Spirituality is a broad concept that involves a connection to something
greater than oneself, and a search for meaning in life. It can include:
Feeling connected to nature, art, or helping others
Recognizing that life has significance beyond everyday concerns
Exploring universal themes like love, compassion, and altruism
Believing that some people have achieved higher levels of development than
others
Seeking to manifest the attributes of inspirational examples
Healing and affirming the ego
Developing secure self-esteem and a capacity for love and generosity
Spirituality is often used interchangeably with religion, but the two
concepts are different. Religion is usually based on a specific set of
rules and customs, and focuses on the belief in deities or gods, religious
texts, and tradition.
So, to answer the question whether you believe in God if you are spiritual,
yes, you do. You may not call God as “God” but your belief in something
higher is the same as a religious person.
2 How to become spiritual?
If you're unsure where to begin, here are a few ways to help you get
started.
Connect with your faith community. ...
Volunteer or help others. ...
Practice yoga. ...
Meditate. ...
Keep a journal. ...
Spend time in nature. ...
Focus on your hobbies. ...
Speak with a guru or someone you trust.
WHEN AND how you are spiritual is believed to be?
Spirituality awakens within a person when they attain a certain peace of
mind. They become one with their body, mind and soul. When nothing scares
or attracts them, or when they don't easily get swayed away by human
emotions, that's when a person attains spirituality. The spiritual state of
mind can be very relaxing. Many people think that spirituality and religion
are the same thing, and so they bring their beliefs and prejudices about
religion to discussions about spirituality. Though all religions emphasise
spiritualism as being part of faith, you can be 'spiritual' without being
religious or a member of an organised religion
3 Spirituality does not mean any particular practice. It is a
certain way of being. To get there, there are many things to do. This is
like a garden in your house. If the soil, sunlight or stem of a plant is in
a certain way, it won’t yield flowers, you have to do something. You have
to take care of those things. So if you cultivate your body, mind, emotions
and energies to a certain level of maturity, something else blossoms within
you – that is what is spirituality. When your rationale is immature, it
doubts everything. When your rationale matures, it sees everything in a
completely different light.
SO SPIRITUALISM IS BEING ANTI RATIONAL?
No, spirituality is not inherently "anti-rational"; while some
interpretations of spirituality might seem to contradict logic, a healthy
and balanced approach to spirituality can be entirely compatible with
rational thinking, often involving reflection, introspection, and a search
for meaning within the context of reality.
Different interpretations:
Not all spiritual practices are created equal; some may rely heavily on
faith-based beliefs that can be difficult to reconcile with scientific
evidence, while others focus on mindfulness, personal growth, and ethical
conduct which can be aligned with rational thought.
Rational spirituality:
Many individuals practice a form of spirituality that incorporates critical
thinking and seeks to understand experiences through a rational lens.
Beyond the physical:
Spirituality often explores concepts that may not be readily quantifiable
by science, like the nature of consciousness, the meaning of life, or a
connection to something larger than oneself, which does not necessarily
mean rejecting logic.
4 An atheist cannot be spiritual. But you must understand that
even a theist cannot be spiritual. Because an atheist and a theist are not
different. One believes there is God, another believes there is no God. Both
of them are believing something that they do not know. You are not sincere
enough to admit that you do not know, that’s your problem. So theists and
atheists are not different. They are the same people putting up an act of
being different. A spiritual seeker is neither a theist nor an atheist. He
has realized that he does not know, so he is seeking. The moment you
believe something, you become blind to everything else. The whole conflict
on the planet is not between good and evil as they are trying to project
it. It is always one man’s belief versus another man’s belief. The need for
belief is more psychological than spiritual. You want to cling to
something, you want to feel secure, you want to feel like you know it all.
That is coming from a very immature mind. What is the problem if you don’t
know anything about this existence. You actually don’t know anything. It’s
beautiful! And you see how to make yourself beautiful and joyful within
yourself, which is within your hands. THUS, SPIRITUALISM MEANS, NEITHER GOD
WORSHUP NOR HATRED OF THE GOS. WHEN YOU FOCUS AND STUDY YOU RAISE YOUR
VEVEKAM; WHEN YOU IGNORE THE BOOKS OF THE SCHOOL, AND ASSUME SOMETHING
WITHIN AND TRY TO PURSUE, UNAWARTE OF THE PATHWAYS, YOU ARE SPIRITUAL;
RATHER EXTOLLING ONESELF AS A SPIRITUAL!!!
5 Thus, spiritualism is well understood without any confusion?
Being an atheist is clear in mind that HE IS ALL IN ALL; Being a worshipper
of God, advances slowly or speedily towards a direction, with the rise and
fall and said to succeed n any one Janma; he has a confused mind; but
confused water only finally, gets settled to pure water; so someday his
vivekam shall open. Those who are lazy and would like to pretend as a
healthy kind and benevolent person, ONLY gets spirited up through the local
SPIRITS as NOT RELIGIOUS BUT SPIRITUAL (NRBS GROUP) AND REACHING NOWHERE
BUT GETTING FRUSTRATED, ON THE POINT OF TOTAL FAILURE WHERE A SELECTED
DRAMATISTS POLITICALLY SUCCEED. The above differentiations were rendered
only by such personalities, who were in 70s were named as JOLNAPIE;
mockingly intelligent.
6 Is AANMEEKAM IS NEARER TO OR SAME AS SPIRITUAL? Who invented it?
>From where it arose?
AANMEEKAM: Ātman (आत्मन्, “lower self”). —The duality involved
in this conception of a friend and a foe, of conqueror and conquered, of an
uplifting power and a gravitating spirit, naturally involves a distinction
between a higher self (Paramatma) and a lower self (atman). It is only when
this higher self-conquers the lower that a self is a friend to itself. In a
man who has failed to conquer his own passions and self-attachments the
self is its own enemy. The implication, however, is that the lower self,
though it gravitates towards evil, has yet inherent in it the power of
self-elevation. Atman (आत्मन्) refers to “that which is everything and
everywhere”. In other words, forget there is a Paramatma; as said by Ramana
maharishi, DO YOU KNOW “WHO YOU ARE”? YES, TRYING TO STUDY YOURSELF AS TO
WHO REALLY ARE YOU? Will anyone accept including braggers of our group,
that he is so foolish that he did not understand so far? NO; no one will
accept; all will accept if praised, even he or sheer has no stuff; where
pretenders are the majority of the earth, inner research and acceptance the
reality the truth as bitter truth, is searching the atma the soul; THAT
SEARCHING INSIDE THE ATMA IS AANMEEKAM. THAT IS VEDIC.
7 Coimbatore sadguru and speakers of the dais had branded the
AANMEEKAM as SPIRITUALITY literally, which is untrue. All knew the soul as
defined in various texts; knows the body the science depicted; Mind and
Brain as defined by the researchers and Godmen; all tangible objects; but
spirit? Is it a GAS? is it a vacuum? is it a vapour? If the spirit is
unknown, searching for elsewhere, in the nature and forests and mountains
as some godmen suggests including SUKI SIVAM, then HOW IT is different from
seeking the unknown god? Searching for unknown by whatever name called is
ONE AND THE SAME; then why a new path of NRBS tribe? Philosophers and Mind
speakers are prosaic explaining the contents and do not proclaim as GURUS.
Vedas preach GURU AND SISHYA BHAVAM. Spirituality preachers have yoga
centers stolen from the Vedic cult and yet calling it as seeking the
spirituality ,STILL REMAINING UNDEFINED, ONLY TO HOODWINK THE SOCIETY, AND
TO SHOW THE EARTH, THEY ARE UNIVERSAL AND NO LEAN TOWARDS ANY RELIGIGIOUS
PATHWAYS OR BHAKTI PROCEDURES ETC; THAT IS ALL THE NRBS.
8 KATHOPANISHAD: Verse 1.2.23 Adyaya I, Valli II - The pursuit of
Knowledge and Yoga
नायमात्मा प्रवचनेन लभ्यो न मेधया न बहुना श्रुतेन ।
यमेवैष वृणुते तेन लभ्यस्तस्यैष आत्मा विवृणुते तनूँ स्वाम् ॥ २३ ॥
nāyamātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena |
yamevaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyastasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūm̐ svām || 23 ||
23. This atman is not to be attained by a study of the Vedas, nor by
intelligence, nor by much hearing, but the atman can be attained, only by
him who seeks to know it. To him, this atman reveals its true nature.
Shankara’s Commentary: This text says that though this atman is hard to
know, still he can certainly be known well by proper means. This atman is
not attainable by the study of many Vedas, or by intelligence, i.e., a
retentive memory of the import of books, or by any amount of mere learning.
By what then can he be attained is explained. That atman (self) whom the
neophyte seeks, by the same self, i.e., by the seeker, can the atman be
known. The meaning is that, of one who seeks only the atman, being free
from desire, the atman is attained by the atman alone. How it is attained
is explained. To the man who seeks the atman, the atman reveals its real
form, i.e., its own true nature.
Verse 2.1.15 : Adyaya II, Valli I - The nature of Atman and its importance
यथोदकं शुद्धे शुद्धमासिक्तं तादृगेव भवति ।
एवं मुनेर्विजानत आत्मा भवति गौतम ॥ १५ ॥
yathodakaṃ śuddhe śuddhamāsiktaṃ tādṛgeva bhavati ।
evaṃ munervijānata ātmā bhavati gautama ॥ 15 ॥
15. As water pure poured into pure becomes the same only, so the atman of
the thinker who knows thus, becomes; Oh Gautama.
Shankara’s Commentary: but how becomes the atman of a thinker who has
acquired knowledge, whose perception of difference due to conditions has
been destroyed, and who knows the atman pure, dense with knowledge
unalloyed, and one without a second, is explained. As water pure poured
into pure becomes of the same quality, not otherwise, the atman also of the
thinker becomes the same, Oh Gautama. Therefore, leaving the perception of
difference induced by bad logic and the erroneous notion of no-here-after,
the perception of the one-ness of the atman inculcated by the Vedas, a
better well-wisher than thousands of mothers and fathers should be
anxiously respected by those whose pride has been quelled. (DOES NOT THE
SPIRITUALITIES DICTATE SIMILARLY?)
The Upanishad describes three types of Self (atman): the Bahya-atma or
external self (body), the Antar-atma or inner self (individual soul) and
the Param-atma or highest self (the Brahman, Purusha). The description of
Paramatman in this text is derived from the Chandogya Upanishad, the
Svetasvatara Upanishad, the Prashna Upanishad, the Bhagavad Gita, the Katha
Upanishad, the Dhyana Bindu Upanishad, the Yogashikha Upanishad and the
Maitrayaniya Upanishad. Those who refuse to read these , started an easy
way of life called the spirituality which leads to nowhere than the sense
pleasures.
SO I CONCLUDE THUS: Bg. 7.7
मत्त: परतरं नान्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय ।
मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव ॥ ७ ॥
mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañ-jaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva
O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests
upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread. K
RAJARAM IRS 4125
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: ARR <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2025 at 07:33
Subject: [iyer123] Religion & Spirituality
To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <
[email protected]>, Guruvayoour <[email protected]>
A learned man was once asked to explain the difference between Religion and
Spirituality. His response was profound:
▪️ Religion is not just one, there are many.
▪️ Spirituality is one.
▪️ Religion is for those who sleep.
▪️ Spirituality is for those who are awake.
▪️ Religion is for those who need someone to tell them what to do and want
to be guided.
▪️ Spirituality is for those who pay attention to their inner voice.
▪️ Religion has a set of dogmatic rules.
▪️ Spirituality invites us to explore within and get attuned to the
Universal Rules.
▪️ Religion threatens and frightens.
▪️ Spirituality gives inner peace.
▪️ Religion speaks of sin and guilt.
▪️ Spirituality leads us on the path of emancipation!
▪️ Religion represses everything which it considers false.
▪️ Spirituality transcends everything, it brings us closer to our Truth!
▪️ Religion invents.
▪️Spirituality helps us to discover.
▪️ Religion does not tolerate any question.
▪️Spirituality encourages searching questions.
▪️ Religion is human. It is an organization with rules made by men.
▪️ Spirituality is Divine, without human rules....leads us to the Causeless
Cause!
▪️ Religion divides between us and them.
▪️Spirituality unites.
▪️ Religion follows the concepts of a sacred book.
▪️ Spirituality seeks the sacred in all books.
▪️ Religion feeds on fear.
▪️ Spirituality feeds on trust and faith.
▪️ Religion makes us to live in External Reality.
▪️ Spirituality lives in Inner Consciousness.
▪️ Religion deals with performing rituals.
▪️ Spirituality has to do with the Inner Self.
▪️ Religion feeds on internal ego.
▪️ Spirituality drives to transcend beyond self.
▪️ Religion makes us renounce the world to follow a God.
▪️ Spirituality makes us live in God, without renouncing our existing lives.
▪️ Religion is a cult.
▪️ Spirituality is inner meditation.
▪️ Religion fills us with dreams of glory in paradise.
▪️ Spirituality makes us live the glory and paradise on earth.
▪️ Religion lives in the past and in the future.
▪️ Spirituality lives in the present.
▪️ Religion creates cloisters in our memory.
▪️ Spirituality liberates our Consciousness.
🌹
We are not human beings, who go through a spiritual experience.
We are spiritual beings, who go through a human experience.
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