How do you define spirituality?

by Sunchild 21 Replies latest jw friends

  • Introspection
    Introspection

    I would say that in a nutshell, spirituality is consciousness. While I would agree that love is important, showing love to others becomes a problem if you're only conscious of yourself. When you consider the golden rule, the other person may not want you to do to them what you would have others do unto you, that is unless you acknowledge them from the level of a fellow human being. At the very least, it means seeing more than your own perspective.

    I think feelings and peak/peek experiences can be associated with and can even in fact be a part of spirituality, but it all depends on how you interpret it. Sometimes people just want to experience that blissed out state all the time, but even if that's all you wanted you won't get it by just being attached to the feeling. Feelings of pleasure and pain are often just signals that tell us what's going on, not what's actually happening. When I have such an experience, I test it. I may play with it to see what will happen if I do this or that, or if nothing else I will analyze it afterwards to see what led up to it to try and better understand it.

    I think another part of spirituality is self mastery. You can read and gain book knowledge about all kinds of practices, but you have to do the practice to actually see any benefits. At the same time, the practice isn't an isolated task that has nothing to do with other things in your life. It ties in with consciousness, because a certain level of subjective awareness is necessary. A person can have a strong intellect, but if he doesn't even know when he's under the influence of a drug such as alcohol, or maybe lacking in objectivity because of an emotional reaction to something someone else said, then his thinking would still be suspect.

    So, while I'm not the first person to say it, I do think spirituality is also a matter of development and maturation. Children tends to be self centered in that they can't see beyond their own perspective, and we know they have to first master the senses and then move on to intellectual development, so I think spirituality is a higher level. While some people point to the body-mind's circular relationship in terms of it's bi-directional flow of information exchange, I think developmentally speaking you do kind of move in stages. You still have your body, but just as the body supports the brain, which supports the mind, you might say the mind in turn supports the spirit. It's possible to be spiritual with poor health, but I think most people would agree that it is preferable to be in good health, (atleast have the body in a state of homeostasis) and of course being closer to the spiritual level, neurological or mental illness would make it all the more difficult to develop at that level.

    Because it isn't just a matter of intellect, there isn't much use debating the issue with someone who has a different perspective. To me someone who is going through the stages will eventually build up to the "higher levels" because that's just a natural process. Whether they choose to describe the experience with the same language is questionable, but I think once someone is "there" they'll be able to recognize that what others have described in the past matches their own experience.

  • AGuest
    AGuest

    HELLO, dear 'Sun! And may you have peace!

    I would like to take a 'shot' at this one, if I may, and I agree to answer you PERSONALLY... and INDIVIDUALLY. However, I cannot answer specifically to 'spirituality', without actually touching on my SPIRIT... which is the TRUE me... my 'inner' self.

    I have had my spirit revealed to me... have seen it in its truest form... and while I liked a LOT of what I saw, I did NOT like even more of what I saw.

    I saw: a generous person, with a willingness to give and help. I saw a calm and patient person, with unending optimism toward almost everyone she came into contact with. I saw a person who could NOT hold grudges, who could NOT harbor animosity, and who could NOT stomach hypocrisy. I saw a person who is honest... almost to a FAULT... but who is also loyal and will stand up for someone who has been lied against, no matter who she has to stand up TO.

    I ALSO saw: a person who picked others apart SO deeply, that there almost could be found nothing good. I changed that. I saw a person who THOUGHT serving God meant being RIGHT as well as righteous and therefore, those that were 'wrong', could not be serving God. I changed that. I saw a person who, while willing to help elderly, infirmed, disabled, etc., could not always look them in the eye due to the discomfort the sight of them brought at times. I changed that. I saw a person who thought that God blessed those who APPEARED to be blessed, by their looks, income, status, etc., and that He 'punished' those that did not have such things. I changed that. I saw a person who thought that addictions and weakness of the flesh was a sign of not loving God and being disobedient. I changed that. I saw a person who thought that in order to please God, one had to be sinLESS and perfect, herself as well as others. I changed that. I saw a person who, rather rejoicing in the joy set before me and ALL of mankind, would moan over that which I could see with my eyes and which I let affect my life.

    I saw my OWN judging, hypocrisy, denial, lying, unrighteousness, uncleaness, intolerance, lack of faith, lack of compassion, lack of self-control, lack of peace, lack of joy, lack of long-suffering, lack of goodness, lack of mildness, lack of kindness... lack of LOVE...

    And I saw... and worked... and am STILL working... to CHANGE all of that... by means of a NEW spirit, the one given me by my Father, through my Lord, to the greatest extent that I can. MY self... and not others.

    I still see some 'error'... more than I care to relate here... but the very fact that I now see it is a great JOY to me. For I am no longer 'blind'... THINKING I am 'rich', when in fact I am poor and miserable and pitiable. I would much rather be a fool and KNOW it, so that I can work to CHANGE it... or ask forgiveness FOR it... of earthling man AND God... than to be a fool and not even know it. And so, more than seeing the 'error' of others, or WANTING to see... I ask to see my own. And more than wanting to change THEIRS... I WANT... and ask... and work... with my Lord's help... to change my own.

    "Spirituality" then, is being the person that I TRULY am, good AND bad... and owning up to it. It is not fooling MYSELF, as well as others into thinking I am something that I am not... or better than I truly am. It is not what I look like on outside or how I carry myself so that others think I am 'something' when in fact, I am nothing. At least, nothing more than them. Spirituality is to the 'man' I am on the INSIDE, what physicality is to the 'man' I am on the OUTSIDE.

    That is MY personal and individual statement regarding spirituality.

    I bid you peace, dear one... to time indefinite!

    Your servant and a slave of Christ,

    SJ

  • Sunchild
    Sunchild

    With one glaring exception, everyone so far has given interesting, thought-provoking answers, and I can find some common ground with just about all of them. I'll probably give more individual responses later, and I apologize for not giving them right now. But I just wanted everyone to know how much I appreciate their participation in this thread.

    Oh, any anyone else who feels like responding, please do!

    *Rochelle.

    ---------
    "Most men complacently accept 'knowledge' as 'truth'. They are sheep, ruled by fear."
    -- Sydney Losstarot, "Vagrant Story."

  • eeyore
    eeyore

    I have no idea what spirituality is.

    I know its beyond what I know.

    I wouldnt like to see my spirit in the way AGuest was shown hers... ugh pure evil inside me

  • AGuest
    AGuest

    Dearest 'Sun... may you have peace!

    Ah, well... that one 'exception' most probably should have remained silent, eh? Poor soul. Must have been the INVITATION to speak that got 'em going. Too bad what they said wasn't 'interesting' or 'thought-provoking', though. Maybe next time you'll be a little more specific as to what you wish others to say... something along the lines of, "What I'm LOOKING for, folks, are responses in the genre of..."

    That way, you are most sure to get many more that share 'common ground' with, yes? If indeed that's what you're looking for...

    Peace to you!

    Your servant and a slave of Christ,

    SJ

  • TheHighPriest
    TheHighPriest
    How do you define spirituality?

    To me spirituality is a mean that has been confused and mixed up with religion and religuos acts. The two have little to do with each other.
    To me spirituality stem from a self awareness that probably came about when early on man found a mushroom or something and thought: uh what's this? looks like food, I'll eat it. Munch munch, WHOAH I'm tripping.

    THP

  • proplog2
    proplog2

    "Spirituality" is a word. Like all words it means what we want it to. Words mean some "thing" or "it" around which we have drawn a circle and separates it from what it "is not". "Spirit" is not Matter. When you draw a circle around "Spirit" you are separating it from matter and energy. What is there besides "matter and energy"? There is "relation" . So spirituality has to do with how things connect. On a personal level it's "orientation". When you see how things are connected you gain perspective that leads to wisdom.

  • Jang
    Jang

    This is how I see spirituality.

    Spirituality, simply defined, is consciously pursuing a meaningful life, according to however one might define what makes life meaningful. It has to do with attending to one's inner life, to one's attitude toward and outlook on life. Spirituality is the realm of hopes and dreams, of values and ideals. It has to do with seeking and maintaining balance, externally and internally, and with focusing on the non-material aspects of one's life. It recognizes and values the aesthetic realm of art and music and poetry and sensuality. It has to do with the nurture and care of the human spirit.

    Some practices that enhance our spirituality are conscious meditation on great things like music, creating art, walking, enjoying nature, celebrating holidays, observing life milestones, living mindfully, living simply and with focus, living with concern for ethics and social justice, cultivating the artistic and relational aspects of life, keeping the material aspect of life in balance with the nonmaterial, reading and contemplating fiction (including mythology) and poetry and philosophy, giving backrubs and making love.

    A spiritual life is a life of quality - it is a life of care for other people, a life of integrity, and a life of receiving as well as giving. It is a life lived consciously, courageously, compassionately and wisely.

    For Christians, spirituality is not a state of consciousness that believers enter into in order to feel closer to God. From a biblical perspective, spirituality is the process whereby the Spirit of God enlightens us (gives us eyes to see) by revealing the truth about God, the truth about ourselves, and the truth about the world. Spirituality is not some transcendent
    place in never-never land. It is the pursuit of righteousness in the a world with other people like ourselves.

    Real worship is not participation in a religious ceremony whereby the worshippers close their eyes to reality and enter into a
    transcendent state of consciousness. These truths ought to determine how Christians think about worship. If I participate in a
    religious service or discipline--be it prayer, a quiet time, Bible study, or attending church--and I consciously or unconsciously use that discipline to close my eyes to the truth about God, about myself, or about the world, then that discipline is not of God--no matter how "spiritual" it may appear. According to Paul, closing our eyes to the material world and discomfort of our moral and physical limitedness is not spirituality. Striving after moral purity in the midst of our fallenness is.

    Don't let the world define reality for you, says Paul. Don't let your culture influence you such that it determines your values and how you look at reality. Rather, be in the process of having your mind renewed. Be in the process of bringing your perspectives of reality.

    Believing they could close their eyes to the physical world and their moral limitations and enter into a spiritual consciousness that would give them power to overcome their daily struggles and moral failures was a fantasy for first-century believers. The same is true for us today. The "super-Christian"--one able to rise above his moral and physical limitations--does not exist. There are only garden-variety Christians, muddling along like you and I.

    JanG
    CAIC Website: http://caic.org.au/zjws.htm
    Personal Webpage: http://uq.net.au/~zzjgroen/

  • Sunchild
    Sunchild

    Shelby,

    Ah, well... that one 'exception' most probably should have remained silent, eh?


    I was thinking YK's canned response that shows up in every single Watchtower, but I didn't want to mention names. I specifically asked for personal thoughts, not for regurgitation of what you've been told.

    In other words, no, I didn't mean you, if that's what you're worried about.

    *Rochelle.

    ---------
    "Most men complacently accept 'knowledge' as 'truth'. They are sheep, ruled by fear."
    -- Sydney Losstarot, "Vagrant Story."

  • AGuest
    AGuest

    Dearest 'Sun... may you have MUCH peace!

    You are absolutely correct... I DID think you were addressing my post and I DID worry about it... all night. And I absolutely should have KNOWN better, for you have never disallowed me freedom of speech. I 'assumed', and have now made... well, you know how the saying goes and the answer is 'out of ME... and me' in this case.

    Please forgive ME for misreading your intent. I have no other excuse other than MY own sensitivities and insecurities (STOOPID flesh... betrayed me AGAIN, didn't 'ya?). Wait... can't I blame it on the fact that You Know's answer was so brief, I didn't even SEE it? Nahhhh, he gets off on this one; I erred all on my own.

    I sincerely apologize, and remain...

    Your servant and a slave of Christ,

    SJ

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