Religion and spirituality: preaching vs. leading the way

 

Religion and spirituality are in constant struggle, even though you don’t know it.

On one hand is the very powerful institution of religion: there are a few problems here and there, but religions all over are increasing their numbers in terms of people and temples.

On the other hand, is spirituality: the Cinderella of human spirit, with not much structure, but lots of good intentions and, yes, the number of spiritual groups and tendencies, and the number of people enrolled to them have increased a lot too.

Now, let’s look at it in a different way in which there is no struggle; spirituality is the subtle background that is the essence of religion. In fact, a very religious person is very spiritual too, and spiritual people are often associated with a religion.

But it is true that religion – the religion common people practice – is more focused on the form, that is, scriptures and rituals. On the contrary, spirituality emphasizes the practice, the BEING.

In other words, religion may be only preaching while spirituality is leading… Still, I do believe they are not opposite and here are three examples that may help

Your religion talks about being charitable and you do, from time to time. Spiritually, you can also be charitable by giving others vibrations and good wishes. Always. Both are necessary and useful.

By being religious, you have to go to your temple every week or so. By being spiritual, your practice is daily and you don’t have to go to a temple necessarily. When you go to a temple, just be spiritual; when you are spiritual, just feel like your house is a temple.

The scriptures tell stories or describe a code of life. Spirituality makes your live those stories and change your own life.

What do you think about religion and spirituality?

Religions and rituals

I never thought I had a religious experience, until many years late in my life, but still there was something that amazed me: Jesus Christ, who founded the Christian religion, was not a Christian…

Fast forward and I am exposed to a new notion in relation to religion by the simple word dharma. And it means much, much more than just religion: the lifestyle, a form of relating the others, a mission in life… In that sense, Christ was the first Christian.

That simply made so much sense! Religion is more than rituals and scriptures, priests and hierarchy; religion as dharma is how someone lives according to a set of principles and values, instead of how to pray or which cloth to wear.

And that applies in all aspects of our life. Let’s take for example our approach to the work: am I working just because of money or because of my diploma? Am I working according to my vocation and the energy it generates in my life?

Much of our lives we just live as a ritual… it is time to identify our dharma and align our reality with it.

Religion and spirituality: reflecting and living

We need a religion, so that we can see life under a different light. Religion shows that which is invisible as something you can live in your life: God, love, peace…

We also need spirituality as it is a background that can adapt to any reality: family, work, health…

Some could say spirituality is the feeling behind all the religious practices.

Lately, things have changed; in the past few years, many people started to dissociate themselves from religion and live their own spiritual pathway.

Other people have left spirituality behind and they live religion as a series of rituals or an obligation.

So, what to do? Live both as complements or just live one of them?

As times are getting rough and the world is spiraling down, we do need something that is not related to the situations and circumstances. We need that invisible energy and that powerful feeling.

If you are having this type of doubt or your life is not as you would like it to be, there is an easy solution to discern about what to do: live your own spirituality.

By starting from the background, you can understand your role in life and what would be the best life for you.

Reflect on that.

Live it.

 

Religion and spirituality: preaching vs. leading the way

Religion and spirituality are in constant struggle, even though you don’t know it.

On one hand is the very powerful institution of religion: there are a few problems here and there, but religions all over are increasing their numbers in terms of people and temples.

On the other hand, is spirituality: the Cinderella of human spirit, with not much structure, but lots of good intentions and, yes, the number of spiritual groups and tendencies, and the number of people enrolled to them have increased a lot too.

Now, let’s look at it in a different way in which there is no struggle; spirituality is the subtle background that is the essence of religion. In fact, a very religious person is very spiritual too, and spiritual people are often associated with a religion.

But it is true that religion – the religion common people practice – is more focused on the form, that is, scriptures and rituals. On the contrary, spirituality emphasizes the practice, the BEING.

In other words, religion may be only preaching while spirituality is leading… Still, I do believe they are not opposite and here are three examples that may help

• Your religion talks about being charitable and you do, from time to time. Spiritually, you can also be charitable by giving others vibrations and good wishes. Always. Both are necessary and useful.
• By being religious, you have to go to your temple every week or so. By being spiritual, your practice is daily and you don’t have to go to a temple necessarily. When you go to a temple, just be spiritual; when you are spiritual, just feel like your house is a temple.
• The scriptures tell stories or describe a code of life. Spirituality makes your live those stories and change your own life.

What do you think about religion and spirituality?

Science and superstition: which one?

With the pandemic, many things took place at the same time and I have been observing for some time a struggle between science and superstition, a word I am using here in its higher form, in the minds and decisions.

One of the reasons science should win this battle is that it relies on experiments and those take time, while superstition is only observation, which is fast but not entirely reliable. There is also a subtle reality: the hesitance by scientists to accept that which cannot be proved; in this way, scientists and those who believe in science close the doors for many people to try to believe in what they say.

I consider myself a man of science and I prefer to check things before believing them; that’s the main reason I am vaccinated and I believed in the invisible virus.

However, we shouldn’t dismiss superstitions so easily. After all, they come from a long lineage of culture, religion and tradition, and any aspect of that comes also from observation and experiments.

I am following a spiritual path and I also believe in things like soul and God, things that are very unscientific. They also come from observation and experiments, and I experience benefit all the way.

How to conciliate both sides?

One suggestion is that both sides should be a little more open to the other as both can complement each other.

Science people could at least accept not everything can be proved even though, they exist. Let’s say we talk about theories, so there could be a category, such as IDEAS that congregate all that takes place and cannot be easily (if ever) checked.

In the same way, those who believe in things that have been taught as per their culture, religion or traditions, could at least try to open their minds for science, by trying to understand statistics, theories, experiments, and many other things that characterize the scientific effort.

I do believe when we unite these two different and valid sides of human kind, humanity will have taken a high jump.

Religions and rituals

I never thought I had a religious experience, until many years late in my life, but still there was something that amazed me: Jesus Christ, who founded the Christian religion, was not a Christian…

Fast forward and I am exposed to a new notion in relation to religion by the simple word dharma. And it means much, much more than just religion: the lifestyle, a form of relating the others, a mission in life… In that sense, Christ was the first Christian.

That simply made so much sense! Religion is more than rituals and scriptures, priests and hierarchy; religion as dharma is how someone lives according to a set of principles and values, instead of how to pray or which cloth to wear.

And that applies in all aspects of our life. Let’s take for example our approach to the work: am I working just because of money or because of my diploma? Am I working according to my vocation and the energy it generates in my life?

Much of our lives we just live as a ritual… it is time to identify our dharma and align our reality with it.

Going back to religions

Is religion good or bad?

Implicitly, this idea or question is daily present in the media, talks and dialogues. Crimes against people or by people are easily profiled according to a certain creed, even when, days later, is proofed that was not as such.

I believe the question is not much about the goodness of religion, but how religions may coexist. In reality, that has been the reality in many places for so many years and it is all based in a simple formula:

1. I believe in what I believe, this is my Truth.
2. You believe in what you believe, but I don’t share the same beliefs.
3. As long as I don’t try to convince you or otherwise, we can keep on working and living together.

Even in old beliefs of religions, that formula was present and it was very common that while professing a certain religion, people would keep distance from other religions without saying the other belief was wrong.

Unwillingly, as religions go against each other – or more precisely, religious people go against other religious people – they are becoming weak. Well, they are not clearly linked, but if we check the history of religions, we may realize that when they used to coexist there were more people following them, religions had more strength and positive influence than nowadays.

Maybe we cannot impact religions, but we may impact other people who follow a religion by working on these 3 aspects:

1. Believe in your own Truth, very strongly…
2. …even though I don’t believe in it.
3. I won’t try to convince you, please don’t try to convince me.
4. EXTRA: let’s do something together; let’s create something new, creative and powerful.

In this way, it will be possible people from different faiths to coexist and thrive.

Spirituality and life

One of the evolution steps, if that is an evolution, was to separate the religious and non-religious side of people: government, school, hospitals, all that used to be tied to some religion and now they are as far as possible from that. There have been many reasons for it, of course, but in general that has created a particular consequence.

You see, religion is basically two things: tradition and rituals, and spirituality. In fact, what people seem to get distant is from traditions, as they don't accommodate to modern times for easily. What they don't notice is that they lose also access to their own spirituality...

Spirituality cannot be taught, only experienced. It is in every one of us, as we are spiritual beings. By getting in touch with matter, and other people, we created society and, in its beginning and for a long time, spirituality helped society to keep certain aspects of us, spiritual beings, such as values. The way to do that was to create religion where spirituality is present, encased in a way that is understandable to others.

By losing our religion, we are losing also our spirituality and the access to an identity you can't see in a mirror. Worse than that, our values, which used to show in our actions, are also getting lost in the process.

As a reaction to this situation, humans created other ways. Spiritual groups, like the Brahma Kumaris, to which I am part, emerged in an attempt to give people back what they lost: access to their own spirituality. In this way, our values would come back gradually to our lives and our society eventually will turn into that wonderful experience that surely was in the beginning.

Spirituality cannot be lived only inside four walls. Yes, you can practice it in a particular place, but you need to live it at every second of your life, just like you are a man or woman twenty-four hours a day. And that is the big challenge, to make spirituality part of day-to-day life.

Just try it, and see the consequences:

• Go back to your religion and live it as an experience, instead of a tradition; feel it.
• Find a religion you like or you feel you may like it, and live it as an experience, beyond all rituals.
• There are many spiritual groups with their doors open; find one where you "tune" into the vibration, teachings and practices.

And see your values coming back to life, among other changes... See your life changing...

The struggle between Spirituality and Religion III

This is the third and last post of an article intended to help understanding the phenomenon of spiritual groups, something that is increasing its influence in the world today.

The struggle between Spirituality and Religion II

This is the second part of an article intended to help understanding the phenomenon of spiritual groups, something that is increasing its influence in the world today. Next week, the last post.

The struggle between Spirituality and Religion I

This is an article intended to help understanding the phenomenon of spiritual groups, something that is increasing its influence in the world today. It will be posted in three different weeks.