The Most Important Spiritual Resource

What is the most important spiritual resource? Since spirituality is the process of going inward, of checking the natural inclination towards externalization, naturally, the most important thing we can learn how to do is to take responsibility for our inner world!

This is essentially what spirituality is.

When our inner world is taken care of, when our mental state is cultivated and established in the highest frequency, the outer world (which is really nothing more than an experience arising in the mind) will follow suit. The moment we sort our mind out, it seems that the whole picture changes, the outer world transforms and suddenly we understand what it means to "be the change we want to see in the world" since the world in nothing but a reflection of my own mind and to change the mind is to change the world-image that appears!

But having understood this, the next question must be: how do I take responsibility for my inner state? What tools can I use for creating an oasis of peace, joy and blessedness within which is not at all conditioned by "external" events? Of course there is a whole slew of practices and techniques for achieving this end since is the most important thing we can do I spiritual life. However, one particular practice that I wanted to highlight that is so good for just this sort of thing is mānasa pūjā, the Inner Worship of the Deity.

As such, here is another class in our How To Do Tantrik Ritual series exploring the sacred science of inner/mental worship. 

Here's the mantra we used:

hṛtpadmamāsanaṁ dadyāt sahasrāracyutāmṛtaiḥ।
pādyaṁ caraṇayordadyāt manastvarghyaṁ nivedayet॥
tenāmṛtenācamanīyaṁ snānīyaṁ tena ca smṛtam।
ākāśatattvaṁ vastraṁ syāt gandhaḥ syāt gandhatattvakam॥
cittaṁ prakalpayet puṣpaṁ dhūpaṁ prāṇān prakalpayet।
tejastattvaṁ ca dīpārthaṁ naivedyaṁ syāt sudhāmbudhiḥ॥
anāhatadhvanirghaṇṭā vāyutattvaṁ ca cāmaram।
sahasrāraṁ bhavecchatraṁ śabdatattvaṁ ca gītakam॥
nṛtyamindriyakarmāṇi cāñcalyaṁ manasastathā।
sumekhalāṁ padmamālāṁ puṣpaṁ nānāvidhaṁ tathā॥
amāyādyairbhāvapuṣpairarcayet bhāvagocaram।
amāyamanahaṅkāramarāgamamadaṁ tathā॥
amohakamadambhaṁ ca adveṣākṣobhakau tathā।
amātsaryamalobhaṁ ca daśapuṣpaṁ vidurbudhāḥ॥
ahiṁsā paramaṁ puṣpaṁ puṣpamindriyanigrahaḥ।
dayāpuṣpaṁ kṣamāpuṣpaṁ jñānapuṣpaṁ ca pañcamam॥
iti pañcadaśairbhāvapuṣpaiḥ sampūjayet śivām॥