The most common thing in spirituality and science is 'an honest urge to know the Truth.' Science observes the external universe, and spirituality observes the mind. These two have to be in tandem. The one thing that enables true knowledge in any field is honesty and integrity.
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Questioner: Is there some scientific context to spirituality? Because, at the end of the day, as you said, ‘Religion forms a boundary, an outer shell, within which spirituality remains.’ Because this has to be something that stops you from doing something wrong or something that is fundamentally upsetting. So, how can we define spirituality and align it with something which can be seen or proved, or is more scientific?
Acharya Prashant: The only thing that spirituality and science have in common is an honest urge to know the Truth. In science, you work on observations and experiments, numbers and data, and you don’t fudge them. If you see something, you record it as it is. Spirituality is about the inner world; by that, I mean the mind. Science observes the external universe using the senses that we have, so you use your eyes, you use your hands, and all other faculties possible to know the facts of the visible observable universe as you experience it.
Spirituality is about observing the mind; seeing how the whole thing functions inside. And these two have to be in tandem. In fact, the Upanishads put it very clearly and very succinctly, 'They say that you cannot have one of these without the other.' The knowledge of the mind is called Vidya, and the knowledge of the universe, the domain of science is called Avidya.
