Ministries & Spirituality

Spirituality means many things to many people. Answering the question of “what is spirituality” for yourself is an important step in your lifelong process of discovery.

To be honest, you don’t need to become an expert in terminology to enjoy a life of meaning and fulfillment. The words are just pointers and tools you can use to uncover your personal direction.

So this article is only one possible answer to the question of “what is spirituality?” If these words resonate with your heart, expand upon them; if not, move on and find something else that feels right to you.

True spirituality has nothing to do with religious practice. The observance of specific belief systems, honoring of certain holy days & customs, and living by a set code of conduct are not spiritual pursuits in and of themselves.

These and other things can be part of an individual’s overall spirituality. But group values systems and traditional behaviors are no more spiritual than political affiliations or loyalty to a college football team.

Spirituality is a very personal matter. And it’s completely experiential, meaning it must be experienced before it can be fully understood.

Having said all this, what’s left to answer? I’ve carried on for half a page about what spirituality is not; so what is it then?

Spirituality is a basic awareness of higher consciousness, and an allowing of the present moment to be what it is.

I could refine this statement by saying: one is spiritual when he or she is aware of a collective, creative consciousness that operates beyond the ego mind. Also, spiritual living involves the practice of being mindful in the moment, and allowing the now to take on a life of its own beyond individual desires to shape events.

This statement is intentionally open for interpretation. While I’ve captured the essence of what I believe spirituality to be, I have refrained from providing a definition heavy with my own personal preferences.

When you know intelligence exists beyond the part of your mind “containing” your identity and personal sense of self, you are being spiritual. When you say “yes” to the present moment, allowing the senses to perceive what they will and making no effort to control what is with your own preference and prejudice, you are being spiritual.

Knowing a great intelligence exists, but making no effort to label it in a way that comforts you, is an act of wisdom. It takes great fortitude to be content with the idea of not necessarily understanding or controlling the world around you.

Also being completely alert in the present moment, rather than hiding from yourself in thoughts of the past and future, requires a steadfast nature. Humanity is not afraid of its alleged weakness and frailty; rather, we are afraid of our own incredible power, thus we hide our faces from it by living in the past and the future most of our lives.

It’s not my intention to slander religion. But I am compelled to warn that many faiths were developed to crush the spiritual nature of their followers.

People are often outraged by any definition of spirituality that omits the vengeful, all-knowing god who exists to protect and punish them. It’s a bizarre phenomenon, and it’s the result of centuries of conditioning and brainwash.

By all means take this article as my opinion. But it’s an opinion based on life experience and an honest search for the truth.

I make no effort to appease the values of others or to detract from another’s point of view. And it’s my sincere hope that I have at least planted the seed of an answer that can be harvested by those who are seeking.



By: Aaron Whiston

About the Author:

In this article we will discuss when such type of activities can be regarded as spiritual practice and help in spiritual growth. 



To understand this article better please refer to SSRF articles on – Karma yoga, Destiny and willful action, Destiny and rule of give and take.

Example profiles of charity workers

 

These humanitarians may be engaged in charity work on a full time basis or could be as a once a year activity such as a once a year donation. By humanitarians we mean people working towards advancing the well being of humanity as a whole either by providing monetary benefit or by giving of themselves in some form or the other.

Adopting a child in a developing country Donating to a charitable or non-profit organization working towards promoting human welfare A surgeon giving his services free-of-charge for a certain period every year to people who cannot afford healthcare Working as a volunteer with under-privileged or handicapped children Working in the field with famine victims in a continent like Africa

Why is it important for charity workers to do their charity work as spiritual practice?

 

The manifestations of benefits of spiritual practice and the resultant spiritual growth are: 

An increases tolerance for adversity and resultant unhappiness A balanced state of mind across ups and downs of life Lasting personality development Insulation from destiny Bliss Liberation from the cycle of birth and death

 

What is spiritual growth from the perspective of Path of Action or Karma yoga? 

People involved in charity work as spiritual practice follow the Path of Action or Karma yoga. However in brief, whenever a person does an action (karma), he either gets merits or demerits depending on the nature of the action. If a person is involved with charity work then he would gain merits from this action. He would also create a give-and-take account with the people for whom he is serving. However both merits and demerits keep us trapped in the cycle of birth and death.

However as one matures on the Path of Action or Karma Yoga one continues to perform good deeds; but does so with lesser and lesser doer ship and attachment to the action and expectation of the results. This finally culminates in a zero ego state where though one does the action but does not consider oneself the doer. As one begins to identify less and less with one’s actions one goes beyond merits and demerits and is liberated from the cycle of birth and death.

If one had to choose between just earning merits versus spiritual growth, spiritual growth far outweighs earning of merits as it burns one’s destiny and accumulated account (sanchit). It’s only through spiritual growth that we gain a superlative happiness known as Bliss and also liberation from the cycle of birth and death.. 

What does the average charity worker doing his work as spiritual practice gain at a spiritual level? 

At the first stage there is some reduction in the ego of the charity worker just by the act of giving of himself for others. This is because thinking about the benefit of others itself reduces the focus on oneself, i.e. one’s five senses, mind and intellect.

When does charity work become spiritual practice and fuel spiritual growth?

 

Charity work becomes spiritual practice when it is done with a close watch on whether the following is happening within oneself at progressively enhanced levels: 

Reduction of one’s ego Reduction of one’s doership Reduction of one’s attachment to any activity and yet doing it with perfection without expectation of results Reduction of one’s personality defects, such as anger, pride, greed, etc. Enhancing one’s qualities An over-arching point is that there needs to be regular increment in the above perspectives for it to be considered as spiritual practice.

Summery

 People who fit into the above-mentioned profiles can keep these perspectives while making donations – do I remember my donation often, do I feel like mentioning my donation to my friends, do I feel I should be looked upon, do I get thoughts like –I donated more than my friend did etc or while working for famine victims does he think – do I feel that I am needed, do I get frustrated if there is no change in the lives of famine victims, do I feel hurt when famine victims do not make changes as per my directives etc.

More at:

Charity



By: Sean M. Clarke

About the Author:

In times long forgotten, people depended on intuition and psychic abilities to understand and operate in their world. The miracles of modern life – science and technology – have made our lives easier in many ways, but they have also created a barrier between our minds and our innate intuitive powers. That barrier has also cut us off from our inner spiritual core and energy. They’re still there, but we can’t seem to access them without great effort.

Spiritual development and psychic self-defense are the antidote to modern life. We no longer have to accept modern stress and conflict into our minds and hearts. We no longer have to fall victim to the negative energies and influences that surround us every day. We can protect ourselves.

Each of us has an inner spiritual center and energy that radiate from our bodies in what is called the aura. Our aura reflects our general condition – the combination of our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state. People who are healthy, happy, and optimistic radiate strong bright aura, while people who are ill, unhappy, and pessimistic have weak dark auras. Like people, auras interact. Negative people can actually drain the energy and aura of positive people.

How do people lose their spiritual connection?

This world is full of unhealthy distractions. Over-emphasis on wealth and material possessions crowds out our sense of our own divinity. We forget that we are spiritual beings and join the race for things, for prestige, and for worldly power. For most of us, this pursuit is a losing proposition. We can never have enough money, enough things, or enough status. Over time, our natural positive nature is overcome by disappointment, anger, and even violence. In the end, the person who has lost his way finds him- or herself in despair and misery.

People in this state are vulnerable to negative energies and influences from outside. They fall into a downward spiral that is difficult, if not impossible, to escape. They begin to emit negative energy and to drain positive energies around them. This process usually happens at a subconscious level. No one sets out to be unhappy or negative. But once the negative energies dominate, some people do consciously engage in unhealthy, even evil, pursuits. Thus, we see a resurgence of the occult, paranormal hobbies, and experiments with the black arts.

How do people find their spiritual connection?

It is possible to eliminate negative energy from our lives and to become healthy positive people with the ability to defend ourselves from negative energies and influences. The process for doing this is spiritual development. It involves reducing and eliminating our own negative energies and replacing them with positive, spiritually-based energies.

The first step in this process is introspection. By identifying those aspects of our thoughts and emotions that are negative – anger, envy, sloth, and lust, we begin a journey to self-awareness. Becoming self-aware, we are able to identify and nurture our positive energies and emotions – joy, hope, compassion, and enthusiasm. As our spirit grows, our aura gets stronger, and we are able to fend off drains on our energy. We are able to maintain a strong, healthy aura. And we are able to share that positive energy with others.

Part of the discovery process involves freeing suppressed abilities like intuition and telepathy. We are born with these abilities, but we learn very early not to use them because they fly in the face of modern “rational” thought. We are embarrassed or shamed until we lose touch with them completely. They are important to restoring our spiritual connection, and our efforts at spiritual development will help us bring these repressed abilities to the surface where they become part of our psychic self-defense arsenal.

There are many things we can do to promote spiritual development and strength the aura. First and foremost is meditation. It takes time to learn how to meditate, and it can be very frustrating at first. But adopting a practice of daily meditation is the single best way to open your spirit and release hidden innate abilities. It quiets the mind, relaxes the body, and helps us through the introspective process. Practiced over long periods, meditation makes us more energetic, healthier, and better able to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous negative influences.

Other techniques also promote positive spiritual development: yoga, color therapy, naturopathy, laughter therapy, and frequent exposure to nature. Each of them helps get us in touch with our inner spiritual core and build positive thought patterns and energies. This, in turn, strengthens our aura and creates a psychic self-defense barrier between us and negative energies.

Living a healthier lifestyle is critical to spiritual development. It is important to eat a healthy balanced diet, to exercise, to stimulate the mind, and to build healthy relationships. With these goals, you can identify many activities that make you a stronger, more spiritually fit human being.



By: Abhishek Agarwal

About the Author:

You go to church every Sunday and you say your prayers every day. Does this mean you are a spiritual person?

No.

You practice yoga and meditate every day. Does this mean you are a spiritual person?

No.

You belong to spiritual group and are devoted to following the teachings of the group. Does this mean you are a spiritual person?

No.

What, then, does it mean to be a spiritual person?

Being a spiritual person is synonymous with being a person whose highest priority is to be loving to oneself and others. A spiritual person cares about people, animals, and the planet. A spiritual person knows that we are all one, and consciously attempts to honor this oneness. A spiritual person is a kind person.

So, you can go to church every Sunday and say your prayers every day, without caring about loving yourself, others and the planet. You can practice yoga and meditate every day without being conscious of what is loving and what is not loving in your thoughts and actions. You can belong to a spiritual group and devotedly follow the teachings, yet still be judgmental toward yourself and others in your daily life.

There are many people who do not practice a religion, who do not meditate, pray or belong to any group, who are very spiritual people. These people naturally do caring things for others. They think about how they can help. Their thoughts are kind rather than judgmental toward themselves and toward others. When you look at them, you see their kindness in their eyes.

There are many religious people who are anything but kind. We all know of religious people who are extremely judgmental, righteous, and outright mean. Can you be both religious and spiritual? Of course! But only when you are operating in your religion from your heart rather than from the learned dogma of your mind.

Years ago I very briefly attended a “spiritual” group. People would meet in an auditorium to hear the leader of the group speak. The second time I attended I heard a number of parents yelling at their children and judging them to try to control them. These parents were being anything but kind with their children. That was the last time I attended the spiritual group. The focus of the group was surrender to God, but love was rarely in the picture! They obviously had a very different experience of God than I did.

My experience of God is that God is the energy of Love that created us and sustains us. In my experience, “God is Spirit” (John 4:24) and “God is love” (1 John 4:16). Anything that is not of love, peace, joy, truth and kindness is not of God. Praying to God does not mean that you are allowing the spirit that is God – the love, peace, joy, truth and kindness that is God – to guide your thoughts and actions. Practicing yoga or meditating does not mean that you have invited the love that is God into your heart, or that you are turning to that ever-present love to learn about what is in your highest good, and the highest good of others and the planet.

If you want to be a spiritual person, then let kindness be your guiding light – kindness toward yourself, toward others, toward animals, and toward this beautiful planet that is our home. Recognize that we all have the spark of love that is God within us, and learn to honor that love so that you can know and experience the Oneness of all that is.



By: Margaret Paul, Ph.d.

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