Being spiritual and being religious

Oasis

Over the last several decades, the topic of spirituality has come to the forefront of public and professional consciousness. With the dawn of the new century, spirituality has received increased coverage in the media and more discussion in workplaces, politics, and education. To many, spirituality represents a necessary essence of life that energises both thoughts and actions.

To others, spirituality is a belief in a power operating in the universe greater than oneself. Still, others define it as a sense of interconnectedness with all living creatures, and an awareness of the purpose and meaning of life. However, the lack of a universally accepted theory or definition of spirituality has created confusion as well as misunderstandings in society.

Many people confuse spirituality with religion and bring pre-existing beliefs about the impact of religion to discussions about spirituality. Though all religions emphasise spirituality as being an important part of faith, what really needs to be answered is whether is it possible to be 'spiritual' without necessarily being a part of an organised religious community. Recognising the difference between spirituality and religion can be a great way to begin to understand what spirituality actually means.

The first step towards being spiritual is to be soul-conscious and be free from all limitations and bondage of the physical world. A spiritual being is aware of his/her real identity of being a soul and a child of the Supreme Soul and is aware of one's true nature of being peaceful, pure, blissful and loveful. When we play our worldly roles with this awareness, we live a truly spiritual life.

We begin to see everyone as a soul, and instead of creating karmic bondages in relationships, we begin to empower each other and remain detached and loving. Such a person will see everyone as a soul; be loveful to every person in this world regardless of one’s religion, country, gender and other physical traits. When we understand the above definition of a real spiritual being, we become spiritually awakened and get directly connected to the Supreme Being who would lead us to the path of self-transformation which would further lead to world transformation. So, let’s embark on this journey of becoming a ‘Spiritual Being’ through self-realisation and introspection.