Often, there are discussions about whether spirituality is about practice or understanding, or whether it's one or the other. However, it's actually both. Therefore, talking about which one is more important doesn't really make sense. There are times when understanding is emphasized, and times when practice is emphasized, depending on the stage of life. Since the timing is different for each person, it doesn't make sense to say which one is better or to compare them.

Sometimes, it starts with understanding and leads to practice, and then returns to understanding. Other times, it starts with some kind of intense experience and seeks understanding. It can start with understanding and lead to practice, and then to understanding, or it can start with an intense experience and seek understanding.

Therefore, either can be the beginning, and the cycle of practice and understanding is repeated many times.

The importance of practice or understanding varies depending on the person, but both are important. However, the understanding in the earlier stages is quite different from the understanding in the later stages. However, when put into words, they may seem quite similar. But the depth of understanding is completely different.

Even when using the same words, the meaning can be very different depending on how many "rounds" of spirituality one has gone through.

In my case, my childhood experience of out-of-body experiences, where I saw and heard things beyond time and space, and talked to my higher self and guardian spirits, and also merged with my higher self (equivalent to a group soul) and shared that consciousness, directly recognizing the truth, is a fairly formative experience. That is the foundation of my spirituality.

After that, I researched spirituality to understand and explain those things, which was over 30 years ago, and that was beneficial in its own way, but it lacked practical aspects.

After that, I entered the general society, experienced hardships, and my work became a source of joy and fulfillment, and I continued to live while focusing on the practical aspects. However, in the last 5 years or so, I have been focusing on learning spirituality again.

Although I think I've seen and heard similar things and read similar books, the level of understanding is significantly different.

Things that I didn't understand before are now understandable, and I think that time is necessary for understanding in spirituality.