What does spirituality mean to you?

Originally Posted by iamthat

Sorry, you've lost me here. Why would I look up Greenslade in Google? The only other Greenslade I am aware of was a band from the 1970s, but I was never really into them (although I quite liked the artwork on their album covers).

Is your memory selective or just not so good?

Originally Posted by BigJohn

[b]What does spirituality mean to you in this case [me]?

I asked the same question back in the day, and it all kept leading back to me. Then along came this quote in a moment of serendipity -

"The temple of the most high begins with the human body, which houses our life, essence of our existence. Africans are in bondage today because they approach spirituality through Religion provided by foreign invaders and conquerors. We must stop confusing religion and spirituality. Religion is a set of rules, regulations and rituals created by humans which were supposed to help people grow spiritually. Due to human imperfection religion has become corrupt, political, divisive and a tool for power struggle.

Spirituality is not theology or ideology. It is simple a way of life, pure and original as was given by the most high. Spirituality is a network linking us to the most high, the universe and each other.

As the essence of our existence it embodies our culture, true identity, nationhood and destiny. A people without a nation they can really call their own is a people without a soul. Africa is our nation and is in spiritual and physical bondage because her leaders are turning to outside forces for solutions to African problems when everything Africa needs is within her. When African righteous people come together, the world will come together.

This is our divine destiny."
Haile Selassie I

So while he's talking about Africa specifically, in many ways he could be talking about how we see ourselves.

Originally Posted by bobjob

This thread is not about ego.

This thread IS about ego, and if people understood their own egos better they'd realise that. It's the same, tired old patterns that nobody changes. Everybody is talking from their egos and that includes me. One's definition of the ego is one's ego, one's definition of Spirituality and defining oneself as Spiritual is one's ego.

Spirituality in general IS about one's ego. What is Spiritual or not is about one's ego - because the differentiated consciousness of the ego makes that distinction. Duality is created by one's ego, non-Duality is created by one's ego, the definition of 'self' is created by one's ego. I could go on but since you like it short....

The irony is that there is only Brahman, and what is not Brahman is also Brahman. Getting back to 'Spirituality again.

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by Greenslade

Ego as defined by Jung - who stole the term from the Sanskrit - defines it as "A sense of I am."

Originally Posted by Greenslade

I never said he stole the term from Sanskrit, although Aham is Sanskrit for 'I'.

This is rapidly descending into farce.

Peace

[bobjob]

Originally Posted by iamthat

This is rapidly descending into farce.Peace

Another element of farce is that the thread was not intended to be about EGO in the first place!

[bobjob]

Originally Posted by Greenslade

This thread IS about ego, and if people understood their own egos better they'd realise that.

That's disingenuous.....

[bobjob]

Originally Posted by Greenslade

So we can't choose what has most appeal to us individually? Understanding the ego is key to Spirituality.

also disingenuous

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by Altair

Which you've embraced fully.

Agree. Some of us are quite happy to use the term ego as pertaining to identification with the lower principles of personality and then Greenslade steps in and insists that it can only be used as Jung defined it.

Originally Posted by Altair

So what does spirituality mean to you?

That which pertains to the human principles of Atma-Buddhi-Manas, as opposed to the lesser personality principles of mind-emotions-body.

Peace

[Altair]

Originally Posted by iamthat

That which pertains to the human principles of Atma-Buddhi-Manas, as opposed to the lesser personality principles of mind-emotions-body.

Peace

Okay. I don't know about those distinctions (manas in particular?), but to me it (spirituality) is about the immaterial so perhaps we mean the same. Having said that, to me spirituality is all around us, not 'far away' but expressed indirectly through all life. In that sense, we always live in a spiritual world.

[ameliorate]

Originally Posted by iamthat

This is rapidly descending into farce.

Peace

Somewhat reminiscent of...
https://youtu.be/ohDB5gbtaEQ