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Spirituality and Religion |
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“And the Blessed Lord said: By whatsoever path people approach me, Even so do I welcome them, For the paths they take on every side are mine.”
From the Bhagavad Gita
There comes a time in the life of each soul where the question arises: Is there more to me than meets the eye? Is this all there is? What happens to me when I leave this physical reality? Is there life on the other side? If so, where do I fit in?
These are the questions which have inspired the quest for enlightenment, the quest for knowledge and wisdom, the quest for spiritual evolution throughout the ages. We know that there is a part of us, perhaps you might call it the soul essence of a person, or maybe you might call it the spiritual self of a person, which is eternal. And this truth has penetrated through all religious divides as a universal truth which is honored by many traditions. We know that the spirit of our loved ones lives on, even though they are no longer with us in physicality.
Einstein proposed that 98% of the universe is composed of energy which is not seen with the human eye, and that only 2% of the universe is composed of energy which has taken the form of matter; which we can see with our human eyes. If this well supported postulate is even slightly close to being correct, we can see that there are vast areas of reality beyond this physical reality which have yet to be discovered, explored, experienced and understood.
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Other truths which have transcended all religious divides are that there is a Mysterious Consciousness, perhaps a Primal Consciousness, perhaps a Cosmic Consciousness which is the Source of All of Life, indeed which animates ALL of Life— that Consciousness that many call The God Consciousness. It would seem then worthy to consider that if all of life emanated from this Consciousness that we have come to call God, that all of life then has this Consciousness within it, this Divine Principle within it, this Spirit of God within it. This is why all of the true spiritual Masters & Teachers from many traditions did not look for God outside of themselves for they knew that God was within them. We can take great lessons from the spiritual teachers who have come before us and the wisdom of the ancients as we seek to find the answers to these questions ourselves.
When we look at this concept of Spirituality, we can see that it has often been confused with the concept of religion; but in truth, they are not the same thing. Religion is when one’s spirituality is attached to a certain set of beliefs, or a belief system which dictates the path to enlightenment or salvation to the believer, to the disciple. Spirituality is simply a desire, an openness, a seeking of knowing, connection and resonance with the Spirit of God within one’s self and in all of Life and it is something that we all already have. It does not require one to accept or adopt a belief system of any kind. Spirituality is not something that we have to go out and find because it is in us already; through our inherent connection with the Creative Source of all that is. It is our birthright.
While every spiritual tradition has within its structure some wonderful gems of wisdom and truth; so too are there many instances where doctrine was colored by human interpretation, and influenced by the density of thought that was present during its inception. Unfortunately, throughout the ages, religion has done more to divide humanity than to unite it. In so doing, it has left so many feeling separated from God and one another, confused and unfulfilled. This is because deep inside every soul is the living Presence of Source/God/Spirit which already knows Itself to be ONE and ALL — and that true spirituality is not about religious dogma or divisiveness, or imagining one’s self or one’s viewpoint to be favored by God or superior to others, or imagining one’s own self to hold dominion over the truth, or over others; but rather, true spirituality arises out of the ashes in a sincere and humble seeker and reveals to them a keen awareness and deep and abiding love & deference for the Presence of God in ALL of Life which unfolds a great peace in the heart and mind of the seeker; and that this peace and this understanding then allows one to move about their life with love, with humility, with kindness & compassion, and with great gratitude and joy; and with a wonderful ability to be of service to the Presence of God in all of Life in whatever manner that they are inwardly inspired to do.
We can know then, that we are already a spiritual being, who is having a human experience. And that no matter where we are in life, or what condition we are in, or what we have done in our life, that the Spirit of God loves us without conditions. And that we can heal and reconnect to our Spiritual Core through love and forgiveness — and by turning within our own self in prayer and meditation.
Copyright © 2003
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