Spirituality??

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by louis

From Louis -
I have the same problem, if you want to call it that. I have also
asked for definitions and been told it's a "personal" thing .
But if so personal, why can't anyone define it ?
Or maybe they just don't want to examine it closely - in case it
might turn out to be something explainable - like a simple case
of "wishful thinking" disguised as something more significant ...

Hi louis! Glad to see you back.

lunamoth

[ISFP]

like others have said, i'm not sure one can define spirituality, only give their own definitions and testimonies. spirituality is, i suppose, a personal connection to the transcendent, within or without the context of religion.

i get the impression that mysticism and spirituality are closely linked.

[THUNK]

Originally Posted by Jaiket

I've floated this around other boards but have never recieved a satisfactory answer. The problem is most people feel they cannot articulate it correctly or cannot define it without reference to a 'spirit' or 'soul'. Being athiest and sceptical of the supernatural I have no concept of spirits either.

Anyone else feel the same?

Please do not hesitate to respond.

Spirituality is merely the emmotional equivalent of cigarettes.
The regular user is addicted and always on the lookout for thier next 'fix'.
As with cigarettes, the addict requires lots of 'spiritual encounters'.
Essentially a Human survival and motivation mechanism.

For me it is more imortant to be 'fully aware' rather than spiritual. Awareness brings truth and enables you too act properly.

For example; I am aware that a Chicken has a highly developed emmotional sense. They can grieve, worry, suffer and form strong bonds. I therefore would only eat Chicken that was reared in humane circumstances. Although Im not religious I consider a Chickens life just as valuable as mine. The only difference is Im more intelligent. Really, I shouldnt eat it at all.

So, although many people consider themselves 'spiritual', the flaw is that they 'pick 'n' mix' thier spiritual blend. In other words thier spirituality is merely a self indulgent feedback tool - like cigarretes.

[InLove]

Hello, and Peace,

Thunk, while I do not share your perspective on spirituality, I gotta give you this--you certainly have a unique way of expressing your thoughts!

InPeace,
InLove

[THUNK]

Originally Posted by InLove

Hello, and Peace,

Thunk, while I do not share your perspective on spirituality, I gotta give you this--you certainly have a unique way of expressing your thoughts!

InPeace,
InLove

Cheers mate.

Look Im not here to bash anyone, I merely seek answers. Ive never been drawn to the religions Ive thus far encountered due to too many inconsistencies and worst of all people blind to simple truths.

Ive met Monks who claim they are spiritual.

The Monks seek enlightenment and inner peace through sacrifice, worship and obedience (wow - not), but thier sacrifice (ie inputs) are no greater than others sacrifice for example in order to build a business.

The Monks seek a sense of wellbeing instead of money but its still essentially selfish endeavour, but they wouldnt recognise this.

THEY MISTAKE PLEASURE & SELF ENRICHMENT FOR SPIRITUALITY.

Id truly admire them if they instead undertook true sacrifice merely for the benefit of others / the planet, instead of having a cushy stress free life of silence and worship.

I dont beleive Jesus would have spent most of his time in peacefull, stress - free quiet reflection in a Monastery when there were people and other species in dire need of shelter, space and nourishment.

[Talintia]

Good morning to all, I am not only new to this forum but I have never posted on a forum before now. So be gentle as I learn.

I was motivated by all the responses to spirituality, because I did not read a response from anyone who did not either reject spirituality or hold it as a religious view. I just have another take on spirituality, perhaps it could be considered as the inner life energy. The life force that is within all. The way I see it to believe in life and the energy within all,is to be spiritual. So in that sense I would have to say I am very spiritual, for I am certainly filled with life and I see that same life everywhere. Where one believes it comes from is another story.

Blessing of Light & Life to All,
Talintia

[InLove]

Hello Talintia--Peace and welcome to CR . I agree with you that the Spirit may be described as the Light inside that is Life. A beautiful way to express it...

InPeace,
InLove

[lunamoth]

Here's a bit I found recently that I like quite a lot. Talks about spirituality in a way that is not related to the supernatural or to a particular religion. I'm typing it in so please forgive the mistakes, and it's from The Practice of Prayer by M. Guenther.

Spirtuality is in the air these days, all too often as something to be caught, achieved, or marketed. Certainly, "spirituality" is a difficult word with lots of baggage for many of us. It is a word that challenges us and sometimes makes us uneasy, for it is nebulous, elastic, and potentially dangerous. It is a word we often suspect of covering up loose thinking or of providing an avenue of private escape from engagement with the pain, need, and injustice in the world. Unfortunately, there is some truth in such assumption, but it is only a partial truth.
It is important to remember that we all--even the most ordinary and least holy among us--have a spirituality. It may be bland, rejecting risk and adventure in favor of the safe and predictable, the spiritual equivalent of a tuna casserole instead of a challenging curry. Our spirituality can be selfish, destructive, or even daemonic, as we have seen in the example of Hitler's Third Reich, with its creeds and liturgies permating every aspect of the nations' life, or the perverse spiritualities that united the disciples od Charles Manson and Jim Jones. Whatever its characteristics, every one of us has a spirituality, what Augustine called an ordo amoris, an ordering of our loves. What do we most cherish? What do we most desire? What is the treasure hidden in the core of our being? Our spirituality is not what we profess to believe, but how we order our loves. That ordering may be unarticulated, sometimes even unconscious, but the resulting spirituality pervades our whole life and involves our whole person. Our sterwardship of time, energy, material things, and relationships to our fellow creatures reflects the way we express that ordering of our loves.

So, the question is not "what is spirtuality," but "what is your spirituality?"

just another perspective,
lunamoth

[InLove]

Hi, Peace--

Interesting passage--I am particularly struck by the following:

Our spirituality is not what we profess to believe, but how we order our loves.

Thanks, lunamoth--very relative to many of the discussions presently taking place in the fora.

InPeace,
InLove

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by InLove

Hi, Peace--

Interesting passage--I am particularly struck by the following:


Thanks, lunamoth--very relative to many of the discussions presently taking place in the fora.

InPeace,
InLove

Hi InLove,
I like that line too. Should have highlighted it instead of one of the others.
yours,
lunamoth

[Japelec2030]

Jaiket. In my opinion spirituality is being in touch with ones inner self
Though truly the only person that can find the true meaning of spirituality for you is you I wish you all the best and hope that you may become spiritual

[Salim Syed]

My Islamic perspective....

(Sprirituality can not be understood under you understand the secrets beyong matter)...

Lots of people question is there a spirit/soul ? I follow the following logic to come to a conclusion that we have a spiritual being:

When you see no light enters your head, when you hear no air waves enter your head, when you taste no sugar etc enters your head.

Only electrical waves enter your head. The brain is in complete darkness and there is no sound there.

So billions of little electric impulses hit the brain cells which are made of protien etc...

So what is it that turns these signals and recomposes them into images, taste, hearing and feelings. What causes reget, sadness, happiness etc ?

You never actually interact with the outside world it is a perception created in your soul. Just as in a dream you touch and feel and cry etc.. It is a world that is as real as the one you perceive you are living day to day.

People who can not see this, find it difficult to accept religion, because they see every thing inmaterialistic terms..

-----
Who is the man inside the man ?

This is the spirit the soul... the part of your existence that no scientist will ever be able to measure or examine. It is the part in you which will exist after your physical body turns to dust.

Very little knowledge of the spirit was given to mankind. If your read any Holy Books your will find stories and laws etc.. but the knowledge of the spirit is not covered in detail becuase we are unable to comprehend it.

There is an amazing website (which is not mine and I am not promoting but has this topic covered in incredible detail, Brian I don't think this breaks any rules - please correct me if I'm wrong)

http://www.secretbeyondmatter.com

Once you study this you will understand that we are not just physical beings.

If you get to a point where you see the logic in accepting a spritiual being then you can start to question why humans always search for something. Why there is a restlessness within, why we feel guilty why we feel hopeful etc..

I hope this helps, no point going into religious topics until you have studied the website.. because belief in the unseen is not easy if your understanding of matter and perception is not right you will always find it hard to accept.

I hope this helps....

Peace