Entering the world of spirituality is a problem for many, who aspire to go into it. Spirituality is, in fact, latent in every human being. It remains in most cases subdued. In general, people are not aware of its existence. It needs to be opened up. However, some people are naturally oriented toward it. That is why we find some people habitually inclined to it right from childhood. They are considered precocious.

We find precocious children even in other fields of knowledge. All of them are, in fact, exceptional people, who distinguish themselves in their society. However, we need something good for ordinary people. They should be simple and comprehensible.

The consciousness of life brings in the sense of mortality in them. They should realize or should be made to realize, that despite inevitable death, they are alive.

One of the simplest ways to acquaint people with spirituality is to ask them to be aware of their existence. Those who find themselves alive eventually feel that they will be someday dead. Life is related to death. Not that people don’t know about it. But they are often not conscious of it. The consciousness of life brings in the sense of mortality in them. They should realize or should be made to realize, that despite inevitable death, they are alive.

That is a great source of joy. Every moment of this realization is worth a celebration. But we are used to celebrating only one day in a year when we are born. For the rest of the year, we take it for granted that we remain so. In fact, most of the people do not care to be aware of their existence until their life comes under a threat of death due to illness, violence, or a natural calamity. This is one way of orienting people toward their inner self leading thereby to spirituality.

That something is a spirit, a soul, or energy, spelled out in different ways by different people. The fact that Ram is not just a bundle of material stuff leads us to the realm of spirit and spirituality.

Another simple road to spirituality is to pose a question pertaining to one’s identity. Everybody has a name and that is the signature of one’s identity. But does the name give the real identity of man? For example, we present a boy by the name of Ram. We see and show his body as Ram. But what we are observing is different parts of his body, say, his head, limbs, legs and so forth. Can we pinpoint Ram by pointing at any part of his body? Obviously not. Even dissection of his body will only show his internal parts of the body like intestines, heart, liver, and kidney and so on.

The question arises where lies Ram? In answering this question, we have to take into account something beyond the physical existence of his body. That something is a spirit, a soul, or energy, spelled out in different ways by different people. The fact that Ram is not just a bundle of material stuff leads us to the realm of spirit and spirituality.

There is yet another way of entering into the dominion of spirituality by distinguishing the lower spirit from the higher one. It amounts to understand the inner constitution of man. We find two beings identified with ‘I’. One is the doer and the other is an observer. The doer is the lower spirit, who identifies oneself in every act, every reaction and every thought. There is another spirit within oneself, who acts just as an observer. It is higher than the other one as it sits in observing all thoughts and actions going on inside. Ordinarily one is conscious of only the lower self. One who becomes conscious of the higher self is considered to be spiritual.

There is a classic way of explaining it for easy comprehension. One way out of the hundreds, according to Ramakrishna Order, is to understand this inner phenomenon by comparing human life with a gigantic tree, which sends its roots deep down into the bottom of the earth. It is nurtured and nourished by the sap of an unknown Infinite, which is Brahma. Its strong trunk is the trunk of karma, which has been attained, accumulated, through a succession of incarnations. The whole tree is held firm by that trunk.

When it tastes a sweet one, it experiences a temporary feeling of joy and happiness. But immediately that sense of satisfaction is gone, it is hungry again.

Seated at the top of this tree, but not supported by or depending upon it is a bird, self-poised, self-illumined and self-contained. It is always blissful, always cheerful. It never depends upon anything for its existence, happiness, or knowledge. It is radiating brilliance, effulgence; and that heavenly light illumines the tree beneath. This bird never leaves its throne of glory at the top of the tree, for it has no desire, no wants. It has everything.

There is another bird, very similar in appearance, which occupies the body of the tree. It has no fixed place of its own. It is moving constantly and hopping from branch to branch. It is always hungry and restless. The more it eats the hungrier it seems to be. Every moment is spent on finding and tasting new fruit.

When it tastes a sweet one, it experiences a temporary feeling of joy and happiness. But immediately that sense of satisfaction is gone, it is hungry again. It seizes another fruit, which perhaps is bitter. Then it receives a shock and, looking around, it catches a glimpse of the beauty and radiance of the self-effulgent bird above. It feels an attraction and aspires after it. But, in the next moment, it forgets and darts after another fruit.

While moving in search of fruit the restless bird, being attracted unknowingly by the other bird, is slowly moving towards it. When a sense of satiety and satisfaction finally comes, the bird begins to feel disinclined to go round and round in search of fruit. Sometimes it takes a direct flight towards the higher bird and reaches it quickly. But more often the process of approach towards the higher one takes place rather slowly and gradually, until, eventually, the lower bird comes very near the higher one, whose radiance and poise are reflected very distinctly on its personality.

Finally, it is absorbed into the upper bird and loses its separate existence. It realizes that the lower bird was only a shadow of itself. The only reality is the higher bird, which took no active part in the process of growth and development of the tree of life. Our real Self is the higher bird. The lower bird, or our physical and mental systems, is just the shadow of the higher one. Contentment comes from the position of the top bird. That is the attainment of spirituality.