There is a lot of hype and misconception going on about Spirituality to the point that some people are offended by it. There is a general rule of 20-80 stating 20% of people are not genuine or fake in every field of life. Likewise, spirituality is not an exception and hence it should not be assumed that it is not genuine just because some folks are misusing it for wrong purposes or for personal gains. In most of the cases, people are simply misunderstanding it because of the lack of proper knowledge or worst yet because of the information overload - it's like getting lost into the ocean trying to figure out where is the shore.
Spirituality is not a religion yet all religions are spiritual in nature. Spirituality is not a bunch of philosophical ideas; dogmatic ideologies or a set of strict rules.
Spirituality in its simplest and truest sense, is a way of life. Spirituality and Life are one and the same. Spirituality is a combination of every bit of thing; that is, it is religious, it is philosophical, it is relational, it is experiential and it is very practical that can be applied to every day life.
Spirituality can be liken to a 'Manual of Life' - giving the knowledge; guidelines and tools to live the life effectively. It is the 'TRUTH' - which is quite opposite of what is 'right or wrong'. For example, we can't have any opinions whether the air we breathe is right or wrong, it is the 'Truth', because we experience it.
Spirituality is the acutal experience of the 'Truth' Vs. Religion - which is the knowledge and devotional in nature (that is creating a relationship with the 'Divine'). Spirituality on the other hand incorporates practices such as meditation, yoga and certain rituals to allow one to experience the 'Truth'.
Most importantly, Spirituality is the experience of 'Self' - we experience ourselves in our truest form which is contradictory to our universal understanding that we are mere 'human beings'. In actuality, we are spiritual beings having the human experience.
So what is 'Truth'? - It is God - the Source where everything is created and in existence.
Well this is the simple explanation of Spirituality and I hope those who are new to spirituality get some clear idea about it. Spirituality can go deep to the complex levels and the more I get to know about it, it boggles my mind. Yet, there is no need to go to the deeper levels of knowledge - only a simple approach and daily practice is required to grasp its greatness!
I am creating a website "Spirituality for Layman" and newsletter "Wisdom Nuggets better than chicken nuggets" explaining spirituality in simple language avoiding spiritual jargon as much as possible. It is targeted for those who doesn't know or have little knowledge and want to have a better understanding of Spirituality. Also for those who are curious minded and beginners and everyone else who's interested in knowing life. My intention is to help and guide people in having the genuine knowledge of spirituality and practical tools to not only transform one's personal life but also life on a global scale. My belief is that true spirituality will bring love and peace on this earth and it is the solution to all our earthly problems.
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Please leave your comment or write me at livepassionately@gmail.com if you want to get notified about my upcoming websites. :))
Love and Light,
नमस्ते, वैभवी
Jasmine
Even a socalled atheist can be a spiritualist as will be clear from my answer to a question as given below.
ReplyDeleteQuestion : Can you be an atheist and yet a spiritualist? If not, is there another name for getting "in touch" with yourself? If so, how do you define spirit?
Answer : Yes, you can be an atheist and yet a spiritualist. When you are an atheist you do not believe in God. But for that matter, when you will be a true spiritualist, even then you will not believe in God, for, then you will be 'God' yourself.
God truly is to us as a sea is to a drop of water in it. The drop may not believe in the sea, but when it will go down to its ultimate depths to understand itself - to which we may call spiritual depths and which will make it a spiritualist - then it will come to know that it in fact itself is the sea. And even then it need not believe in the sea, for then it itself is the sea. I do not believe in myself, I am.
As to another name for getting in touch with yourself, it could be called Self-realization. Obviously, you will realize only your own true self when you will go down to your ultimate depths by peeling layers upon layers of your conditioning, of your conditioned self. In fact, then you will find that there is nothing else but your own self all around - just as drop of sea of the above example on realizing its deepest or spiritual self will find its own unlimited self in the form of sea all around it. Spirit is the substratum, is the base on which all forms and hence all individualities are formed. Naturally when you will be spiritual you will go beyond all forms and individualities to see the One, to which people give various names including God but which is really unnamable.
Question: Please elaborate a bit more on peeling layers upon layers of our beings…
Answer : As we evolve we in fact peel away layers and layers of our conditioning. Our conditioning shows us our bondage in various ways and we try to free ourselves of this bondage by peeling layers and layers of our conditioning. Suppose I am unfortunately conditioned to go to the pub every evening. I no doubt go to the pub, but at the same time I resent my slavery to this thing in the heart of my hearts, at the deepest layer of my being, at the core of my being. I detest it, try to revolt against it, try to rise above it, try to transcend it. And ultimately I will transcend it, which will mean ultimately I will go beyond or deeper than this conditioning. More the energy we have more we put ourselves into various conditioning situations first, in reality only to transcend them, so as to ultimately become our own masters, so as ultimately to enjoy ourselves beyond conditioning. There were the days when I was slave to drinking and smoking daily. Now I drink or smoke but not daily, not daily in the evening, but when I - repeat I - wish it. Drink or smoke are now no longer my master, I am their master, I may use them the way I like, or I may not use them altogether. Even if some people have shunned such things through oaths of various kinds they are not masters of it, they have become conditioned in an other way, they have become bound in an other way. These are just examples. Actually we go on de-conditioning ourselves in this way all through our life and lives. In the ultimate life or in the ultimate unconditioned state we merge with the All Spirit just as drop of the above example will merge indistinguishably into the sea.
PS: Jasmine, you may try writing at www.trcb.com
There your writing may be noticed by more people.