What does spirituality mean to you?

[Still_Waters]

Originally Posted by Chaitanya

It's path to find god

Nice response, Sri Chaitanya !

[sky]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

QUOTE 26 EXCERPT:I never heard that quote before, but I love it ---- particularly the link between "pure of heart" and "smiled with the wisdom of the Buddha" !

It's not actually a well known Quote SW but a Buddhist's interpretation of a Beatitude. Change 'The Buddha' to 'A Buddha ' Glad you like it.

[SagarRawat]

In short, spirituality means peace.

What does spirituality mean to ME?

A Means to escape or end physical and mental pains and fears, whatever form/experience/knowledge/thoughts/insight/liberation/mukti/moksha/heaven/salvation/enlightenment/peace/paths it may be.

After those ends, calling the name 'spirituality' has no meaning then.

[Michael K.]

Spirituality to me means to get to know who and what I really am, to answer the question "Who am I"? What I know that I know that within i am SPIRIT and the quality part is my physical body.


regards michael

[bobjob]

One simple book-definition is: "....the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things." Does that mean having to be, or working towards being, wholly concerned?

My guess would be that few incarnates would make the cut at being wholly concerned but large numbers might make the grade because they're working towards it.....

I would argue, however, that the understanding we are both spirit and physical bodies is simply one aspect of spirituality. I would never dream of saying I'm a spiritual person yet much of my life has been deeply influenced by what I've learned from 'spirituality'. I would never say I'm a religious person yet much of my life is deeply influenced by what I've learned from the religion that underpins my understanding.

I don't define myself as simply one thing or another.

[ameliorate]

What spirituality means to me may not be the same thing as what it actually is i.e. in common perception! However, I hope that it resonates sufficiently as being akin to it.

I was recently asked to describe what spirituality meant. I floundered somewhat - reeling off a lot of associated characteristics e.g. that we are mind, body and spirit....that we operate through our ego but our soul/spirit is our essence which can be glimpsed via meditation etc.

What I omitted, that I now regard is key, is our connection to a higher power....call it God, call it Divine Love....maybe one and the same thing? This connection serves to govern our conduct, e.g. enabling wider compassion and being aware of how we interact with others.

What is regarded as spirituality largely encompasses an umbrella for a mixed bag of both ancient and modern beliefs, e.g. say, Buddhism, positive thinking even now (refreshingly) mindfulness! It's usually understood as not embracing established religions but, of course, there is an overlap.

I view that spirituality is tainted by including psychic-related matters. Not for nothing do some ancient scriptures discourage interest in psychic matters. Being psychic does not necessarily equate with being spiritual - in that it often serves to bolster the ego rather than diminishes it (to enable our spirit to shine through). Also it is easier to evoke lower vibrations/entities than make contact with higher ones - being open to the influence of questionable energies.

[bobjob]

I view that spirituality is tainted by including psychic-related matters. Not for nothing do some ancient scriptures discourage interest in psychic matters. Being psychic does not necessarily equate with being spiritual - in that it often serves to bolster the ego rather than diminishes it (to enable our spirit to shine through).

Although I'm not into what scriptures teach I can identify with the general principles.

I've often bitten my tongue to avoid potentially appearing condemnatory of psychic rather than spiritual motives but the moral of the piece above is something I feel deeply.

Originally Posted by ameliorate

in that it often serves to bolster the ego rather than diminishes it (to enable our spirit to shine through).

It's great that that I'm a huge fan of irony. The use of the word 'ego' in Spirituality is not very 'Spiritual', it's a word that has been adopted by Spirituality and redefined to suit individual egos, and the only thing the use of the word is good for is creating misunderstanding.

'Spiritual' people should use the word Ahamkara. Aham is Sanskrit for 'I' and a kara is an 'invented thing'. The definitions of ego in Spirituality are 'invented things', everybody makes up their own - which is psychoanalysis and not Spirituality.

It's easier to think that one knows the meaning and definition of the word ego and perpetuate the Chinese Whispers rather than gain a deeper understanding of the word, and therefore themselves. This also invokes lower energies and leads to questionable Spirituality.

[bobjob]

Ultimately the way folk use a word in their everyday lives is what eventually leads to a definition by some body or some organisation. I imagine there's always been change in the way certain words get used.

The word 'ego' is defined in dictionaries as is 'spiritual' or 'religious'. But that doesn't prevent folk using them in ways different from their 'official' definition. Substituting a Sanskrit word for an English word doesn't move us forward. None of it is a major problem until an individual writing in a discussion uses a word in one way and a respondent says "No that's wrong."

The variabiity in the way the word 'spirituality' is used is reflected in the excellent question asked by the thread starter - "What does spirituality mean to you?"