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Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and faith, a transcendent reality, and one or more deities. The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath Faith is a Belief in the trustworthiness of an Idea. Formal usage of the word "faith" is usually reserved for concepts of Religion, as in In Religion, transcendence is a condition or state of being that surpasses physical existence and in one form is also independent of it See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always Spiritual matters are thus those matters regarding humankind's ultimate nature and purpose, not only as material biological organisms, but as beings with a unique relationship to that which is perceived to be beyond both time and the material world. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus Human nature is the concept that there are a set of logical characteristics including ways of thinking feeling and acting that all 'normal' human beings have in common Materials are physical Substances used as inputs to production or Manufacturing. Disambiguation For the Wigwam album see Being (album, for spiritual or religious beingness, see Ego (spirituality For other uses see Time (disambiguation Time is a component of a measuring system used to sequence events to compare the durations of Materials are physical Substances used as inputs to production or Manufacturing. "The world " is a proper noun for the planet Earth envisioned from an Anthropocentric or Human Worldview, as a place

As such, the spiritual is traditionally contrasted with the material, the temporal and the worldly. Materials are physical Substances used as inputs to production or Manufacturing. World is a key concept in Theology. Christian views on the World In Christianity, the concept connotes the fallen and corrupt world A perceived sense of connection forms a central defining characteristic of spirituality — connection to a metaphysical reality greater than oneself, which may include an emotional experience of religious awe and reverence, or such states as satori or Nirvana. Senses are the physiological methods of Perception. The senses and their operation classification and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields Experience as a general concept comprises Knowledge of or skill in or Observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or In Aesthetics, the sublime (from the Latin sublimis ( up from under the lintel high lofty elevated exalted is the quality of greatness or vast SACRED was a Cubesat built by the Student Satellite Program of the University of Arizona. Satori ( 悟 Korean oh; Japanese satori (from the verb Satoru) Chinese: wù In sramanic philosophy Nirvana (निर्वाण| Nirvāṇa; निब्बान Nibbāna; Prakrit: णिव्वाण Equally importantly, spirituality relates to matters of sanity and of psychological health. Sanity considered as a legal term denotes that an individual is of sound mind and therefore can bear Legal responsibility for his or her actions Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Spirituality is the personal, subjective dimension of religion, particularly that which pertains to liberation or salvation (see also mysticism)

Spirituality may involve perceiving or wishing to perceive life as more important ("higher"), more complex or more integrated with one's world view; as contrasted with the merely sensual. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos In Indian religions, Moksha ( Sanskrit: sa मोक्ष mokṣa) or Mukti ( Sanskrit: sa मुक्ति literally "release" In Theology, salvation can mean three related things being saved from or Liberation from something such as Suffering or the punishment of Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity Personal life (or everyday life or human existence) is the course of an individual Human 's life especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices A comprehensive world view (or worldview) is a term Calqued from the German word Weltanschauung ( Welt is the German Senses are the physiological methods of Perception. The senses and their operation classification and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields

Many spiritual traditions, accordingly, share a common spiritual theme: the "path", "work", practice, or tradition of perceiving and internalizing one's "true" nature and relationship to the rest of existence (God, creation of the universe, or life), and of becoming free of the lesser egoic self (or ego) in favor of being more fully one's "true" "Self". God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. A creation myth is a supernatural mytho-[[religion religious]] story or explanation that describes the beginnings of humanity, Earth, life, and The Universe is defined as everything that Physically Exists: the entirety of Space and Time, all forms of Matter, Energy Life is a state that distinguishes Organisms from non-living objects such as non-life and dead organisms being manifested by growth through Metabolism In Spirituality, and especially nondual, mystical and eastern meditative traditions the human being is often conceived as being in the illusion of The Self is a complex and core subject in many forms of Spirituality.

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The spiritual and the religious

An important distinction exists between spirituality in religion and spirituality as opposed to religion. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos

In recent years, spirituality in religion often carries connotations of a believer having a faith more personal, less dogmatic, more open to new ideas and myriad influences, and more pluralistic than the doctrinal/dogmatic faiths of mature religions. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. This word has distinct meanings in other fields see Connotation (semiotics and Connotation and denotation. Faith is a Belief in the trustworthiness of an Idea. Formal usage of the word "faith" is usually reserved for concepts of Religion, as in Doctrine (Latin doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or "a body of teachings quot or "instructions" taught principles or positions as the Dogma (the plural is either dogmata or dogmas, Greek, plural) is the established Belief or It also can connote the nature of believers' personal relationship or "connection" with their god(s) or belief-system(s), as opposed to the general relationship with a Deity as shared by all members of a given faith.

Those who speak of spirituality as opposed to religion generally meta-religiously believe in the existence of many "spiritual paths" and deny any objective truth about the best path to follow. Objectivity is both an important and very difficult concept to pin down in philosophy Rather, adherents of this definition of the term emphasize the importance of finding one's own path to whatever-god-there-is, rather than following what others say works. In summary: the path which makes the most coherent sense becomes the correct one (for oneself).

Many adherents of orthodox religions who regard spirituality as an aspect of their religious experience tend to contrast spirituality with secular "worldliness" rather than with the ritual expression of their religion. Religious Experience (also known as a spiritual, Sacred, or mystical experience is an altered state of consciousness where an Secularity ( adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from Religion. A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions

People of a more New-Age disposition tend to regard spirituality not as religion per se, but as the active and vital connection to a force/power/energy, spirit, or sense of the deep self. New Age ( New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a Social Collective Phenomenon and a Spiritual Nature The term energy has been widely adopted into the fields of spirituality complementary medicine etc As cultural historian and yogi William Irwin Thompson (1938 - ) put it, "Religion is not identical with spirituality; rather religion is the form spirituality takes in civilization. The term cultural history (from the German term) refers both to an Academic discipline and to its subject matter A yogi ( Sanskrit, feminine root Yogini) is a term for a male practitioner of various forms of the path of Yoga, maintaining William Irwin Thompson (born July 16, 1938) is known primarily as a social philosopher and cultural critic, but has recently been writing mostly " (1981, 103)

For a religious parallel to the approach whereby some see spirituality in everything, compare pantheism. Pantheism ( Greek: πάν ( 'pan') = all and θεός ( 'theos') = God it literally means " God is All

To Christians, referring to one's self as "more spiritual than religious" implies relative deprecation of rules, rituals, and tradition while preferring an intimate relationship with God and/or talking to Him as one's best friend. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Their basis for this belief is that Jesus Christ came to free man from those rules, rituals, and traditions, giving them the ability to "walk in the spirit" thus maintaining a "Christian" lifestyle through that one-to-one relationship with God. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Some excellent resources that further explain the "spiritual Christian" are found in the Bible, Gospel of John 4:24 for example, and in the works of Watchman Nee. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The Gospel of John (literally According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην Kata Iōannēn) is the fourth Gospel in the canon Watchman Nee (倪柝聲 Pinyin: Ní Tuòshēng 1903–1972 was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th Century [1] Nee probes deeply into the building blocks of mankind and derives that we are Spirit, Body and Soul.

Directed spirituality

"Being spiritual" may aim toward:

Plato's allegory of the cave in book VII of The Republic gives a well known description of the spiritual development process, and may provide an aid in understanding what "spiritual development" exactly entails. Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece The Allegory of the Cave is an Allegory used by the Greek Philosopher Plato in his work The Republic. The Republic ( Greek: / Politeía, meaning "political system" Latin: Res Publica, meaning "public business" or

Spirituality and personal well-being

Though many people practise prayer and believe it affects their health, only limited scientific evidence supports the efficacy of prayer. Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit In keeping with a general increase in interest in spirituality and complementary and alternative treatments, prayer has garnered attention among a growing number of behavioral scientists. Behavioural science (or Behavioral science) is a term that encompasses all the disciplines that explore the activities of and interactions among Organisms in the natural Masters and Spielmans[2] have conducted a meta-analysis of the effects of distant intercessory prayer, but detect no discernible effects. In Statistics, a meta-analysis combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses They review the literature regarding frequency of prayer, content of prayer, and prayer as a coping strategy; then make suggestions for future research, including the conduct of experimental studies based on conceptual models that include precise operationally-defined constructs, longitudinal investigations with proper measure of control variables, and increased use of ecological momentary assessment techniques.

Spirituality has played a central role in self-help movements such as Alcoholics Anonymous: ". Alcoholics Anonymous ( AA) is an informal meeting society for recovering and recovered alcoholics, with the stated purpose to help its members "to stay sober and . . if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead. . . . "[3]

Spirituality and science

Analysis of spiritual qualities in science faces problems — such as the imprecision of spiritual concepts, the subjectivity of spiritual experience, and the amount of work required to translate and map observable components of a spiritual system into empirical evidence.

Opposition

Science takes as its basis empirical, repeatable observations of the natural world, and thus generally regards ideas that rely on supernatural forces for an explanation as beyond the purview of science. In Philosophy, empiricism is a theory of Knowledge which asserts that knowledge arises from Experience. Observation is either an activity of a living being (such as a Human) which senses and assimilates the Knowledge of a Phenomenon, or the recording of data This article covers metaphysical naturalism as a worldview Naturalism (philosophy discusses methodological naturalism The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events Scientists regard ideas which present themselves as scientific, but which rely on a supernatural force for an explanation, as religious rather than scientific; and may label such idea as pseudo-science. Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the In this context scientists may oppose spirituality, at least in the scientific sphere.

Integration

New Age physicist-philosopher Fritjof Capra has articulated connections between what he sees as the spiritual consequences of quantum physics. New Age ( New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a Social Collective Phenomenon and a Spiritual Nature Fritjof Capra (born February 1, 1939) is an Austrian born American Physicist. Quantum mechanics is the study of mechanical systems whose dimensions are close to the Atomic scale such as Molecules Atoms Electrons [4] Ken Wilber, in an attempt to unite science and spirituality, has proposed an "Integral Theory of Consciousness". Kenneth Earl "Ken" Wilber Jr (b January 31, 1949, Oklahoma City, U [5]

Ervin László posits a field of information as the substance of the cosmos. Ervin László (born 1932 in Budapest, Hungary) is a Hungarian philosopher of science, systems theorist, integral theorist, and classical In its most general sense a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system Using the Sanskrit and Vedic term for "space", akasha, he calls this information-field the "Akashic field" or "A-field". Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Vedic Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language, the language of the Vedas, the oldest Shruti texts of Hinduism. Space is the extent within which Matter is physically extended and objects and Events have positions relative to one another Vedic Meaning Akasha (or Akash, Ākāśa, sa आकाश is the Sanskrit word meaning " aether " in both He posits the "quantum vacuum" (see Vacuum state) as the fundamental energy- and information-carrying field that informs not just the current universe, but all universes past and present (collectively, the "Metaverse"). In Quantum field theory, the vacuum state (also called the vacuum) is the Quantum state with the lowest possible Energy. In Physics and other Sciences energy (from the Greek grc ἐνέργεια - Energeia, "activity operation" from grc ἐνεργός Information as a concept has a diversity of meanings from everyday usage to technical settings The Metaverse is a Virtual world, described in Neal Stephenson 's 1992 Science fiction novel Snow Crash, where humans as avatars

History of spirituality

Spiritual innovators who operated within the context of a religious tradition became marginalised or suppressed as heretics or separated out as schismatics. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief In these circumstances, anthropologists generally treat so-called "spiritual" practices such as shamanism in the sphere of the religious, and class even non-traditional activities such as those of Robespierre's Cult of the Supreme Being in the province of religion. The Cult of the Supreme Being ( French: Culte de l'Être suprême) was a religion based on Deism devised by Maximilien Robespierre, intended to

Eighteenth-century Enlightenment thinkers, often opposed to clericalism and skeptical of religion, sometimes came to express their more emotional responses to the world under the rubric of "the Sublime" rather than discussing "spirituality". The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century Clericalism is the application of the formal church-based leadership or opinion of ordained clergy in matters of either the church or broader political and sociocultural import In Aesthetics, the sublime (from the Latin sublimis ( up from under the lintel high lofty elevated exalted is the quality of greatness or vast The spread of the ideas of modernity began to diminish the role of religion in society and in popular thought. Modernity is a term that refers to the Modern era. It is distinct from Modernism, and in different contexts refers to cultural and intellectual movements of the

Schmidt sees Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) as a pioneer of the idea of spirituality as a distinct field. Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25 1803 &ndash April 27 1882 was an American essayist philosopher poet and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century 1803 ( MDCCCIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common [6] Phineas Quimby (1802-1866) and New Thought played a role in emphasizing the spiritual in new ways within Christian church traditions during the 19th century. Phineas Parkhurst Quimby ( February 16, 1802 – January 16, 1866) was a New England philosopher magnetizer mesmerist healer The New Thought Movement or New Thought is a New religious movement developed in the United States during the late 19th century which emphasizes metaphysical

In the wake of the Nietzschean concept of the "death of God" in 1882, people unpersuaded by scientific rationalism turned increasingly to the idea of spirituality as an alternative both to materialism and to traditional religious dogma. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist " God is dead " ( German:; also known as the death of God) is a widely-quoted and sometimes misconstrued statement by German philosopher In Epistemology and in its broadest sense rationalism is "any view appealing to Reason as a source of knowledge or justification" (Lacey 286 The Philosophy of materialism holds that the only thing that can be truly proven to exist is Matter, and is considered a form of Physicalism. Dogma (the plural is either dogmata or dogmas, Greek, plural) is the established Belief or

Important early 20th century writers who studied the phenomenon of spirituality include William James (The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902)) and Rudolph Otto (especially The Idea of the Holy (1917)). For other people named William James see William James (disambiguation William James (January 11 1842 – August 26 1910 was a pioneering The Varieties of Religious Experience A Study in Human Nature is a book by the Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James that comprises his edited Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Rudolf Otto ( September 25 1869 – 6 March 1937) was an eminent German Lutheran theologian and Scholar Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

The distinction between the spiritual and the religious became more common in the popular mind during the late 20th century with the rise of secularism and the advent of the New Age movement. Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs Paul Heelas noted the development within New Age circles of what he called "seminar spirituality":[7] structured offerings complementing consumer choice with spiritual options. Paul Heelas is Professor in Religion and Modernity at Lancaster University. Consumerism is the equation of personal Happiness with the purchase of material possessions and consumption.

The study of spirituality

Many spiritual traditions promote courses of study in spirituality which happen to culminate in the unflowering of their own world-view systems or practices.

More generally, building on both the Western esoteric tradition and theosophy,[8] Rudolf Steiner and others in the anthroposophic tradition have attempted to apply systematic methodology to the study of spiritual phenomena. Western esotericism (also Western mysticism, Western occult tradition, and Western mystery tradition) is a broad spectrum of spiritual This article is about the philosophy introduced by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Rudolf Steiner ( 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian philosopher literary scholar educator artist playwright Anthroposophy is a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925 which postulates the existence of an objective intellectually [9] This enterprise does not attempt to redefine natural science, but to explore inner experience — especially our thinking — with the same rigor that we apply to outer (sensory) experience.

Overall, scholars in disciplines such as theology, religious studies, psychology (but more accurately parapsychology--'beyond psychology'--pneumatology, monadology, and esoteric philosophical logic,) anthropology and sociology sometimes concentrate their researches on spirituality, but the field remains ill-defined. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Religious studies, or Religious education, is the academic field of multi-disciplinary Secular study of religious beliefs behaviors and institutions Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Parapsychology is a discipline that seeks to demonstrate the existence and causes of Psychic abilities and life after death using the Scientific method Pneumatology is the study of spiritual beings and phenomena especially the interactions between humans and God. The Monadology ( Monadologie, 1714 is one of Gottfried Leibniz ’s works that best define his philosophy monadism. Logic is the study of the principles of valid demonstration and Inference. Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge"

In the late 19th century a Pakistani scholar Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi started writing books and teaching the somewhat hidden science of Islamic spirituality, of which the best known form remains the Sufi tradition (famous through Rumi and Hafiz) in which spiritual discipline is transmitted to students by a spiritual master or "pir". Sufi Master Shaykh Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi ( Urdu: خواجہ شمس الدین عظیمی) is the patriarch of the Sufi Order of Azeemia.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Nee, Watchman, "The Spiritual Man," New York, Christian Fellowship Publishers, Inc. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you deny the other person's responsibility for hurting you and it doesn't minimize or justify the wrong This glossary of spirituality-related terms is based on how they commonly are used in Wikipedia articles This list of topics is related to Spirituality, Esotericism, Mysticism, Religion and/or Parapsychology. See also Western philosophy, Eastern religions, Eastern philosophy The Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness Naturalistic Spirituality is a term for a variety of philosophical beliefs which pertain to the human experience of the Numinous. Secular spirituality as a cultural phenomenon refers to the adherence to a spiritual Ideology without the advocation of a religious framework Satsang ( Sanskrit sat = true sanga = company describes in Indian philosophy (1 the company of the "highest truth" (2 the company of a Guru, and (3 Spiritual capital is the newest concept among the four basic forms of capital - material capital (or Financial capital) Intellectual capital, Social capital Spiritualism is a Religion founded in part on the writings of the Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772 1968, Reprinted as a combined Edition, 1977. ISBN 0-93500839
  2. ^ Masters, K. S. & Spielmans, G. I (2007). "Prayer and health: review, meta-analysis, and research agenda", Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30(4), 329-338.
  3. ^ Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 14-15.
  4. ^ Capra, Fritjof (1991 (1st ed. Fritjof Capra (born February 1, 1939) is an Austrian born American Physicist. 1975)). The Tao of Physics: an exploration of the parallels between modern physics and Eastern mysticism, 3rd ed. . Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications. ISBN 0877735948.  
  5. ^ http://www.imprint.co.uk/Wilber
  6. ^ Schmidt, Leigh Eric. Restless Souls : The Making of American Spirituality. San Francisco: Harper, 2005. ISBN 0-06-054566-6
  7. ^ Paul Heelas, The New Age Movement: The Celebration of the Self and the Sacralization of Modernity. Oxford: Blackwell, 1996, page 60. Cited in Anthony Giddens: Sociology. Anthony Giddens Baron Giddens (born January 18, 1938) is a British sociologist who is renowned for his Theory of structuration Cambridge: Polity, 2001, page 554.
  8. ^ Olav Hammer, Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age, ISBN 900413638X
  9. ^ Robert McDermott, The Essential Steiner, ISBN 0-06-065345-0, pp. 3-4

References

External links

Overviews

Specific spiritual traditions

Dictionary

spirituality

-noun

  1. Concern for that which is unseen and intangible, as opposed to physical or mundane.
  2. Appreciation for religious values.
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