those images.
When you
realize who you truly are you are at peace with the world because you will
contain the world instead of it containing you. Whereas before you allowed the
world to impose itself on you and shape your perceptions and feelings according
to your particular sense of identity, now your self-perception is stabilized in
the correct identity. In a sense you shape the world as you bring it into your
consciousness.
Spiritual
intelligence expands your capacity to understand others at the deepest level. Spiritual
understanding allows you to discern both the ‘true cause’ of behavior without
judgement, and serve the ‘true needs’ of others until they themselves learn to
meet their own needs.
This
capacity is developed by first learning to free yourself from attachment and neediness and
being able to meet our own inner needs. Attachment and neediness are the
opposite of being spiritually intelligent.
Personal
Life: Spiritual intelligence frees you from
neediness and clinginess in your personal relationships. When you realize you
already have within you what you seek from others (love, happiness, peace) you
are then free to act and interact without any ‘agenda’. In effect, you act from
an authenticity that desires nothing of another, but serves only to give.
Paradoxically this frees both parties to ‘be themselves’, which is the deepest
foundation for any open, healthy and harmonious relationship built on the twin
spiritual values of trust and respect.
Does
emotional intelligence affect spiritual intelligence in any way?
Being able
to recognize, understand and respond to the emotions of others require a level
of emotional literacy that can only be developed by learning to recognize one’s
own feelings and emotions (self-awareness again). This falls squarely in the
arena of emotional intelligence.
However
there is another layer below, which is the cause of the emotions. We tend to
learn that the cause of our feelings and emotions are external events and other
people’s actions. But they are not. All emotions are caused by the self. Seeing
the original cause, and understanding what it means, is the territory of
spiritual intelligence.
Rational
intelligence manages
facts and information, using logic and analysis to make decisions. Emotional
intelligence is necessary to understand and control one’s emotions and
feelings, while being sensitive to the feelings of others. Spiritual
intelligence, on the other hand, is necessary –
* To find and use the deepest inner resources
from which comes the capacity to care and the power to tolerate and adapt
* To develop a clear and stable sense of
identity as an individual in the context of relationships
* To identify and align personal values with a
clear sense of purpose
* To live those values without compromise and
thereby demonstrate integrity by example.
Most of us
have learned to be motivated by extrinsic or external factors while a few have
discovered that the deepest motivators are intrinsic. We can consciously use
our values to motivate us. We can use our thoughts to motivate us, and we can
even use memories of yesterday to motivate us today.
However the
deepest motivator for any human being is a clear sense of meaning and purpose.
This can only arise when we know who we are, where we are and what we have at
the deepest level. This is where emotional intelligence flows into spiritual
intelligence. Only in this state of self-awareness are we able to discern
the true meaning of things/ events/ circumstances and only then are we able to
see our purpose.
What are
the key methods to learn and develop Spiritual Intelligence?
There are
certain methods to unlearn the illusions and misperceptions which stop you
seeing who you are and being true to yourself. The more these methods are
practiced the faster the realization and the deeper the development of the
spiritual intelligence.
* Meditation: Meditation is the cultivation of
self-awareness. In the meditative process you learn about yourself. Meditation
will also help you restore the ability to control your thoughts and feelings,
sharpen your ability to discern truth from illusion, and thereby make more
intelligent choices.
* Detached
Observation: This is the ability to
disengage from the world of action and interaction outside yourself, and to
disengage from the world of thoughts and feelings within your consciousness. It
is not avoidance of either world, but a way to see more clearly and therefore
understand more deeply what is actually happening. This practice is also
essential in order not to ‘waste’ energy at mental and emotional levels, where
much of your tiredness has its origins.
* Reflection:
This involves
taking time out on a daily basis to review and re-assess past experiences of
the interactions with others. This allows the self/soul to build awareness of
the connection between inner world of thoughts and feelings and the outer world
of action and the consequences of those actions.
* Connecting: There is a higher source of spiritual power
and it is possible to connect with that source and empower oneself. This
accelerates the developmental process increasing both the depth and breadth of
your spiritual intelligence. Energy absorbed from the Supreme Source is
essential to clearing the inner clutter and to focus your consciousness.
* Practice: New learning, new insights, new realizations
are only theories and have no power to change your life unless they are brought
into action, allowed to shape new behaviors, and then perfected in the process
of expression. Practical action is essential to sustaining the momentum of
developing spiritual intelligence.
* Seeing:
Spiritual vision is learning to see only the best in others and by doing
so empowering others to develop the best in themselves. From a spiritual point
of view seeing is creating – how you see the ‘other’ is how you will create the
other within you, which will be both a reflection of how you see yourself at
that moment and the quality of the energy you will then give to them.
Is a
spiritual quest distinct from a quest for God? And is spirituality a search for
our peace or truth of our own selves, rather than for a God, within or without?
Spirituality
is a personal experience. For me spirituality begins with deep connection with
God. For most of us God is a concept and it is not possible to develop a
relationship with a concept.
When we
recognize and understand Him as He is, we then develop a direct and dynamic
relationship with him. It is this relationship which empowers me to bring out
my core values of purity, love and peace. It is like a child who experiences
what is love, care, protection only because of his relationship with the
parent. A child who is not connected to the parent is unable to experience
those feelings even though they are his own values. For me, I was able to
recognize and experience my own inner beauty only when I got into a
relationship with Him.
It is simple
to have the knowledge and understanding of the self as a conceit being, but to
experience soul consciousness; I am able to experience it only because of my
relationship with God. For me spirituality is not a search for God, but I am
spiritual, i.e. a practical embodiment of love and peace only when I am
connected to Him. Therefore it is not a search for God, but Spirituality is
when the search is over and the relationship has begun. I cannot get
connected to someone, leave alone experience a direct relationship if I am
still looking for them. Spirituality is charging of the battery (soul), but for
that I need to be connected to the Power House - God.
My
comments: It is
obvious from the above guidance by B.K. Shivani; that while one leads own life, he has to
endeavour to progress towards acquiring the spiritual intelligence.
Vijay R. Joshi.
