If you want to start learning about spirituality but don't know where to start? Here is a tip. Start from the basic.

Start from namaste. Many people know namaste only as a greeting. There is a deep meaning for folding your palms and uttering the simple syllables namaste

The term Namaste actually denotes that the divinity within me bows (or salutes) to the divinity within you.

You fold and join hands to enhance cosmic current and energy within (but more on the complex stuff later).

So what is this divinity within you?

There are various definitions and names for it.
My favourite defination is Sat chit Ananda or सच्चिदानंद

Sat stands for satya or truth
Chit stands for chitta or consciousness
Ananda is bliss (not happiness, true bliss)

I will define and explain all these three terms later

As for names, the divinity is called a lot of things, brahman (not the caste), aatman, paramatma, सच्चिदानंद, consciousness, shiva, satyam, etc etc.

Now the beauty of sanskrit is such that all these above names mean the same but with little subtle changes in the meaning.

I haven't got into the details of anything. And this overview of a spiritual journey is confusing and looks really bland for the people who aren't in the parampara. But I request you to bear with me in this thread of a series of tweets on my spiritual learning.

Now i say MY spiritual LEARNING because I dont know if u will be able to begin with your spiritual exploration with this thread and also because although I have begun my initiation through brahmopadesham, I haven't had a formal guru who can guide me to moksha. Hence, learning.

First of all, to know what spirituality actually is, u need to know what it actually is NOT.

SPIRITUALITY IS NOT RELIGION.
Religion asks you to keep your faith in a higher intelligence while spirituality is a form of seeking for the truth within oneself. U ask and get answered.

But before people get offended due to the above tweet, let me clarify on what I mean by religion and what it has to do with hinduism. Hinduism isn't a religion. the Supreme court defines it as "a way of life." My defination is slightly different. Read that below

I define hinduism as, "a combination of science and arts that guides you to the realization of your true existential form while also teaching you to live your life to its utmost optimal and well balanced capabilities".

If you are still reading, thankyou. You mean the world to me. I know this theoretical part is boring. But a few more tweets like this and you will come to the interesting part where you discover your true self and God. Those aren't two separate things but one.

Let's start with saying all life forms have one thing in common. Their sensitivity to life. They will do anything to survive and in many cases, will also do anything to protect their young. Not just in animals but in any life form with nominal intelligence.

So where does this sensitivity come from? Consciousness. Every life form has a level of consciousness within itself. The more this level of consciousness is accessed by the body of the lifeform, the more intelligent it is. So how does this intangible consciousness interact ...

... with the tangible body? This is the beauty found in the mind. Now, humans are conscious to a large extent. They are conscious enough to question the existence of their consciousness and also their identities. Like I am doing in this spiritual process.

With this said, is the consciousness the same identical consciousness or are they fully different existential beings?

There are vedanta which supports different claims. Let me give you a brief over view of the same.

1. Advaita
2. Vishishtadvaita
3. Dvaita
4. Dvaitadvaita

5. Shuddhadvaita
6. Achintya Bhedha Abheda

I am currently pursuing Advaita Vedanta according to which the consciousness in lifeforms is common and non dual. Will update you further in this thread of I pursue other branches of vedanta.

Meanwhile, let's begin with Advaita Vedanta

Advaita Vedanta.
Advaita (a-dvaita) or non duality means that everything is not based on duality. For example, darkness isn't the opposite of light, but the absence of it. So, light is the only reason for the spectrum from dark to bright.

Similarly a single consciousness is common between all life forms and everything except it, is maya or illusionary. For eg., you have a gold ring, bracelet, necklace, earing and anklet. This appears to be different but ultimately its gold. The same gold forges different articles

Similarly, the same consciousness is what makes all life forms. The fact that they are different from each other is merely an illusion and how they are all the same is self realization.

To know more about advaita and सच्चिदानंद, read books written by @davidfrawleyved

Vamadeva ji, has written multiple extremely insightful books and most of those books speak about advaita and anada. I really recommend his book, the essence of self realization and Ayurveda and the mind.