Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
19 November 2010
The Search
for Personal Spirituality
for Personal Spirituality
Every one of us has a spiritual side.
You can’t see it, you can’t touch it,
you can’t measure it, but nonetheless it’s there
You can’t see it, you can’t touch it,
you can’t measure it, but nonetheless it’s there
For most people, spirituality is linked closely to religious faith; the belief that their life is guided by a higher power. However, you don’t have to be religious to be deeply spiritual. An atheist, who believes there is no God, can be just as spiritual as a Trappist monk or a Hindu guru.
Spirituality without Religion
Spirituality can be expressed through religion but it is not necessarily about religion. It is unique to each individual and something that can only be defined by each person’s inner experiences; these are often very hard to fully describe in words and explanations.
Many see spirituality as a balance in life of mind, body, and soul. Others combine those with the wider world around us and try to understand how they fit together.
Writer Jolinda Cary at Suite 101 says that, “Spirituality is, in the most basic sense, matters pertaining to the spirit and is based on the idea that there exists something, be it a state of mind, a being, or a place, that is outside the experience of our five limited senses.”
Who am I? Why am I here? Is there meaning to my life? It is because humans are self-
Beetles and turnips don’t wonder about their existence. Some of the higher mammals, such as elephants and dolphins, seem to be conscious that they are alive. But, humans are the life-
Spirituality as a Journey
Each person is on their own journey to uncover the nature of their spirituality. Some find it, others don’t. What seems more important than making the discovery is taking the journey; as one of the greatest spiritual teachers of all time, Siddhartha Gautama, advised 2,500 years ago “It is better to travel well than to arrive.”
The teaching of Buddhism is a good place to try to unravel the mysteries that puzzle us. And, the life of Buddhism’s founder, Siddhartha Gautama, illustrates just how difficult that task is.
He was born into a life of privilege and luxury in what is now the Himalayan state of Nepal. He was 29 years old before he ventured outside the walls of his palace and saw that most people did not live as he did. For the first time, he saw pain and human suffering.
Profoundly affected by the sight of disease and death, Siddhartha Gautama abandoned his life of ease and began a spiritual journey. He dressed as a beggar and began a quest for enlightenment.
He visited many religious teachers but they were unable to give him the answers he sought. He tried to find enlightenment through subjecting his body to pain and hunger, but that didn’t work. He learned to meditate and eventually enlightenment came to him but he found it impossible to put this discovery into words.
The Four Noble Truths
Despite the difficulty of explaining his spiritual awakening,
Siddhartha Gautama, now known as the Buddha, spent the rest of his long life teaching to help others find what he had found.The basis of his philosophy is the Four Noble Truths:
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Life is about suffering, but this is not permanent. The Buddha taught that before we can understand life and death we must understand the self;
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The cause of suffering is craving, or thirst. We are always searching for something outside ourselves to make us happy. But, no matter how successful we are, we never remain satisfied;
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The Buddha taught that through constant practice, we can overcome selfishness and craving and reach enlightenment;
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There is an eightfold path to achieving this inner knowledge. We have to achieve an understanding of the true nature of ourselves and the world around us. We must take care in our speech, our actions, and our daily lives to do no harm to others and to cultivate wholesomeness in ourselves.
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(Some words of caution. The Buddha did not, of course, speak English. His words have been translated and for many of them there is no good English equivalent. For example, Dukkha is usually translated as “suffering.” But this is a bit misleading because it can also mean dissatisfaction, sorrow, unease, stress, anguish, frustration, discomfort, and pain, as well as suffering.)
Buddhism is a path to spirituality; it is not really a religion in the Western sense. There are no gods to pray to or from whom to seek help.
Christian Path to Spirituality
The Christian tradition, in its many, many forms, is the guide for the majority of people in the Western world who seek an understanding of spirituality.
It is different from the Buddhist approach in that it is founded first and foremost in a belief in God. And, the belief that God’s message is revealed in the Bible.Christians accept Jesus Christ as their saviour and go through the process of creating a personal relationship with him. Bible study, prayer, and even meditation form part of this process. Sometimes, it will involve worship and communion.
Christianity is divided into many branches – Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, etc. – and many branches within branches. So, there is no one path to understanding. But, as with Buddhism it is a path and, for many, a path without a destination. Again, committing to the journey is all important.
For many, the church, synagogue, mosque, or temple is the ideal place to take the spiritual journey. That’s because they are places designed for peaceful contemplation. True believers also have faith that in their place of worship they will be closer to their god and therefore more able to make a connection.
Spirituality in Nature
For others, being alone in a stand of tall pines, or beside a lake is the perfect setting to explore spirituality. Many people experience spiritual moments by something as simple as a chickadee perching on an open hand to eat seeds held in the palm.
Connecting with the natural world spiritually can happen in a number of sometimes astonishing ways.
In August 2007, Todd Endris was surfing on the California coast when he was attacked by a great white shark. Severely injured, Mr. Endris was surrounded by a pod of bottlenose dolphins. The dolphins protected Todd from further shark attacks until his friends could get to him and take him to the shore. Mr. Endris’s experience is not isolated.
Household pets have frequently been credited with saving families from fires or going to find help for someone in distress. Animals are used in some medical therapies and the bond between humans and animals is known to benefit health.
The remarkable story of Joy Adamson and Elsa the Lioness is one of many that illustrate the close connection between animals and humans. Is this spirituality? Many would argue that it is. Others that it’s not.
Image credits
Flowery *L*u*z*a*
Lucid Nightmare
Sources
“What is Spirituality?” Jolinda Cary, Suite 101, April 29, 2006.
“Dolphins Save Surfer from becoming Shark’s Bait.” Mike Celizic, Today, November 8, 2007.
“Belief and the Brain’s ‘God Spot.’ ” Steve Connor, The Independent, March 10, 2009.
© Canada and the World, March 2009
All rights reserved
“Religion cries out for a biological explanation…It is…arguably one of the species markers of Homo Sapiens – but a puzzling one. It has none of the obvious benefits of that other marker of humanity, language.”
The Economist (March 2008)
The Economist (March 2008)
In his 2005 book The God Gene Dean H. Hamer makes the case that humans are hard-wired for spirituality. He says that the gene VMAT2 carries universal instructions that give everyone the capacity for spiritual fulfillment.
Some experts have accused Mr. Hamer of publishing junk science. Evangelical Christians reject his notion that religious faith can be reduced to a chemical reaction in the brain. And, atheists don’t like the idea that they possess the capacity for a belief in God.
Some experts have accused Mr. Hamer of publishing junk science. Evangelical Christians reject his notion that religious faith can be reduced to a chemical reaction in the brain. And, atheists don’t like the idea that they possess the capacity for a belief in God.
“If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue.
Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all
the time. It’s very important to be aware of them every time they come up.”
Deepak Chopra
Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all
the time. It’s very important to be aware of them every time they come up.”
Deepak Chopra
MYSTERIOUS SAVIOUR
Frederick Forsyth’s short story, The Shepherd, tells of a pilot lost in a fog bank, low on fuel, and with his instruments not working. Suddenly, another plane appears off his wing and guides him to safety on the ground. The rescued pilot learns later that the man who guided him had been dead for 14 years.
The Shepherd is fiction, but there are many similar stories that are claimed to be factual. A contributor to the CBC program The Current (January 2009) related one such that had been told to her by her father. In 1942 or ’43 Alex White was standing guard duty in India. It was hot and the Sun was blazing down. He concentrated on moving his rifle butt so as to cast a little shade on his face.
Suddenly, he was on a cold, wet battlefield standing over the wounded body of his best friend, John Wilmshurst. Alex picked his friend up and carried him to a Red Cross tent. Immediately, Alex White was back on guard duty, thinking he must have fallen asleep and dreamed.
After the war the two men met and John Wilmshurst said: “You know, Alex, you saved my life.” He recounted being wounded in combat in Europe and unable to move. He saw Alex standing over him. He said Alex then picked him up, carried him to a Red Cross aid station, and disappeared.
John Geiger has collected many such stories in his 2009 book The Third Man Factor. He tells how many people close to death experience the presence of a disembodied figure. This guardian urges them to make one final effort to survive. Over the years, many people have told of amazingly similar experiences.
Are these deeply spiritual events, examples of divine help, or hallucinations created by a mind under great stress? There is no agreement.
Frederick Forsyth’s short story, The Shepherd, tells of a pilot lost in a fog bank, low on fuel, and with his instruments not working. Suddenly, another plane appears off his wing and guides him to safety on the ground. The rescued pilot learns later that the man who guided him had been dead for 14 years.
The Shepherd is fiction, but there are many similar stories that are claimed to be factual. A contributor to the CBC program The Current (January 2009) related one such that had been told to her by her father. In 1942 or ’43 Alex White was standing guard duty in India. It was hot and the Sun was blazing down. He concentrated on moving his rifle butt so as to cast a little shade on his face.
Suddenly, he was on a cold, wet battlefield standing over the wounded body of his best friend, John Wilmshurst. Alex picked his friend up and carried him to a Red Cross tent. Immediately, Alex White was back on guard duty, thinking he must have fallen asleep and dreamed.
After the war the two men met and John Wilmshurst said: “You know, Alex, you saved my life.” He recounted being wounded in combat in Europe and unable to move. He saw Alex standing over him. He said Alex then picked him up, carried him to a Red Cross aid station, and disappeared.
John Geiger has collected many such stories in his 2009 book The Third Man Factor. He tells how many people close to death experience the presence of a disembodied figure. This guardian urges them to make one final effort to survive. Over the years, many people have told of amazingly similar experiences.
Are these deeply spiritual events, examples of divine help, or hallucinations created by a mind under great stress? There is no agreement.
NEUROTHEOLOGY
Science and religion don’t always get along very well. The mysteries of faith don’t stand up to rigorous scientific examination. Now, science has embarked on an ambitious attempt to explain religion.
The project, called “Explaining Religion” began in September 2008 and involves 14 universities. It engages a wide range of disciplines including psychology, biology, and even economics.
Some work has already been done in this area. Dr. Patrick McNamara at Boston University has worked with people suffering from Parkinson’s disease. This is caused by a low level of the chemical dopamine in the brain. Dr. McNamara has found that people who are not very religious seem to be more prone to Parkinson’s; they also have lower dopamine levels than healthy, religious people.
Meanwhile, other scientists are doing brain scans on religious and non-religious volunteers to determine if there is a so-called God Spot. In a field of study known as neurotheology researchers all over the world are trying to find rational explanations for spiritual experiences. At Laurentian University in Sudbury, Dr. Michael Persinger has been able to create mystical experiences in subjects in his laboratory.
As a result, he suggests spirituality and the sensing of the presence of a higher power is a matter of brain chemistry and electromagnetic forces.
Elsewhere, a study at the University of Missouri-Columbia has found that people with brain damage score higher on a standard measure of spirituality. But, none of this science impresses the faithful. They say the brain activity doesn’t cause the spiritual experience it is the result of it.
The project, called “Explaining Religion” began in September 2008 and involves 14 universities. It engages a wide range of disciplines including psychology, biology, and even economics.
Some work has already been done in this area. Dr. Patrick McNamara at Boston University has worked with people suffering from Parkinson’s disease. This is caused by a low level of the chemical dopamine in the brain. Dr. McNamara has found that people who are not very religious seem to be more prone to Parkinson’s; they also have lower dopamine levels than healthy, religious people.
Meanwhile, other scientists are doing brain scans on religious and non-
As a result, he suggests spirituality and the sensing of the presence of a higher power is a matter of brain chemistry and electromagnetic forces.
Elsewhere, a study at the University of Missouri-
SPIRITUALITY FROM WITHIN SELF
Deon Du Plessis writes about self-
Religion can be a guide although it’s about the beliefs and experiences of other
people rather than “the personal experience of God within. It’s a bit like wearing
someone else’s shoes -