The Spice Called Spirituality
What is Spirituality?
The concept Spirituality has a long history. The word originated in Christianity. ‘The spiritual’ was originally contrasted with ‘fleshly’ which meant worldly or contrary to God's spirit. This contrast remained common until the European Middle Ages. ‘What is spirituality’ examines how the definition of spirituality has changed and looks at contemporary definitions. Spirituality today concerns what is holistic, involves a quest for meaning, is linked to ‘thriving’, and asks for a self-reflective existence as opposed to an unexamined life. Within this definition there are a number of religious spiritualties: Christian, Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist.
Being a spiritual person is synonymous with being a person whose highest priority is to love to yourself and others. A spiritual person cares about people, animals and the planet. A spiritual person knows that we are all One, and consciously attempts to honour this Oneness. A spiritual person is a kind person.
What is Religion?
There are many different answers to this question. For some people it can be answered by definition while that definition may not apply for others. This question can only be answered by what meaning and value it has to a certain individual. Religion is basically the belief in something of higher existence or power. This could be money to a rich man, shelter to a poor man, or weapons to a terrorist. There are no set guidelines of what can be holy to an individual and each individual has a human right to believe in whatever they claim to be holy or sacred. Religion can have many different meanings to many different people. In my opinion religion is a faith in something greater than us. "The essence of religion consists in the feeling of absolute dependence."
This quote implies the concept of relying on a "God" or Higher Power for life itself. It's the same idea of a child to its mother. Absolute dependence translates to being non-existent without this Supreme Being. Under the implications of this quote, religion becomes a spiritual guide that governs the way a person lives day-to-day by giving that person hope, belief, and reason to exist in this world. It gives them hope and belief by making the individual feel loved or cared about by their religion and its deities. It also gives them hope and belief by feeling included in a group which shares the same views.
Christian Spirituality:
The term “spirituality” as applied to biblical faith is here understood to refer to that relationship between God and man that can be summed up under four headings: holiness, the gift of the Spirit, life in the Spirit and the discipline of the Spirit.
When we turn specifically to Christianity, the word “spirituality” has a more defined content than its general contemporary use. Specifically, it embraces the ways in which human values, lifestyles, and spiritual practices relate to understandings of God, human identity and the material world.
Hindu Spirituality:
Hinduism is a modern term for the tradition of Brahman that has been developing over the past 3500 years. Hindus often refer to their religion as Dharma, which means law/duty. Or Hindus refer to their religion as Sanatana Dharma, which means eternal law/duty. Hinduism has a long tradition that has led billions of human beings to personal integration and Shanti Hinduism is one of the most complex and inclusive of world religions. For that matter, Hinduism is not so much a single religion as an encyclopaedia family of traditions that legitimates the most widely diverse forms of spiritual experience and chains than all as its own. It can be said that Hinduism embraces a broad spectrum of sacred beliefs and practices. Hinduism approves activities as varied as sacrificial rituals, festal celebrations, temple worship, domestic cults, physical austerities, legal observance, communal pilgrimage, dietary restrictions, devotional enthusiasm, discipline, meditation, and mystical vision.
Spirituality in Islam:
It is more than just a feeling. It is true knowledge of The Source of the Spirit, sincere pursuit of Him, persistent connection with Him and commitment to loving Him and remaining on His path until The Day we meet Him.
So, it is a life journey of growth, sincerity, and commitment to The Creator (The Source of the spirit), not a fleeting moment of excitement or spiritual boost.
Worship in Islam is that pursuit of spiritual health and growth beyond the material existence.
Spirituality in Buddhism:
Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development and the attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life. Buddhists believe that life is both endless and subject to impermanence, suffering and uncertainty.
Therefore, Spirituality is the knowledge that allows human beings to reach their perfection, meaning the state in which their primordial nature is realized. It can be considered as a complete experimental science that can guide us toward true knowledge of our rights and duties, which exist in any authentic spirituality. Faith also helps us to identify teachings that are appropriate for the harmonious development of our spiritual dimension.
Spirituality in daily life means that we should feel the Creator’s presence in all of the moments of our lives; that we should remember we are not alone, and a compassionate yet exacting Source is watching after us; and that we should strive to act in accordance with His satisfaction in everything that we do. This state of constant attention to the Source creates a positive motivation and mobilizing energy within us to have greater focus on the acquisition of self-knowledge and greater trust in our relationship with the Source. Likewise, constant attention strengthens our confidence and our sense of inner peace. Practicing natural spirituality expands and deepens our field of perception little by little, to the point that we can find answers to our own questions. From a different perspective, the other meaning of spirituality is to respect the rights of others in our interactions with them—that is, to want for others what we want for ourselves. This does not mean, however, that we should neglect to defend our own rights when it is necessary to do so.
Spirituality also teaches us that “evil” has no substantive existence, but rather results from the dysfunction of responsible beings such as humans. Therefore, we have a duty to fight against evil, but this does not imply that we should perceive others as being evil or to wish ill upon them. It is in this context that forgiveness and forbearance find true meaning, and tolerance and empathy become important.
In summary, spirituality in our ordinary daily lives means having constant attention to our inner self (self-knowledge), to others (observing rights), and to the Source (attention).
Next Week: The spice called Prayer.
( High Profile Eminent Writer )