Religious or Spiritual

Religious or Spiritual what does it really mean?

A fundamental quest of life is the search after happiness and how to overcome suffering. Not just our life, but anyone’s life. In fact, any living creature searching for satisfaction, happiness, or pleasure, is trying to overcome suffering.

What is the goal of spirituality?

The goal of spirituality is the complete cessation of suffering and the attainment of inner joy. In essence the, goal of spirituality and of our lives are identical. The difference lies in the way they can be attained.

In general, our approach to solving issues of life has two parts, the conventional and the spiritual way.

We hear it often said: “We are spiritual, but not religious”. Let us start with examining conventional religion as an inquiry into happiness.  First we need to ask ourselves, what is the greatest amount of happiness we can imagine for ourselves? To do this we need to establish a norm of measurement. We need to ask, what are the conditions in which we can experience this happiness, joy, bliss, love?

One would assume, that the joy of life is easier expressed when we are young. We have our whole life in front of us; we are optimistic, vigorous, and full of dreams and ideas. However, the latest research on the elderly shows, that this is not necessarily the case.

Common sense suggests that happiness and well being should decline with age. After all, with creaking joints, memory lapses, and the sense of edging ever closer to the end of life, the stereotype is that older people mourn their lost youth and vitality, their active social lives, and the anticipation of a long and happy life. But research shows that this is not so. Older adults report higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative emotions than do young adults. Moreover, older adults have a higher feeling of well being than do younger adults. How can this be?

While there is no definitive answer, some of the reasons suggest that older adults do not experience emotions, particularly negative emotions, as intensely as the young. Another explanation is that negative events don't have the same devastating impact that they have on younger people. Older people have learned how to "roll with the punches”.

Now we may ask, is there anything more to life; is there another kind of happiness? The answer is yes, but not necessarily of this world. The belief is, that after death one can go to higher realms, a better environment, where we get a finer form of enjoyment

What are the requirements to obtain happiness in the world?

To attain happiness in the world, we need three things, a body, an object of enjoyment, like music, art, food, vacation etc. – things to do in the world and an environment in which to do them..

We may have all that we need in an earthly body, but none of these experiences are very spiritual, it may just be a fun place to be.

Then there are the ideas people have of the afterlife, where one can go to and be happy. This is what religion tells us. Yet how do we know that such a place even exists? We simply have to believe.

What does Christianity tell us about heaven?

"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:2).

No tears or pain in eternity

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

Perfect peace

"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust [shall be] the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain," says the LORD (Isaiah 65:25).

Houses and vineyards

"They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit" (Isaiah 65:21).

Fruitful gardens

"The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1).

Popular myths picture heaven as a fanciful place where spirits sit on clouds playing harps or float around in nebulous space. However, in John 14:2-3 the Bible says that Jesus is building mansions in heaven for those who accept salvation. He is preparing real buildings with real tangible materials for real people who will inhabit them.

Additionally, when Jesus went to heaven he told his disciples: "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom" (Matthew 26:29). This means that in heaven real vineyards will produce real grapes.

The Bible even refers to heaven as a country (Hebrews 11:16). Before sin came into this world, the world was a physical paradise — a beautiful garden full of fruits, trees, and animals. Similarly, when sin is finally eradicated from this universe, we will get to live life as God originally intended for mankind when He first created the Garden of Eden — not as spirits on clouds, but in a tangible, material Heaven.

The Bible speaks about hosts or inhabitants of both heaven and earth. "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished" (Genesis 2:1). The Bible mentions that angelic beings  rejoiced at the creation of the earth. "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38: 7). The biblical prophet Micaiah said: "I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left (2 Chronicles 18:18).

Perfect unselfish love governs all relationships in heaven

The Bible says: "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8). Those who love God keep His commandments (John 14:15). The inhabitants of heaven obey God’s commandments of love (Psalm 103:19-21).

We will have physical bodies in heaven

Our bodies will be free from disease, pain and death in heaven (1 Corinthians 15:40-49). We will still have physical bodies. The Bible says: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body (Philippians 3:20,21). The body of Jesus after His resurrection was physical. Jesus said: "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have" (Luke 24:39). We will be able to recognize our loved ones. The Bible says: "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

The New Earth as heaven

Real earth, real houses, gardens, hobbies, loved ones, are all part of the perfect future life in store for those who are faithful to God’s Word. This becomes more believable when we realize that the Bible says that the greater part of the future existence of human beings will take place right here on our planet earth, which will be recreated and restored to its original perfection. This life will be free from sickness, war, crime and anything harmful. The future life will have the best of this life plus additional joys beyond our imagination. (see Revelation 21:1-4; Isaiah 65:17-25; John 14:2-3)

Bible prophecy points to the fact that Jesus will return the second time. He will  come in secret , in the clouds, first at the rapture, and then seven years later, every eye shall see him when He descends to the Mount of Olives (Revelation 1:7) at the literal second coming of Christ to the Earth.. At the rapture, those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior will be taken to heaven for a period of seven years, during the tribulation on Earth. . They will live with Christ   in the mansions Jesus is building. After His second coming and the thousand year reign of Christ on Earth, when He has put all His enemies down, then He will bring the New Jerusalem down to earth. God will recreate a new earth and a new Heaven, and our heavenly life will take place right here.

What is the spiritual perspective?

From a spiritual perspective, we realize, that our true nature is Happiness, Joy, Love and Bliss itself, However, this state can only be realized, when the mind is still, but most of our minds are agitated. What agitates the mind is unfulfilled desire for things, relationships, heaven, all of which are a concept of the mind. Some things we can obtain, which satisfy the mind for a while, but this satisfaction won’t last. We always want more. What we think is that the attainment of our desires, or that place, that job, that person, makes us happy. But this is not the case; it is our inner happiness when it shines forth that makes us happy.

When we realize, that happiness is within, we know that it is there at all times. It can only be obscured by our restless mind. Here we may ask, would it not be wise to just calm our mind and let all those desires go?

Our entire consumer economics is driven by the psychological forces of tension and release of tension. We build up desires through advertising, we get the object, it releases tension and that release of tension we call happiness.

People on the spiritual path who are convinced, that they are not this body nor this mind, but have a body and mind and that there is a spiritual reality within them, which transcends the limitations they seem to have, can experience  happiness of this and the next world right now.

If one’s goal is to realize his true identity, if this becomes the pursuit in life, and if one is convinced that God exists, that God is real and can be realized or experienced, he can go beyond the sorrows of this world. Experiencing God or God realization is the purpose of life, but we must step away from the mad pursuit of the world outside. To do this, we don’t have to become a monk. We can perfectly live in the world, take care of family, do our job, but internally we need to resemble something like a monk, searching for spiritual realization.

The key to this is, I want to know who I am, I want to experience God and I need to integrate life’s activities into my spiritual life. We can convert all life activities into spiritual life. Child rearing, shopping all the normal activities can be lifted to a service to God.

Spiritual practice is almost the opposite of what a person is doing in the world. We generally think, that if I work for my career and for my family, I will be happy, whereas the person on the spiritual path reverses this. He works for the happiness of others. It could be for the small circle of the family, for the community, or for the world at large.

Once we come to this place in our lives, what do we do? We perform spiritual practices. An ideal leading to God union is the practice of Yoga.

Yoga, the Pathway of Spiritual Dimension

There are essentially four paths, each one suited for a certain temperament.

There is the path of action, karma yoga. The path of selfless work, where every action is offered to God

Then there is the path of the intellect, jnana yoga the path of discrimination between that which is real and eternal and that which is temporal, non – eternal

There is the path of love, devotion, bhakti yoga, where the worshiper merges his ego with the chosen ideal. For Christians this would be God, Jesus.

The enemy of the heart is of the form I want, I desire, passion. Spiritualized love means streams of rays of love are channeled into the world and then directed to, I love God.

The last path is the path of prayer and meditation, rajas yoga. This path is predominately for people who lead  a contemplative life, but also can be incorporated into our normal life.

Among the teachings of Jesus there are many examples which could be classified according to one or another of the yogas. For example, “Inasmuch as you have done unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me”. He was teaching in the spirit of Karma yoga; worship God through service of man.

Jesus taught discrimination and renunciation. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else, he will hold to the one, and despise the other, ye cannot serve God and mammon (the world).

We have essentially been discussing two paths. One is to be happy in the world and try to get to heaven. The other way is the path of spirituality through God realization.

At this point we need to be aware, that we no longer seek happiness only from the world, but we combine spiritual life and our worldly life.

For people new on the spiritual path, even a little practice is a step in the right direction and is never lost.

God is the source of happiness in us. There is an ocean of joy within us. Once we realize this, we go even beyond this, to God realization.

We go from the worldly happiness, to the happiness of spiritual beingness, the attainment of God.

2 Corinthians 5:5 (NLT)

God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.