You don't have to become like me. You just need to unfold yourself--that's what spirituality is!
Spirituality is innate!
by Pinku 22 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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nicolaou
Chopra lite.
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sunny23
nicolaou, a quote from Sam Harris's book I linked above concerning a sceptical and objective approach to "spirituality"...
"Before going any further, I should address the animosity that many readers feel toward the term spiritual. Whenever I use the word, as in referring to meditation as a “spiritual practice,” I hear from fellow skeptics and atheists who think that I have committed a grievous error.
The word spirit comes from the Latin spiritus, which is a translation of the Greek pneuma, meaning “breath.” Around the thirteenth century, the term became entangled with beliefs about immaterial souls, supernatural beings, ghosts, and so forth. It acquired other meanings as well: We speak of the spirit of a thing as its most essential principle or of certain volatile substances and liquors as spirits. Nevertheless, many nonbelievers now consider all things “spiritual” to be contaminated by medieval superstition.I do not share their semantic concerns. [1] Yes, to walk the aisles of any “spiritual” bookstore is to confront the yearning and credulity of our species by the yard, but there is no other term—apart from the even more problematic mystical or the more restrictive contemplative—with which to discuss the efforts people make, through meditation, psychedelics, or other means, to fully bring their minds into the present or to induce nonordinary states of consciousness. And no other word links this spectrum of experience to our ethical lives.
Throughout this book, I discuss certain classically spiritual phenomena, concepts, and practices in the context of our modern understanding of the human mind—and I cannot do this while restricting myself to the terminology of ordinary experience. So I will use spiritual, mystical, contemplative, and transcendent without further apology. However, I will be precise in describing the experiences and methods that merit these terms.
For many years, I have been a vocal critic of religion, and I won’t ride the same hobbyhorse here. I hope that I have been sufficiently energetic on this front that even my most skeptical readers will trust that my bullshit detector remains well calibrated as we advance over this new terrain. Perhaps the following assurance can suffice for the moment: Nothing in this book needs to be accepted on faith. Although my focus is on human subjectivity—I am, after all, talking about the nature of experience itself—all my assertions can be tested in the laboratory of your own life. In fact, my goal is to encourage you to do just that." http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
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Pinku
sunny23,
Good quote. Thank you for that. Let such views thrive!
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xchange
You don't have to become like me. You just need to unfold yourself--that's what spirituality is!
Ok. I'm still waiting for an explanation of what your version of spirituality is. Now you have added a verb to the mix - "unfold". So as concisely, succinctly and in a non-metaphorical manner, please explain how I can unfold myself.
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hamsterbait
Will unfolding myself get rid of all my wrinkles and cellulite? Will it make me young and sexy again? Then I am IN IN IN
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yadda yadda 2
Define 'spiritual' exactly?
Human beings have common feelings of compassion and empathy. Compassion is the foundation of all morality.
Everyone, pagan and Christian alike, have a conscience as a moral guide(refer Romans 2:14-16). Your conscience is a much surer guide than any false ancient scripture replete with God-sanctioned moral atrocities that abuse natural conscience.
Even the 10 commandments are inferior to what our conscience naturally tells us. Pygmie tribes in remote Amazon jungles have a morality dictated by natural conscience, compassion and the need for sympathetic common social ties to thrive.
That is is our 'innate spirituality'.
Throw away your ancient 'sacred scriptures' and traditional organised religion. You don't need them. They actually distort natural spirituality, pervert it.
If you are the progeny of some external supreme being, then you are made in an IMAGE reflected in your mind and heart and DNA. That image is all your need to tap into. Follow that image and you are truly spiritual. The truth really is in your heart after all.
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xchange
Still waiting on Pinku to provide their interpretation of what spirituality is. So far, we've had a few versions come out of the woodwork.
I'm also still interested in this unfolding.
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Pinku
Spirituality means living by the spirit of the whole truth, in harmony with the “kingly law” (James 2:8): “Loving others as yourself.” Or “taking delight in the welfare of all beings,” as another Scripture puts it. If possible, try to enhance others’ happiness and reduce the pain of the suffering.” If this is not possible, we can at least refrain from doing harm to others.
Now the question would arise why one should do the above. When Jesus told: Love your neighbor as yourself, disciples asked a wrong question (who is my neighbour). They should have asked: WHY SHOULD I LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AS MY SELF? That has to do with knowing/seeing the reality with real eyes. We all have a wonderful vehicle called our physical bodies. Once the driver (the self/consciousness/soul/divinity), leaves its seat, body becomes a horribly foul-smelling trash that provides a feast for micro-organisms and worms. This means the divinity, or the soul is more important than the body, and the most fundamental factor of our existence is the consciousness of existence. (Ecclesiastes 12:7) This means it’s very easy to become spiritual because all it takes is UNFOLDING like a wound-up spring, not actually about effort! When you have the above understanding, your values and priority will change, many spiritual qualities will surface one after the other automatically:
1) In the above AWARENESS, I know that my spirit (conscious energy) is superior to material energy that make up the physical body, hence have to re-establish my sovereignty over my body-senses, and begin to act with PURE motive towards others as I am one with them in make-up (spirit + body).
2) In this PURITY, there emerges JOY.
3) In this JOYFULNESS, I want others also to be joyful as I am, hence I should begin to care for others’ needs without being asked for and without even expecting anything in return (which is called LOVE).
4) In this LOVE, I give and receive love, as a result of which PEACE is experienced by me and others around. [In all these five basic qualities of spirit, there are positive side-effects—they make me powerful (POWER) against any relapse, like butter extracted from milk will not merge with water any more. They will also help me to remain blissful/balanced (BLISS) towards all circumstances and all beings!]
So matter is very very very simple ! Just a change in view brought in seven elevated qualities. These are qualities of the spirit (compare Galatians 5:22) Manifesting them in your life is SPIRITuality! See for yourself what a difference it will make, and how much people will love you for this change!
