-being ignorant of it and it’s true purpose is denying oneself of one’s own intellectual growth
Religions are like rivers flowing across different landscapes with different names, but what runs through them all is Spiritual Knowledge just the way what flows through the rivers is Water. The colour of some of the waters flowing may seem blue, some green, some brown at different places depending on the geographies the river passes through. But, the essence of it remains as water, which finally flows to the oceans.
One may develop love for any river for whatever reason, and may want to flow through it, but it will finally join with another river or flow straight to the oceans. What is common to allis, the water and merging with the oceans eventually. That is all. Essentially all the rivers are the same and are of equal importance as whichever geography it flows through, it nurtures life. In the same way, spiritual nourishment is the goal of every religion.
Quite often religion and spirituality are considered as two separate aspects, but essentially without the existence of one, the other cannot exist. Just like there can be no river without water, there can be no water flowing through a river, without a river bed and it banks to hold the water. Religion is the container and Spirituality is the contained.
Let’s dive straight in now – the word Dharma is from the word Dhar (meaning which holds). It does not directly mean religion. Due to the inadequacy in translations across languages, sometimes the closest word is chosen. That’s how by default Dharma came to be equated with religion, whereas it is more than just ritualism. It is the practice of sustainable living to realize the highest Truth within us which is the spiritual identity behind this physical body of ours.
On the other hand, the word Spiritual is an extension of the word spirit, which means essence; the essence of our Real Identity, which we have no knowledge of, as the only things we have learnt ever since we have grown up is of the world outside, but nothing of the tranquil universe within. Interestingly, the antonym of the word spirit is matter, and the word materialism has it’s roots in the field of matter. Most of our focus in daily life is on the material aspect, which is the reason why we are again not knowing anything of our very own spiritual identity, which is the source, the beginning of who we are, our true nature.
Having used the analogy of water to spirituality, the stillness and clarity of the water conveys the purity of the spiritual quotient within. That can be achieved through living a life based on dynamic living based on religious principles, and not just relying on mere ritualism, which is only an aid for building the concentration and purification of the mind. In that sense, religion is only the means, but not the end to realize our true nature within, indicated through happiness.
But, in search of happiness we are ‘taught’ to be completely immersed in the world outside in search of materialistic gains, only to find that eventually none of that brings the peace, contentment and tranquility within. This is not to say that Materialism is not important, and that Spirituality is against it. It is important to be prosperous in life to live comfortably and to grow, but it would be disastrous to consider it as the only means of progress in life. While standard of living is important, the standard of life is equally important. The balance between both is what brings sustainability in living to an individual and expands into the field of action of the individual. This can only happen through living a spiritually based life, guided by the proper understanding of the purpose of religion. If this much is understood of religion and spirituality, it’s a sure step in the direction to‘be the change you wish to see in the world’. Good wishes for the onward journey…….
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