Between Religion And Spirituality

The similarities and differences between religion and spirituality.
Join us to discuss the similarities and differences between religion and spirituality. Can you walk on the spiritual path but not be a man of faith? Can you be religious but not spiritual? Bring your questions and your friends and let us grow together.

Transcript

Well, Hello everyone. Welcome to this unique opportunity we give ourselves every week to stop the rush, Take a breath, Hold hands and walk the path together. Not just as individuals, But also as a united consciousness that is longing to evolve. And we are actively participating in that eternal evolution process. That's what we're doing here in every meeting and today as well. And the excuse we gave ourselves today to meet was to discuss the similarities and differences between spirituality and religion. So most of this discussion will be dedicated for your questions. I'm sure you have beautiful questions already waiting in your pocket. So I'm just gonna start with a short introduction and leave the stage to you. Okay, So what's the difference, The similarities between religion and spirituality or is it just the same? You know, Many people use those words as synonyms, Like it's the same thing. Especially here in North America, If you say that somebody is looking for some spiritual help, They actually mean they are looking for some Christian help, The same thing. Are they the same? If not, What differentiates and what are the similarities? Let's see. Let's gently dive into that topic. So the first thing I would invite us to see is that these are not these two do not exist on the same realm. You can say one is multidimensional and the other one is two-dimensional. What do I mean? Rituality, What is it? Let's start with that. What is spirituality? Religion we probably have a lot of examples of. So of course, This is not a question that one answer can cover, But for the sake of this discussion and for us to have some similar vocabulary, Let's agree that spirituality is a multidimensional space that invites expansion of consciousness. When you enter that multidimensional space, You are consciously or unconsciously actively involved in that evolutionary expansion of consciousness, Evolution of consciousness. Yes, It happens naturally, But it's not always the case. Evolutionary expansion of consciousness, Evolution of consciousness. Yes, It happens naturally as a part of the evolution of the whole universe, But you can be an active participator and much more efficient in doing that if you consciously choose to take a part in that and realign your sankalpa, Your intention to do that. Of course, That strategic decision translates into updating your tactics, Your doings, Your decision-making process. So all of your life realigns to meet with that strategy. So this is spirituality in a nutshell. And religion loses that multidimensional space. It's like a highway that was paved long ago, Years ago, Millennias ago. It was paved to invite people who are on the search, Who are in this multidimensional space, Invite them to join, Promising that instead of just, You know, Finding your own way in this very confusing multidimensional space, Why don't you just join our path and it would lead you to salvation as it did to many other people before you. So why try to reinvent the wheel altogether? Just join us, Walk the path that was paved for you and you will reach the other shore safely, Eventually. That's the promise of all religion. Right? But the price you have to pay is that you have to play according to our rules. Right? If you want to walk in our path, There are certain rules you need to obey to, Certain moral codes you need to adopt, Some behavior requirements, Maybe dress requirements, External artifacts you need to wear and la la la la la. Just to make sure that you remind yourself and everybody else around you that this is the path that you chose. Any people don't even look to think if the path that was chosen for them by their parents or their culture or their tradition is the right choice for them. This is just reprogrammed into their persona. Okay, So the difference between the multidimensional space of spirituality and the path that crosses that multidimensional space should be clear. These are multidimensional, This is two-dimensional. Why two-dimensional? Because it's like a path, Right? A path is like a path, Right? A path is two-dimensional. It takes you from this point to that point. It's a process of growing towards a certain goal. That's usually the agenda of any religion. Some religions say that it's just a safe way to cross the life that you currently have so you can reach heaven that waits for you at the other end of that world. Of course, Assuming that you obey the rules and regulations to gain heaven, Otherwise hell is waiting for you on the other side of the world. Okay, So similar. Spirituality and religions are very similar because they are playing in the same playground, You see? All religion essentially deals with spiritual milestones. They take the individual's consciousness and try to create a much broader context for its existence, Just as spirituality does. They connect with a greater context of your own existence. Some call it God, Some call it the universe, And they portray a certain path you need to go through in order to manifest yourself in the greater context of your own being. Definitely similar to what you will hear in the spiritual world. But different because, I would say the main difference between spirituality and religion is that, As opposed to religion, Spirituality is not concerned with what you choose to do. And there is no process you have to go through. There is no path you have to cross. There is no end game you need to reach. There is no goal. There is no rainbow. There is no promise. At least, Pure spirituality. This can get a bit complicated. Allowing yourself to be in that multi-dimensional space dedicated to the evolution of your own consciousness as part of the evolution of the universal consciousness is not necessarily translated into a religious way of life, Because you are not obliged to follow any set of rules, To believe any set of ideas. Actually, You are not obliged to believe anything. It's another significant difference between spirituality and religion. Religion requires your belief. I'm walking on the path, Believing that eventually it would lead me to my desired destination. Whether it's called heaven or enlightenment or whatever idea you have about what waits for you at the end of the other side of the rainbow. Spirituality doesn't come with that promise. So, There is nothing you need to do. There is no commitment that belongs to the realm of doing. Do this, Avoid doing that. Believe this, Don't believe that. These requirements do not exist in the pure spirituality. Just the invitation to wake up, That's it. So, To sum up my introduction, I would say if you compare spirituality and religion to a banana, You would say that the banana peel is the religion. And spirituality is the flesh of the banana itself. So, The banana peel keeps the banana fresh. If you peel the banana and just let it stay, It will get rotten very quickly and you can't eat it any. So, It keeps it fresh and ready for use. The actual essence of the banana is under the flesh. Too many people get confused and eat the banana peel and throw away the banana. You see what I'm saying? So, The essence of the banana is under the flesh. Too many people get confused and eat the banana peel and throw away the banana. You see what I'm saying? So, Don't get confused between the two, Whether you are spiritual or a religious person. Now, The stage is yours. Who would like to be the first one to jump into the wall? Ida is asking, What are we jumping into? We are jumping into the questions, The question of the similarities and differences between spirituality and religion. And it will be recorded, So you can listen to the recording in a few days when it's published on Insight Time. Arl is asking, Radical acceptance is what came up for me in meditation this morning. What is the difference between religion and spirituality in regards to acceptance? Very similar, Again. The only difference is the context of your acceptance. In the context of religion, Your acceptance is based on the belief that you are a believer. Your acceptance is based on the belief that you are not supposed to know everything because God knows. So, You surrender to that belief. God is manipulating my life to my benefit and I'm not supposed to know everything. God is taking care. Okay. Spirituality invites you to do almost the same thing, Just you don't need to believe that. You need to wake up to realize that. As the truth, Present moment is inevitable. You can either accept it or reject it, Doesn't matter. It's inevitable, It's already happening. You just switch your attention from some fluid image of a divine entity to the specifics of the present moment and you find that these are just the same. There is no difference. God and the present moment turns to be the same thing. So, The present moment is not something we can debate on, Argue about. If it's happening, It's happening. That's it. That's the absolute truth or at least the closest thing you can describe as the absolute truth. It's already happening. You can accept or reject. So, If your meditation led you to the experience of radical acceptance, Then you are waking up to the nature of your own self, The nature of the present moment. That's it. You don't need to believe it. There's nothing to do with faith, Right? You know it because you experience it. You experience the present moment as it happens and you experience as open as you can get to meet the present moment, The more it expands within you as you. It's got nothing to do with belief. That's the only difference in that sense here. If truth means whatever is happening in the present moment, What really is the difference between belief and knowing? If the only thing we know is who we are, Then is there a need for belief or other knowing? This is a delicate question. A charged question. Because people use knowing in manipulative ways, Unfortunately. People sometimes differentiate between ideas and opinions versus knowing, As if knowing is something that comes from deeper or from upper. It doesn't matter which direction you choose to associate them with. They are transpersonal. It's like a divine instruction of the absolute truth. Sometimes the knowing has to do with how I meet life and sometimes the knowing has to do with what I'm supposed to do now in the realm of doing, Which is even more dangerous. On the white path, What I can say about knowing is, Knowing translated correctly is following your heart, Following the natural flow of unconditional love. And if you want to translate it into doing, Then following the question, What would I choose to do if there was no fear in me anymore, Just love? If a manifestation of unconditional love would be in my shoes instead of me, What it would choose to do? Where would the love flow? And this is the knowing. Otherwise, Any other knowing that you might have is just another thought, Opinion, Story that for some reason you prefer over any other conflicting story you have about life, About what you should do or avoid doing. Do you see the difference? True knowing has got nothing to do with a thought, An idea, An opinion. True knowing can only be unveiled to you when you can unveil it to you, When you drop your ideas. When you are completely free and exposed, Fearless, Then you can connect with the language of the heart. It's got nothing to do with ideas, Concepts. The heart knows. Love flows and you follow. That's it. There's no need for belief. Coming back to Carly's question. Knowing has got nothing to do with belief. Nothing. If you don't know something, Think about knowing as in the biblical term, You know? Knowing is not an intellectual, Oh yeah, I know that, I heard about it. No, No, That's not knowing. Knowing is a direct experience that melts the observer and the object of its own observation, Melts them into one, Into a tantric union. This is knowing. In the Bible it says when a man knows a woman, It actually means when a man makes love to a woman. That kind of knowing and the two became one flesh. There is no belief there. Either you are one or you are not one. If you believe that you are one, But you don't really experience that, It's just a concept. It's got no value whatsoever. Maybe it just helps to direct your intentions in a certain way, But no more than that. Spirituality as opposed to religion doesn't require your faith or your belief. Don't believe anything I say. Don't believe it. A priori, I tell you, This is not a new religion. The right path is not a new religion. And whatever I tell you, Check it out. See if it works for you. See if it manifests as a direct experience for you. And if it doesn't, Throw it away. It's pointless. It's got no value. But you need to truly, Honestly allow yourself to be exposed to that invitation. Jump off the fence, Head first into the deep waters and give it your best shot. And then, Once you are surrendered truly, You can see if it works for you or not. If it resounds like truth for you. AJ is asking, What is our role in other people's journey? Interesting question. A couple of days ago, I gave that image of a train with endless cars. Imagine a train with endless cars, Infinite number of cars. And between those cars, There are locomotives that pushes that train forward. You can become one of those locomotives. A consciousness that is expanding, Maturing, Is pulling consciousness that are less mature, Which is pulling consciousness that are less mature, Which are pulling consciousness that are less mature. And all that movement of evolution continues into eternity. You can become one of those locomotives. Instead of depending on other people to carry you, You can be the engine. We can be a part of that, Or we should be. No, You are a part of that. It's not even a matter of choice. That's how evolution works. You are expanding through your life story, Through your experiences. You learn, You experience life, The good, The bad, The happy, The sad, The highs and the lows, You experience it, The pain, The pleasure. And as you experience that, You feel it with meaning, And you grow and you expand. And as you grow, People around you grow with you, Whether you like it or not. Of course, If you choose to do that consciously, You become much more effective in doing that. Your locomotive is now much more powerful, Has more horsepower. It happens anyway. I'm confronted by this idea that evolution is inevitably moving upwards. Inevitable. 100%. Oh, I just have this image. First time I thought about it. I always say that our body, Our physical body is on a decline. The years go by and become older and weaker, And eventually the body dies. What to do? But consciousness is always rising, Always moving up, Especially if you are harnessing your energy for that process. If you stop identifying with your body and whatever happens to it, It's the answer to the question, Who am I now? Your consciousness is free to expand and grow regardless of what happens to the body and your life experiences. Same with life itself. Same with life itself. Think about it. The universe, If you think about it, The universe itself is finite. As infinite as it is, There is an expiry date for that. The universe will eventually expand so much that it will evaporate into nothing, And there will be only empty space. But consciousness, Similarly to what happens with our body, Consciousness itself expands. Maybe when we reach that point in time when universe is just evaporating like a soap bubble, That will be also the moment when the universal consciousness finally reunites. That's an interesting thought. AJ is asking, How should we show up in others' journey other than with an open heart, Willing soul? Do we have responsibilities? Responsibilities are a natural consequence of your unconditional love. Don't try to adopt or take on responsibilities because it's important, Because it's moral, Because it's the right thing to do. Don't bother about that. You just love unconditionally. You'll see responsibility follows one step behind it. You'll be responsible. You'll feel responsible when you truly love someone. And how that translates into your decision-making process of what to do, You'll see naturally it happens. Don't put too much concern into that. Yeah, You know the answer. How to show up in others' journey with an open heart and a willing soul. That's it. I'm here for you. What can I do for you, My love? Tell me. Free of agenda. Don't try to preach or to teach or to persuade or to win an argument. Doesn't matter. An awakened consciousness has no agenda. If we can expand our consciousness within our religion, Is that a choice worth making or are there limits within religion? Unfortunately, Religion is determined by the limits. That's what differentiates one religion from another. Right? Our path is this, And it's limited by this and by that. If you cross this line, You're not on the path anymore. If you cross that line, You're not on the path. You have to stay between the lines. Right? Otherwise, This is not our religion anymore. You cannot just do whatever you want. Fortunately, People have this human tendency to take pure spirituality and translate it into a religion. And this creates havoc. Look at the history of the world. Because as soon as there are religions, It's always as opposed to something else. This is our path. This is our way. Either you are with us or you are against us. And then the whole mayhem starts. Some people say they choose the religion because it makes them feel safe and in control. Is that a problem? No, It's not a problem. Your choice is never a problem. That's a common mistake. People think there is the right choice and the wrong choice, And now they are debating which choice to make. They don't want to make the wrong choice. If you choose to walk on a specific spiritual path, Religion or some spiritual organization, That's fine. It can save you a lot of headache, For sure. Because things become much more clear and certain. Clear cut. Yes? Questions of what to do, What not to do, Are already answered thousands of years ago. So why bother? You just follow that and you know it would lead you in the path you want to expand. What is important is that you surrender to your choice. If you choose one path, One religion, One way, Do it. Do it 100%. Be the most dedicated disciple of that path you chose to take. I remember one day, Many years ago, I asked my teacher, Krishna Ravishankar, Where I told him I have a friend, A couple of friends who are walking on a different spiritual path, Not the art of living that he founded. I asked him, Should I try to convince them to move, To switch to the art of living? He asked me innocently, Are they happy on their path that they chose? I said, Yes, I think they are happy. So why would you want to convert them? What's the point? If you are happy, If you are content, If your heart is opening, If you are blossoming, If you are expanding, You go girl. Surrender all the way. Now he is confused. Do people grow beyond the limits of their religion? If they do grow beyond the limits of their religion, Then that's the point where they leave their religion, Because walking on a specific religious path is by definition limiting you. Think about a multidimensional space. It can be very confusing. If you want to stay on the path, You have to stay on the path. If you walk away from the path, You are not on the path anymore, You chose something else. Which is also okay, But surrender to that new state now. It can be very intimidating. People who grew in a framework of our religion and now find themselves realizing it's not working for them anymore, They find themselves thrown into this huge, Vast space without any crutches, Without any support. As you say, It's very safe and you have a sense of control over your life. And suddenly they disappear. So yeah, It's really intimidating. People have terrible crises of identity. Who am I now? I knew the religious version of me, But that is not relevant anymore. So who am I? How do I find myself in this new situation? It can be very upsetting. Some people even believe it's too much. Their organizations are dedicated to help people in that situation. In Israel, For example, It's very common that people are born into religious families and at some point they find it's not relevant for them anymore and they go and become secular. But how to integrate into a secular life is beyond their means. They need help. But the fact that they stopped being religious doesn't mean they need to stop being religious. That's the point. Not all people realize that. Some people associate religion with spirituality and without religion they cannot be a spirituality. So that's not the case. AJ, Aren't we on the path, Whether we know it or not, Whether religious or not, Isn't this lack of control tied to true freedom or in fear of that? Not part. Okay. Aren't we on the path, Whether we know it or not? Yes, We are. But if we choose a specific path to lead us, Then there are benefits and there are prices to pay. The benefits that we don't need to go, To be bewildered by all those possibilities that life has to offer. Our life is much more directed, Dedicated, Orderly. For some people this is essential. Those too many choices are just too much. So once you choose a path, There is a way that paved for you to walk on and the price you have to pay is you don't walk astray. You don't put your focus on all these possibilities, Only on the possibilities that are presented on the path. That's it. What I'm saying here today is that's not the only way to cross the spiritual realm. You can be very spiritual but not religious. And there are prices to pay in that sense as well. If you choose to wander in that multi-dimensional space without a specific path, You keep yourself open and exposed to all possibilities all the time. This can be overwhelming. This can be confusing and you need to have a very good sense of what your heart is telling you to do at every given time. Otherwise you'll be very confused. Walking let by the flow, Natural flow, Of unconditional love requires a very acute sense of what when your heart is opening or closing. And if you do have that, The path, Your own path, Will reveal itself to you as you walk step by step. You need dedication. You need to be surrendered completely to your heart, To let go of the idea that you are in control and you are protected. At times it's a lonely journey. Yeah, It can be. It can be a lonely journey. But we are here to remind you and everybody else that you're not alone. It's just an illusion. There are many, Many of us with you, Just such a big space. It's easy to lose sight of each other. Come back to your heart and connect on the heart level. You'll see you're not alone. What else? Time for one more question. Who would like to use it wisely? Who would like to use it wisely? What do you struggle with? What do I struggle with? I don't know. Curly, Am I struggling with something? I face challenges like everybody else, You know? I don't know if I would call it a challenge. For instance, There's the book that I'm finishing writing now and I'm looking for a publisher. That's a challenge for somebody who's unknown, To find a publisher and, You know, Let people know about it. Such a beautiful gift. How do I let people know about it and to read it? It's a challenge. I wouldn't call it a struggle though. Struggle happens when you believe something is wrong and you are restless until it is fixed, Isn't it? I don't feel that's about anything. Oh, Jen, Thank you. That was the talk I didn't know I needed. Really captured my experience of living religion and how hard it is. Yes, We must be so perceptive to our heart's openness. And if you know someone who is struggling and needs some support, If they are leaving their religion or having any other kind of life crisis, You know, Be there for them. Invite them. Share this invitation. Join the path. Join like-minded people who are happy to be there for him. We are not alone. There are so many of us. We are not alone. Charlie is saying, You have a longing to get this knowledge out to the maximum number of people because you believe in it. How does that fit into your discussion today? It's not because I believe it. I just hear that calling and I answer to that calling. Nothing to do with belief. I don't have a personal agenda here. I hear that calling, You know, Expanding, Expanding more and more. And that translates into touching more people. I'm one of those locomotives that are pushing the endless train forwards, Upwards. So it's not a struggle. It's just a calling. Sandy is saying, I was angry at first when my family stopped going to church when I was a kid. Don't be angry. Don't be angry. People are doing the best they can. At that moment, It was the best they could do. If you believe that you should have done something else, Then of course there is a gap. And if there is a gap, You suffer. So don't punish yourself and other people for that gap. Close the gap. You created the gap. You close it. Hey guys, Thank you very much for your time, Your attention, Your beautiful questions, Your donations. And good day, Good night, Wherever you are. Bye-bye.