Religions are road maps to the Self (I AM) or God, which lies within us. Passing through the wilderness of the ego, which lies hidden from most of us just below the surface of our conscious awareness, we encounter pitfalls and wrong turns. Religions are road maps through the unconscious. Arriving at the center, we merge with God and, like the prodigal son parable that Jesus the Christ told, reclaim our lost immortality.

To put it another way, we realize that our true original nature is immortality, and we stop dreaming that we are separate egos that are trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Religion and scripture are not the goal. God is the goal, and spirituality is the practice of walking the path to God.

Spirituality has to do with experiencing God intimately and directly. Without this direct experience, there is no salvation, no getting to heaven, no being 'born again', no enlightenment, no nirvana, no liberation and no end to suffering.

The real purpose of life is to experience what is beyond this physical existence. However, each one looks at life differently. Most human beings see life as a constant struggle for survival. Such people believe in the theory that the fittest will survive. They are satisfied with the normal way of living- for example, getting a house, a job, a car, a wife, a husband, children and enough money to live. Yes, these are important things, and we need to focus on our day-to-day lives and to take care of our responsibilities and obligations, small and big.

But there is more to life, a higher purpose, which is to know and realize who we are. By knowing who we are, we gain everything. A feeling of complete fullness, with absolutely nothing else to gain in life. That realization makes life perfect. Regardless of all we have accumulated or are striving to acquire, for most people life still feels incomplete - like the letter C. This gap, or lack, will always be there. Only spiritual knowledge and realization of Self can fill the gap and unite the two ends, which will make it like the letter, O. The knowledge of that alone will help us feel well-grounded in the real center of life.

Spirituality is not blind faith; it is the ideal that eliminates darkness. It is the principle that teaches us to face any adverse circumstance or obstacle with a smile. Spirituality is the teaching for the mind."

So why should one follow the spiritual path?

A wise teacher once replied that this is like the seed asking, "Why should I go beneath the soil, sprout and grow upward?"

Excerpts are included from the book From Amma's Heart.