Religion and Spirituality

The moment you say, you belong to a religion, you call yourself a Believer and The moment you say, you are on a spiritual path, you become a Seeker.

Though religion and spirituality have there own distinct paths both talk of faith ,but if we ponder in depth, will find difference between the two, Where religion is man made more structured and faith based. While spirituality is personal and emphasizes on inner understanding it’s the personal connection to the divine.

While both guide you to the path of truth and help you on your journey of awakening.

The ancient texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, Quran, Guru Granth Sahib and Bible were authored many centuries ago. Despite of their diverse origins these holy books converge on a common path advocating for principles such as humanity, selfless service. They served as foundational guides, for individuals embarking on a spiritual journey.

However as time progressed, religion began to diverge from spirituality .

Humans started to impose their own rules and interpretations, leading to fragmentation within religious communities. Despite this, the essence of spirituality remains rooted in the timeless wisdom found within these holy scriptures.

While religious institutions  imposed their regulations, the true essence of spirituality lied in universal teachings of compassion, love, and service as espoused by these ancient texts  they serve as timeless guides for individuals seeking a deeper connection with themselves and the world around them.

In ancient times , Hindu pandits barred individuals  of lower caste from entering temples whereas no Hindu or any other holy scripture contained any injunction suggesting that the divine is exclusive to certain social groups.

Religion became more organized with rules, laws and structured beliefs which involved places of worship , holy books, rituals that revolved around teachings and external practices. Whereas Spirituality became more flexible, embracing change and seeing unity in all paths.

Spirituality empowered people to find their inter connection with their inner conscience. It talked about energies as integral part of the universe.

A religious person will do, what he is told to do , no matter what is right whereas a spiritual person will do, what is right, no matter what is told.

Spirituality does not come from religion it comes from our soul. We must stop confusing religion and spirituality. It is a simple way of life, pure and original. It means you are in touch with your own divine self.

Many of us have been asking ourselves the deeper soul questions of life .

Who am I ?

What do I want ?

What is my purpose ?

What is the meaning of life ?

People have started tuning themselves into religion or spirituality to find answers and meaning to these difficult, yet prominent questions of life.

Let me make you understand in more simpler way religion is like following the messenger while spirituality is following the message.

Religious people enjoy tight knit family system rules and regulations, spirituality see all beings as family and favour all those who are on the path to awakening.

It encourages people to reflect on their spiritual journey, seek inner purification and experience the eternal values of love , truth and righteousness. It is your way of loving , accepting and relating to the world and people around you,  but this cannot be found by religious people as they believe in a certain way.

People use many different paths to find God or higher power, research shows that those who are more spiritual use their spirituality to cope with challenges in life experience . It may involve experiencing a sense of connection to a higher state of inter contentedness with the rest of the humanity. Now on this context not everyone may experience spirituality in the same way . Some people may seek spiritual experiences in every aspect of their lives , while others may be more likely to have feelings of inner peace and well being. A spiritual connection may improve ,ones sense of satisfaction with life. We can say  spirituality is an inward journey that involves a shift in awareness rather than religious form of external activity.

Religion may carry fear through concepts like, Divine judgment or eternal punishment, While spirituality focuses on love, compassion and desire to end suffering through peace and calmness.

At the end I would like to say, We need to move from Religion to Spirituality. As spirituality unites people of all religion.

–Om Namaha, Blessings to All–

You can always listing to this and more on my podcast, available on on major streaming platforms “Midididiforever – Spiritual Conversations”