Spiritual experiences that changed your life

Sitting Bull said:So, about that person who kicks things off—does he really have to be some kind of "embodiment" of the whole thing? Just a thought.
Is that actually a person, or... what?😉

Technically speaking—if we’re getting all pedantic about it—there’s a distinction between a guru and a priest. A guru is an enlightened master, a true teacher who is one with God—essentially equal to God, since there's really nobody else besides Him, right? You have these massive figures like Shiva, Krishna, Buddha, or Jesus, and they’ve initiated countless other spiritual seekers, disciples, and followers. Now, those students might not have reached full enlightenment themselves just yet, but they were taught how to pass along the specific techniques of spiritual development to others. That’s basically how they become teachers—or priests, if you want to use that term.

So, here’s the thing—if you get some kind of guidance regarding spiritual work from a spiritual person, maybe even a priest who's just passing down wisdom from a tradition handed to them by some guru, that knowledge still carries weight. It doesn't lose its punch just because it's being passed along—it still works.

I’ve always felt that in most traditions, a Priest holds a higher status than a guru. Figures like Shiva or Krishna aren't typically labeled as gurus unless they had direct disciples mentioned in a specific text. To me, a guru is just a direct teacher—someone who hasn't necessarily reached enlightenment. You can even call a secular instructor a guru, whether it's for science or music. A Priest, on the other hand, is more of a leader or perhaps a reformer in a broader sense, like the founder of an organization.

That seems to be the case for most organizations I'm aware of (though most don't even bother with the term Priest; they lean more toward traditionalism, like certain Vaishnava sects). A guru is primarily a personal teacher, regardless of their actual level of realization, even if the student often imagines them to be much more than they actually are.😁

The AM seems unique in this regard. I don't know the exact hierarchy, but I recall mentions of "dada" and "didi." I haven't studied it deeply, but it doesn't strike me as the classic or most widely accepted definition, nor does it align with how people usually interpret Shiva or Krishna...

frozenangler9 said:First off, I think this whole body versus spirit dualism is a total bust. The body is—you could say—just one way the spirit manifests. If you’re trying to experience pure spirituality while clinging to this physical setup, I’m afraid you’re just kidding yourself.

That’s what happens when you try to view the spiritual through a material lens. It’s a whole new, unknown territory, so I guess
I can see why people fall into that line of thinking.

frozenangler9 said:If you learn everything there is to know about the body—matter, physical presence, the laws of physics, mathematical patterns—then you'll have enough data to piece together a picture of the non-physical, the spirit. For most of us mere mortals, that’s the simplest, most natural path.

So, if you take the rules of the material (the physical) and try to use them to explain the spiritual (the non-material, the non-physical), the logic just doesn't hold up, does it?

frozenangler9 said:Coming up to people and just starting to chatter about your spiritual experiences... I don't know... it isn't really something you just ramble about to strangers. 😉

Shoot me a PM if you want; nobody else will see it unless you want them to.

Hannah Thompson2 said:so you take physical rules and try to use them to explain the spiritual side—it just doesn't hold up, this whole theory of yours,

Oh, really? And does it hold up when you claim that the spirit and the body are opposites? 🙂

If they’re opposites, then logically, the more I know about A, the more I understand its opposite, non-A. 😍

Since you're such a genius, why don't you go ahead and define "spirit" or "spiritual" without dragging the material world into it? Just once. Then maybe I'll actually believe there's zero connection between the two...

And another thing—it's way easier, if you ask me, to manipulate spiritual knowledge. It's easy to con people (and even yourself) in an area where almost nobody is truly "expert."
Sticking to the facts of the material reality seems—I don't know—more honest. To yourself and everyone else. No fluff, no fake mystical glow...

At the end of the day, if you stay awake and ready to learn, you can pick up a ton—and I mean a ton—from seemingly insignificant, "material" experiences.

If you're just sitting there, asleep and dazed, waiting for some spectacular, unexplainable spiritual epiphany... you might find your whole life passes by while you're just waiting. That "big lesson" or "great teacher" might never show up, while you're busy tossing aside those small, everyday moments as useless sources of wisdom.

Bottom line: all sources are worth something if you know how to "read" them, and they all lead to the same place. 🙂

matter ☕

frozenangler9 said:If opposites exist, then the more I learn about A, the more I inevitably understand its opposite, non-A. 😍

spiritual logic 😍
The reasoning is flawed. To truly grasp a negation, you'd need total mastery over set A
but we barely know anything at all, if anything at all. 😉

Are we just living through one continuous spiritual experience that's constantly reshaping who we are? ... 😉
Brewing a cup of coffee isn't any more "spiritual" than those vague memories some people claim to have about past lives ... 😁

frozenangler9 said:Does that even hold up when you start arguing that the spirit and the body are opposites? 🙂

Yeah.

frozenangler9 said:If opposites really do exist—if they actually function the way people say they do—then it follows that the more I wrap my head around "A," the more I’m inadvertently learning about its opposite, "not-A." It’s almost like a zero-sum game, isn't it? You can't truly grasp one side without accidentally stumbling into the other. 😍

No,
You’ve got plenty of theories about spirituality—all those assumptions and ideas—but you seem to be missing the actual spirit.

If you’ve already made that point once, then the logic holds up just the same here—for instance, if I truly understand what health is, then I must also understand what illness is (even if you haven't actually lived through it). So, by your own reasoning, if you're perfectly healthy, you should be able to tell me exactly what it feels like to live with cerebral palsy.

frozenangler9 said:Alright, since you think you're such a wise guy—go ahead then. Define "spirit" and "spiritual" for me. And here's the catch: don't involve the material world in your definition at all. Not even a little bit. If you can actually pull that off, then maybe I'll start believing your claim that the spiritual side of things truly has nothing to do with the physical.

The whole concept of "definition" is really tied to the intellect—it’s the idea that we should be able to use our logic to explain the spiritual. But honestly, logic only goes so far. The spirit belongs to eternity, while the body is just a temporary vessel for this world. Once you actually experience the spiritual side of things, you start to realize how primitive and flawed our physical existence really is. You begin to see that true, eternal life spirit lives within the Spirit itself. It’s like stepping into an entirely different reality—a kind of enlightenment sent from above that gives your whole life a brand-new sense of purpose.

frozenangler9 said:And one more thing—it’s honestly so much easier to manipulate spiritual knowledge. It is just way simpler to con other people (and even yourself, if we're being honest) when you're playing in a field where almost nobody actually knows what they're doing.

It’s true that it’s much easier to manipulate someone who lacks a connection to the spirit—but once a person has truly been enlightened by that spirit, they can't be easily fooled. Not while that flame is still flickering inside them, anyway.

frozenangler9 said:Sticking to the cold, hard facts of material reality feels—honestly—a bit more decent. It’s just more honest, both to yourself and to everyone else around you. No need for all the excessive fanfare or that fake, superficial gloss people try to wrap everything in... right?

I guess I'll stick to talking about material stuff—you know, things that actually exist in the physical world—when it comes to this topic.
I started this thread because I was thinking about the Spirit—so, naturally, here’s my take on the Spirit.

frozenangler9 Asks:
At the end of the day, if you’re actually staying awake to it—meaning you're present and genuinely ready to learn—you can pull so much out of those seemingly trivial, everyday "material" experiences. It's funny how much is hidden in the mundane stuff, isn't it?

Spiritual teachings carry more weight than anything material—though, don't get me wrong, having some stuff isn't exactly a bad thing.

frozenangler9 said:If you spend your whole life sitting around, half-asleep and waiting for some massive, mind-blowing spiritual epiphany to strike—well, you might just find that life passes you by while you're waiting. We all do it, don't we? We hold out for that one "big lesson" or some grand teacher to descend from the clouds, and in the process, we end up tossing aside all those tiny, everyday moments that actually hold the truth. Why wait for a lightning bolt when there's plenty to learn in the small stuff?

I’m with you there—there's really no point in waiting for some divine sign to start doing the right thing. You have to live with faith and act with kindness right now, because honestly, none of us knows when our time is going to run out.

frozenangler9 said:At the end of the day, any source can be useful—provided you actually know how to "read" between the lines—and they all eventually point toward the same destination. 🙂

Not quite.

Adam Ross4 said:we're constantly living through a spiritual experience, and that experience is constantly reshaping us... 😉
brewing a cup of coffee isn't any less "spiritual" than what some people call memories of past lives... 😁

I think you meant that nothing is less spiritual, right?🙂

Of course it isn't. Everything is spiritual—even just being. The rest is just different levels of material stuff. 😎 🤣 😂

bluemason3 said:I suppose you meant the word itself isn't any less spiritual 🙂

Yeah, that's exactly what I was getting at... 😬

bluemason3 said:Hmm, I get the feeling that in most traditions, the Acharya is placed above the guru...
AM seems pretty specific about this—it's a bit of a niche thing. I don't know the exact hierarchy off the top of my head, I think there's mention of "dada" and "didi"... I haven't gone down that rabbit hole specifically, but it doesn't strike me as the standard or most widely accepted way to define these terms, nor does it align with how people usually interpret Shiva, Krishna, and the rest.

A Guru (in the spiritual sense) is always someone who has actually realized something... obviously, if you’re just using "guru" in everyday slang—like in Hindi or Bengali—it can just mean a school teacher or some random instructor. An Acharya is similar to a Swami; they're a respected spiritual figure, a priest, a devotee, or a sage, but they aren't necessarily a spiritually realized being.

"Dada" (which is Bengali for older brother) and "didi" (older sister) are just colloquial titles used within AM for Acharyas—essentially authorized teachers or instructors for yoga and meditation.

The Tantric understanding of Shiva and Krishna generally differs from the mainstream Hindu view, and AM follows that path—just much more radically stripped of all that Puranic superstition. But hey, that's probably a whole different conversation.

I’m not entirely sold on that... there’s this whole concept of a "family guru" within the tradition. Just look at the Krishna followers. Essentially, a guru is someone who initiates you, but they don't necessarily have to be fully enlightened. Besides, everyone defines and "measures" spiritual realization differently anyway...

In the Krishna tradition, an Acharya is defined as a branch leader, placing them above a standard guru. For instance, Prabhupada was an Acharya, whereas his subsequent disciples aren't considered gurus. It was a similar setup with the Gaudy Math. I suspect other Vaishnava lineages follow a similar structure, and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if other classical traditions do too.

I can't speak for the Vaishnava tradition specifically—that's probably outside my wheelhouse—but in most other schools of thought, things tend to work just the way I described earlier.

Accidentally slipping out of my physical body at a specific moment really shaped me and set me on this path...
Honestly, if you haven't felt what it actually means to *know*—you just can't understand...

Nicole Hayes3 said:Leaving my body unintentionally at a specific moment definitely shaped me and set me on a certain path...
Nobody who hasn't experienced what it means to truly know can ever understand...

Come on, if you're up for it, tell us about what happened. I'm genuinely curious.

About four or five years ago, I used to fall into this deep pit of sadness and misery so often that it felt like I was retreating into a world of pure apathy and depression. The last time it hit me, it lasted three days... it started with heavy grief, then transitioned into this weird calmness, just floating in nothingness. I stayed curled up in a fetal position, completely disconnected from reality, stuck in bed and unable to function.
During those days, I didn't eat anything; my only intake was coffee.
My body was still processing fluids, though, so I eventually had to get up for the bathroom.
I dragged myself up, headed for the door, and as I turned back to close it, I caught a glimpse of myself lying there in that state... it shook me to my core. Seeing that mess of a bed and my own disheveled self, just staring into space... it was chilling. I couldn't wrap my head around how far I'd fallen... felt like I was living in some lunatic's den... and that was the moment everything changed. It wasn't easy, but I made it happen...
There were plenty of dark days, but I found my grit and fought my way out... who knows where I'd be if I hadn't seen that reflection of myself...

It was also during a major turning point in my life... after watching this program on spirituality and hearing a song about God and love, I just started sobbing... it was late, around 10 PM... and I couldn't stop... crying for everyone who is suffering, for the hungry, for those who are gone... I cried for three or four hours straight... honestly, the tears and the visions just kept coming uncontrollably... it felt like I was finally purging all the sadness I’d been holding onto... all that built-up poison... washed away by those tears...
Everyone thought I was actually moving away... but that was really when things finally clicked for me...
Anyway, I'm a completely different person now...

Yeah, there were other moments too...

Now I meditate, practice Yoh, manage my energy, eat vegetarian... I don't clash with anyone, and I often feel wonderful...

No courses, no initiations, no special mantras, no gurus... I just live by intuition... I give my body whatever it needs, as much as I can...

So, that's me...

JivanMukta said:To actually undergo change, a person has to realize their true situation—where they stand, what they are, and who they really are. Only then does the genuine desire to change emerge.

It reminds me of something Gurdjieff once said about how most people aren't even remotely aware of their own circumstances. It’s like being a prisoner tossed into a death row cell without even knowing it. If a person actually realized that, all those secondary goals, little hopes, and trivial desires would vanish instantly. Their only thought would be finding a way out of that cell and avoiding the executioner...
If someone truly grasped their situation, how could they possibly think about anything other than escaping?
But instead, we’re all fast asleep, convinced we’re free, convinced we’re making things happen, hoping for a better life somewhere else, and so on...

JivanMukta said:And to finish what was started, one must let go of all teachings and all teachers, turning instead toward intuition and self-trust. Toward the Life within. Only then does the change happen... only then do you realize there was nothing to change in the first place.

There is no life inside, nor is there life outside. That division is just another illusion...

Spirituality isn't some opposite force to the material world...
It’s more like spirituality shapes the physical stuff we deal with...

I mean, if you feel this constant 'clash' between the spiritual and the material, maybe that just means there's a conflict going on inside yourself.

Adam Ross4 said:spirit = matter ☕

Spiritual logic 😍 suggests
that this line of reasoning falls short; to truly negate something, one would need an exhaustive, absolute understanding of set A
yet we possess very little knowledge of it, if we possess any at all 😉

CORRECTION:

Spirit is everything that matter is not.

You only understand matter because that is the narrow scope of what was taught to you in the American public school system. Spirit, however, represents the very essence of everything that school failed to teach you—it is the actual process of learning those missing pieces, a journey that isn't confined to a classroom, but exists everywhere we look... 👋

rowdydrifter7 said:Spirit equals everything that isn't matter.

Is there actually anything out there that isn't matter? ☕