What is Spirituality?

[Bijo]

I don't like to look up such information or ask people, but rather discover it personally. Books and such, PAH! Still, I'd like to know if anybody here can tell me anything about spirituality, of course excluding "spirituality" regarding religion, 'cause I find it uninteresting and dare I say it's probably even PHONY.

Nay, I talk about SPIRITUALITY, not some belief based on some dogma invented by power-hungry humans who exercise control, gain respect from believing fools, and so on, but the TRUE SHIZ.


I thought I knew what spirituality is,

though it's been kinda too long ago. I thought/think I've experienced it some years ago for a long time on and off.

It appears to me to be a state of being wherein one is, and simultaneously is not. It is like a disconnection from the "physical world."

It is as if everything is nothing. It is like all of the world's variables' values are set to null. They are therefore there, but since they are null they're not really there, though they are, but not really.

It is to be and to simultaneously not be. Nothing is, yet nothing is still something. You are not, yet you know you are not, therefore you are...?

Somehow -- don't ask, I don't know how the hell I did it, though I remember it happened -- I used to have the ability to "go into this mode" at will, and what I sensed was... beautiful. This kind of state of being was strange, beautiful, ugly, enlightening, dark, light, constant, heavy, soft, smooth, detached. It's almost unexplainable.

(I speculate it also might involve in some cases a certain foregoing and/or active state of trying to reach truth, wisdom, and detachment of emotion, passion, and desires.)


That is what I think spirituality is, and I never did drugs if anyone thought about that.

Now I want to know if anybody can honestly and truthfully confirm that something like that is spirituality, or maybe it's about rare natural-physical effects of the human entity, being, reserved for those sensitive to it, etc., which "is to be called spirituality," if ya dig what I'm sayin' (though then the bottom line would still be spirituality, no matter the two possibilities mentioned).

I still do not know what spirituality is, or maybe I do but don't know I do. But I hope somebody who really knows for sure what it is can tell me.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

How about the spirit of man. Dont you feel a connection to all of those who came before you and all who will follow? Have you ever seen a child born? Do you have children?

[Boyar Son]

You've got Siddhartha written all over you.

[KafirChobee]

No clue. It must be a personal thing though. Unless one finds it easier to accept what someone elses is.

[Bijo]

How about the spirit of man. Dont you feel a connection to all of those who came before you and all who will follow? Have you ever seen a child born? Do you have children?

I have not seen a child born personally up-close, and have no children of my own. I also don't see how this is relevant. Furthermore, I don't know what you're trying to tell me. Could you explain more and more clearly?

You've got Siddhartha written all over you.

I did not know of this character until you mentioned him. I looked him up and I should've known the answers I'd get: my search through books -- even if disliked -- and other sources usually and typically lead me to Buddhism (and of course Cynicism, Stoicism, and Taoism, but those I were already aware of, though to some extent Taoism would possibly contradict that).

No clue. It must be a personal thing though. Unless one finds it easier to accept what someone elses is.

Could you explain that more a bit please? I have trouble understanding what you exactly mean.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I have not seen a child born personally up-close, and have no children of my own. I also don't see how this is relevant. Furthermore, I don't know what you're trying to tell me. Could you explain more and more clearly?

Thats a pretty tall order. Sprituality is not a tangible thing. Its a feeling inside you.

[Bijo]

Thats a pretty tall order. Sprituality is not a tangible thing. Its a feeling inside you.

No, I was asking you to explain how your previous questions were relevant to my words and explanation of spirituality or the topic.
Spirituality is a big thing to answer indeed, but have the questions you asked anything to do with spirituality(?), as it seems those three current phrases from you I quoted have been placed in such a way as if they are to support each other, yet they do not, in response to my question to explain it.

It appears more like illogic and/or fallacy.

[Papewaio]

Spirituality?

Anything above 40 proof

[Zaknafien]

its known that all matter in the universe is connected, so yes, we are all a part of each other and this leads to a feeling of spirituality. its quantum physics man :)

[Strike For The South]

its waking up every morning and enjoying the time you have on this earth for whatever reason. Take to spend with family and freinds and less with your stuff. Trust me when people are with people the rewards are so much greater than a seige of Rome. Go bowling take a girl out see what life has to offer. Im only 16 and I cant wait to see what around the corner. Life is to short to be anyhting but happy and virle. Say hello meet new friends smell flowers.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

What the hell are you doing here then SFTS Run along son

[Strike For The South]

I have work at 6 tmrw. Opening cahier.

[Bijo]

its waking up every morning and enjoying the time you have on this earth for whatever reason. Take to spend with family and freinds and less with your stuff. Trust me when people are with people the rewards are so much greater than a seige of Rome. Go bowling take a girl out see what life has to offer. Im only 16 and I cant wait to see what around the corner. Life is to short to be anyhting but happy and virle. Say hello meet new friends smell flowers.

Can't you stay on the topic of spirituality? I'm not talking about typical things of the easily understandable physical world -- this is about certain hard-to-explain states of being one can find oneself in. Things that ordinary people usually don't go after, higher purposes of the mind, etc., etc. Philosophy, and so on.

Waking up is waking up. Spending time with people is spending time with people. Going out is going out, etc. To say that these things are spirituality is plain wrong (in the sense that is meant in this topic), or maybe this can be properly countered.

(And if you assume to know me, unassume.)

[Banquo's Ghost]

Can't you stay on the topic of spirituality? I'm not talking about typical things of the easily understandable physical world -- this is about certain hard-to-explain states of being one can find oneself in. Things that ordinary people usually don't go after, higher purposes of the mind, etc., etc. Philosophy, and so on.

Waking up is waking up. Spending time with people is spending time with people. Going out is going out, etc. To say that these things are spirituality is plain wrong (in the sense that is meant in this topic), or maybe this can be properly countered.

That's rather harsh. Especially since you asked "What is spirituality?" - you cannot then go around determining what other people's sense of spirituality may feel like.

Many people experience a sense of spiritual well-being in these familiar, yet wondrous moments. Indeed, the sense of wonder evoked by moments in life can often be the beginning of a belief that there is something more, something indefinable that blesses us and enhances our lives. It can be the beginning of the search for the spirit.

Even atheists can experience these extraordinary, ordinary moments that uplift. They can be very mundane - a sense of the spiritual does not have to be all angelic fanfares and miraculous risings from the grave. It can be the sense of wonder at a flower, a child's laugh, a long-forgotten but evocative fragrance. These small things can bring us to question life and its meaning, either through faith, reason or just the search for more happiness.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

These small things can bring us to question life and its meaning, either through faith, reason or just the search for more happiness.

In other words the miracle that is life.

[macsen rufus]

I think what everyone's pointing at from different perspectives is that spirituality is somehow related to being fully human, stepping out and above the day to day, but also seeing the grander sense of things IN the day to day as well. As Blake (I think...) put it, "seeing a universe in a grain of sand, eternity in an hour".

It is possible to separate spirituality from religion, but probably not the other way around. Religion is partly an attempt to codify spiritual experience and insight, and universalise it. I recognise your description of a "disconnected" state (the glib reply would be to say "that's just being stoned", but I do know such states can come over you under the wierdest of conditions and prompted by some strange stimuli).

As for Gawain's comments about children etc, it's probably one of the profoundest things he's said in these boards, so is well worth reflecting upon

And of course don't forget, Lao Tsu came back to the town and went drinking with the butchers.