Sadhana, worship, prayer- these are the terms which generally arise in our mind when we talk about spirituality. Reading is often not mentioned but this is one of the beautiful way to understand spirituality. Nowadays with growing social media, we hardly touch the papers or a book. The electronic media fulfills all our requirements from reading, writing to signing a document. The enjoyment of reading can only be felt when we keep a book close to us. It soothes us even when we see the book’s cover.
We are grateful that we always have the choice of enjoyments and to be happy in life. Tamashic, Rajasic, Sattavic and divine are the four different kind of enjoyments.
- Tamasik enjoyment is the enjoyment that involves gambling, betting, meat eating alcohol, addictions etc
- Rajasic enjoyment involves all the enjoyment of luxuries and amenities, fulfillment of desires etc.
- Sattvic enjoyment involves reading scriptures, gathering divine knowledge.
- Divine enjoyment is the enjoyment to seek divine grace and it is the only enjoyment without desire.
Tamasic, Rajasic and sattvic are enjoyment related to material world and can perish with time.
But the knowledge we gain through books are priceless. In spirituality, it is also believed that our present life is the result of many lifetimes. The intellect we gather through reading book can also be passed to the next life. At the same time, no deny on the fact that it involves Sadhana too to surpass knowledge from one life to next life. Nowadays we often see child prodigy who are impeccable in their discipline, they worked on the particular knowlege for many lifetimes. It may have involved a lot of Sadhana on the particular subject itself.
How reading plays with your thoughts
Reading seeds the wisdom in our intellect. Once we read a book on a particular topic, it unfolds multiple ways of understanding the subject through different perceptions. Perception plays a great role in reading. If you read books on spirituality, you may start with a very basic one but the capability to question anything make us rethink. This contemplation can open the key of happiness in life. With faith instilled through right books, finally we find the happiness in right place.