Holy places bring spiritual focus

Understanding of god I believe that there is a force that influences the universe we inhabit in myriad ways; a force that is omnipresent and omnipotent.

 We call that force god, build shrines and adopt different ways of life, based on those belief systems.

 To me, god is a concept created by humanity to understand and interact with the indefinable and undeniable force above.

 Spiritual beliefs

My spiritual beliefs are ensconced in the power of the self and that of collective human consciousness.

 I believe that every person has the ability to be enlightened.

 I believe that each one of us is but one part of a seamless, closely interlinked social tapestry, which is why our actions have implications for others around us.

 Many social problems that plague society would not arise, if we engaged in ‘we thinking’, rather than ‘me, my, mine and I thinking’.

 I also believe in the purity of a greater common good, which to paraphrase the Mahatma, should be our talisman.

 Spiritual practices

I spend a few moments every day, connecting with myself and my god, asking questions about my actions, the motives and implications.

 I pray to ‘my god’ for inner peace, strength, wisdom, fortitude, and the courage to do whatever is right, no matter what the perceived implications are.

 I visit a place of worship to enhance my spiritual focus.

 Pilgrimage sites

Any shrine is but a medium of focus.

 Just as one goes to a concert hall to immerse oneself in music, a library for books, or an art gallery for painting, one visits a shrine to be immersed in oneself and in the power that guides our destinies.

 My greatest moments of union with the self are in the solitude of nature, the mountains, oceans, and forests.

 They remind us of how insignificant we are, in the context of this wide universe.  My favourite spot is in the foothills of the Himalayas, the Kumaon Hills.

 Miracles

Every time we see a wonder of creation, the rising and setting sun, waves on the beach, the wind and the rain, we experience a miracle.

 I don’t understand why people are in search of manufactured miracles or why so called men of god feel impelled to perform them.

 For me, watching my children being born and watching them evolve as human beings is the greatest miracle of all.

 —As told to Sonali Shenoy (Dr E S Krishnamoorthy is a senior neuro-psychiatrist and researcher)