In Why Do Sadhana?, Mark Griffin presents a foundational teaching on the purpose of spiritual practice, defining sadhana as the intentional cultivation of awareness through meditation, concentration, and discrimination. Rather than treating spirituality as belief or philosophy, the teaching frames sadhana as a direct engagement with the full scope of human existence.

Griffin explains that human life represents a rare and unique opportunity for awakening. While consciousness evolves outward through experience, desire, and the sensory world, a turning point eventually arises in which attention begins to move inward. This inward movement—known as involution—marks the beginning of spiritual life and the true purpose of sadhana.

The teaching introduces the classical framework of the four bodies—physical, subtle energetic, causal (mental), and supracausal (pure consciousness)—revealing that most individuals live with awareness limited to the surface layers of identity. Through disciplined attention and meditation, these deeper layers are gradually illuminated and integrated.

A central theme of the discourse is the role of attention as the primary tool of transformation. By directing awareness inward, the practitioner begins to perceive the deeper structures of mind, energy, and consciousness, moving beyond habitual patterns of desire and karma. This process is supported by moments of awakening, or shaktipat, which temporarily align awareness with the deeper Self and reveal the possibility of liberation.

Griffin ultimately presents sadhana as the fulfillment of human destiny: the realization of one’s true nature as consciousness itself. Through sustained practice, purification, and inward attention, the practitioner moves beyond the cycle of cause and effect toward direct recognition of the Self. In this way, spiritual life is not separate from ordinary life, but a deepening of awareness within it—transforming existence from unconscious repetition into conscious realization.