Spiritual Intelligence

Conventional intelligence is linked to the capability of an individual to assimilate and convey facts as well as manage challenging situations. Intelligence Quotient, IQ measures the brain’s ability to grasp, retain and recall factual knowledge. Emotional Intelligence, EQ, measures the ability to understand and maturely manage people and challenges. Spiritual Intelligence, SI, expands the horizon beyond the ego. It attunes one to larger circle of awareness and influence. Spiritually evolved people remain connected with a sense of universal oneness. This enables them to respond to trying situations and issues in a remarkably composed manner.

The first-hand experience of MK Gandhi of the social injustice prevalent under the racial regime of apartheid is abasing in point. Louis Fischer in his biography of Gandhi, recounts what Gandhi thought was the most creative experience of his life as the night that he spent crouched and shivering in the cold at the Maritzburg rail station in Natal, South Africa, unable to even reach for his own overcoat while empathizing with a poor black family who were thrown out of a train.

This is incident transformed Gandhi’s level of awareness, attuning him to a larger purpose in life. Spiritual intelligence transcends the realm of objective knowledge and one’s own identity. It invokes a sense of oneness across all forms of life. However, success in higher learning and knowledge assimilation runs the risk of promoting one’ sense of importance and superiority. This can only be avoided if we acknowledge the existence of a higher power.

Raman Maharshi regarded the illiterate as being more fortunate as they are less likely to be victims of pride and egoism that comes from reading and writing – as it happens with some. Spiritual scientist Albert Einstein states that the main purpose of education should be to bring morality in actions and subdue one’s ego, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was hardly educated. Yet the most erudite and scholarly felt humbled in his presence. Many a time we tend to ignore simple solutions to life’s challenges. Warren Buffet, the celebrated businessman, captures the significance of simplicity when he says, “There seems to be a perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult!” Einstein said “Not all that counts in life can be counted and not all that can be counted counts”, which aptly captures this truth.

Abiding by the philosophy of simple living and high thinking can help us tap and deploy the innate resource of spiritual intelligence within. Responding to the demands of life using spiritual intelligence paves the way for a deeper awareness of the cosmic consciousness linking all of humanity. To energize this intelligence, it is important that we cajole the mind to go within instead of its habitual tendency to focus outwards.

Connecting intuitively to the core of our being promotes the expression of our spirit. Intuitive wisdom can provide remarkably simple solutions to many complex challenges of life. It makes us more receptive to the power of wisdom that is always available within and around us. Steadily, but surely, we can them abide by the wise counsel for peaceful and happy living, “Let sincerity and not seriousness be the guiding basis for all our actions and responses in life.”