What does being spiritual mean? How should a spiritual person behave in this material world?

The first part of the question is “What does being spiritual mean?”

To put it simply, a spiritual person is one who does more of good and less of not so good things.

A good deed is something that brings happiness and satisfaction to both the doer and the receiver.

What it implies is that when we do more good than bad, we are progressing up in the spiritual ladder and ultimately get to know what life is all about.

It also means that when we are someone who inherently believes in doing good, we know that doing bad is not good for us. That is because, we as beings in this planet, go through endless life cycles, each one giving us experiences, which we carry forward to our next lives.

Hence, our present life is the summation of our past experiences.

If in this life, you are a person who gets hurt when even your words hurt the others emotionally, it means you are way up in the spiritual ladder and getting there. Being spiritual and being religious are not the same thing. One can be religious and not be spiritual at all. Take for example those who kill in the name of religion without a second thought. A killer without remorse cannot be spiritual. They are in the kindergarten of the school of spirituality.

For being spiritual, one need also not be religious. All religions preach the same thing. Practicing non-violence, being good to others, human or otherwise, not causing hurt physically or emotionally, doing good deeds in whatever little ways that we can.

These are enough to take us up the spiritual ladder.

The other question is “how should a spiritual person behave in this material world?”

Lead your normal life. You need not reveal your spiritual inclination to anyone. Since we are in this world, we need to earn money to make a living. But, that does not mean that we cannot lead a spiritual life.

The fact that you are leading a life without harming others itself is a sign of spiritual progress.

You would agree that in any subject, there are beginners and there are experts who are masters in the subject. So is with spirituality. There are innumerable masters in the subject and they live among us though invisible to us.

But, we may not know who they are. But, they are accessible through our prayers. They do listen to our prayers. Our thoughts reach them. So, we can start our day with an appeal to the spiritual masters, the primordial gurus, seeking guidance in our spiritual path, to make quick progress in the field of spirituality.

When we seek their guidance in earnest, we are given the necessary spiritual guidance. Certain things will happen that will help us ascend spiritually. I say it out of experience. The spiritual masters are extremely powerful, very kind and forgiving for the true seekers.

I would suggest that you do not ask for this or that. Just ask for being guided to the right path. Humility is the most important character a spiritual seeker should cultivate. As spiritual seekers, we have to be respectful to every being in this Universe, human or otherwise, living or non-living. I am giving below a sample invocation. Do create your own variation. May your inner voice guide you.

Obeisances to the primordial Gurus, all the past Gurus. Obeisances to the Gods. Obeisances to everything in this Universe. Obeisance to the primordial Guru. I seek thy guidance. Please show me the right path, in this life and after. Thanks and in full faith, I pray at your feet.