Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Religion and Spirituality Could Ever Go Along...?

I do not know why always I come up with titles which is tricky to draw a distinguishable line between the duality of our existence or a thing. In recent days I have been struggling to find an answer to this question; whether the religion and spirituality are two different things standing at the two extreme polar. Wondering whether it could be merged at the end, beyond the physical differences, where it could walk hand in hand. I believe the chances are very slim.

In my understanding I think religious individuals are more problematic by sticking with whatever stigma he/she has been taught with by clinging onto it really tight. However, there are exceptional cases who walked away from the barricades and seeing the things as such and embracing everyone as one.

Whereas, the spiritualistic individual is going beyond the boundary and learn to look everything as one or the same. It occurs just naturally to them since they embrace the whole existence as singularity of one existence.

I could not comply with so rigid religiosity at whatever the cause. In one side, preaching to be nice fellow with any living thing yet with another side sowing the hatred against, the one who is not following theirs.

Therefore, the very religious rigidity does not let people have the tolerance to one another, if we ended up being so fanatic about it.

For a while now I had been looking for a book, which opened up my eyes really in a greater extend with a small quote, which read like this;

“Where the religion ends, that is the point where the spirituality begins.”

11 comments:

Priya said...

Religion is based on a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices which leads to supernatural power.
Wheras spirituality is dealt in a specific way of living such as believing personal beliefs.

Both have beliefs and practices. But religion is a sect/ group/ organization. But spiritualism is a mans belief to his own power of thoughts and feelings to heal others.
I cannot agree that one ends and the other begins.
It is just as the society.

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

Thank you Priya!

For coming this way and placing your comments here.

//Religion is based on a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices which leads to supernatural power...//

Like what kind of supernatural power we are talking about herer? Do you believe, by merely sticking with the repeatitive rites and rituals, and merely expressing it externally not taking it to the core level... can you achieve anything out of it?

//Wheras spirituality is dealt in a specific way of living such as believing personal beliefs.//

Spirituality does not cling to any particular dogma or thing and a ritual thing... once you realized the "self" as it is like SAt CHID anand, where it is in mere blissful state... ever at peace.

When you are in that state where comes all that dual vision of partition from this to that...

The spiritual person the one who is honest and truthful to his own nature... does not worry about the external stimuli, because he/she is always with his/her "self."

Whereas, the Mathavathi(religious one) feels if he misses a prayer he losts his touch with the GOD out there... and even feel guilty if he misses some prayer stuff at the prayer place... laments about it, leaving the essence of prayer.

Therefore, religious rigidity and spiritualistic soaring are leaving us in two different planes. And that is my understanding, ONLY, thus far!

Spirituality is an Occurrence to oneself, when you realized the existence of everything is nothing but a vibrant life, in it, nothing to be hated.

Sivabalan said...

Orani,

//Where the religion ends, that is the point where the spirituality begins.” //

Excellent Lines.

Still, we have to go long way to catch up this...

Good Blog.

Priya said...

As it is based on religion and spirituality, lets not hit each other with names of religion.
I meant supernatural powers in the sense where these sect/group/organization with many names try to bring people memerizing the input of their theory and ideology into it. To bring such situation, you need the power of good communication, theology and belief.
What makes you think people believe an another human being considered as "god"??
Religion itself work in the name of so called old philosophy. We all see sky, land and water. Do you see different skies in other parts of the world. No.

When some can talk well and make people to bring them in their power, it is religious groups/ organization.
Religion starts with spiritual behaviour.
Foe eg., A is considered as saint with all good thoughts, meditation and astrology, people do throng to see A. When As popularity increases it slowly forms a group as a religious leader with number of followers.

A spiritual person is also a person who walks off from the family and becomes a saint. But he is a human being and will have distractions in others ways. I cannot give an example without knowing the theory.

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

Priya,

//To bring such situation, you need the power of good communication, theology and belief.//

This is where all the problem arises, trying to force feed a certain set up belief into someone, by threatning the individual, isn't?

//What makes you think people believe an another human being considered as "god"??//

What makes me to think that way, well, when we started seeing the true nature of our existence which is we are after in the pursuit of experience and everlasting happiness. When we get that base, then another question arises how we can attain it. All this is happening within oneself, right, and if we are aware enough of the fact, that, if we live our life without tresspassing onto another's interest and belief system.
We can be ever at peace.

Though, the religion, the current institutionalized, organized one does not let you embrace as eveything as one, because of its rigidity. That is where all these mis-interpretation and turbidity come in to play to sow hatred against one another.

If you come to a point where you can "tolerate" everything without thrusting any dogma down the throat of another sect. Then we can say "Universal Consciousness" is married to us. Without fragmenting the common umbrella into so many tiny compartments. Seeing the Universe as one, which is common to all as in the case of Consciousness, that we all breath!

And that is what I considered a fellow human being can also be a GOD if he cultivates that kind of attitude.

//Religion starts with spiritual behaviour.//

Exactly. By embracing as everything is one. Anbae Sivam!

//Foe eg., A is considered as saint with all good thoughts, meditation ..//

That part of the example is suited exactly for one who intends to lead a normal world's affairs, an office... the real sages and saints are commoners like you and me ;-)

//A spiritual person is also a person who walks off from the family and becomes a saint. //

Not neccessarily Priya, you can be one where you are right now... Illarathil NallaARam seeing is also one of the states...

Amar said...

/Where the religion ends, that is the point where the spirituality begins//

I believe these words were first uttered by Vivekananda.

Religion is all about finding ways to assauge ones fears and failures with dogma,worship et all.

Spirituality? Its nice but I'm afraid its not sensible either.

Spirituality is religion in a different package.

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

Mathi,

Another one of your great feedbacks. Thank you!

I agree most part of it. Although, the conflicting fact of being rigid with religious belief is confrontational at the final frontier.

When we get the essence out of the religion which is attaining the Mukti(salvation), that is where all the clashes should come to an end, isn't it?

If the fact of matter is, if we are coming from the "Parahmatma" as in the form "jeevahatma" then where comes all these divisions?

That is the plain simple truth to follow rest of lives on HIS path. What do you think. More later.

//Nowadays anything is done in the name of religion, but delve deep into religion then we will understand that everything tells the same. //

Though, we miss the essence of it, just dwell in the outer realm of the truth.

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

Samudra,

Here you are again, welcome, welcome!

//I believe these words were first uttered by Vivekananda.//

I do not remember exactly, who it was, but surely by some enlightened soul.

//Religion is all about finding ways to assauge ones fears and failures with dogma,worship et all.//

The problem with approaching God based on fear and failures, to start with, most of us, stop growing from fearing of HIM. And clinging on to the external dogma and worship as you said. Leaving the core essence, which is embracing the whole humankind as ONE.

//Spirituality? Its nice but I'm afraid its not sensible either.//

Why it is not sensible? Can expand on that for me, Samudra, let us share some of your perception on that?

//Spirituality is religion in a different package.//

We are not talking of a spirituality which is organized. I disagree whenever the individual realization is publized and marketed, I feel at that point it loses its essence.

The spirituality I talk of often here is the individual realization the power within YOU to reach out, not outside. That is it.

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

Hi Dr. Delphine,

//As far as I feel They don't go together. Right! You don't have to be religeous to be Spiritual. Religeon is a set of beliefs.//

Thank you for accepting honestly! This is where the honesty coming in handy, I guess, to be truthful to oneself.

That is true "religion" is a set of belief, if we miss any one of it from doing, we feel quilty, and that makes us become so rigid from going with the flow of life.

Anyway, thanks!

Anonymous said...

Religions are the basis for building the spirituality in each person. Kind of like a template for how that person should base their life. Some are good, some are not. Groups with similar belief worship God the same way together, on sacred day or time as directed. But then they leave and are on their own to make their own choices and decisions. How a person views a situation and reacts to it may be based upon which/what kind of religion they were raised up in. The bases will always be there. Inside they are their own person and each has their own spirit

Atoms = energy = living = conscious = spirituality / huh, so then there is the religion.

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

Hi Hollie Rust

//Atoms = energy = living = conscious = spirituality / huh, so then there is the religion.//

It sounds like you have gotten some stuff out of this universe. Keep digging.

Thanks for leaving your comment in here. Why you are not coming often, this way? Or, you are coming but not leaving any comments, feel free to express yourself.