~His disciples asked him," Do you want us to fast ? How should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe ?" Jesus said, " Do not lie and do not do what you do not like, because all things are revealed before heaven . For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will not be uncovered".~(Gospel of Thomas, Saying 6)

~Jesus said," If the flesh came into being because of spirit , that is a marvel , but if spirit came into being because of the body, that is a marvel of marvels. Yet I marvel at how this great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty"~ (Gospel of Thomas, saying 29)

~"Enlightenment is not a condition to be obtained; it is merely a certainty to be surrendered to, for the Self is already one's Reality. It is the Self that is attracting one to spiritual information"~ (Transcending the Levels of Consciousness, p304, David R. Hawkins)

What is spirituality really about? Underneath all the terminology, all the mystical-sounding words, all the theatrical displays, what does it really mean? Here's a perspective, for what it is worth:

Spirituality is about the knowing that the awareness of "others" is as real as the "my awareness". The human condition means the apparent individual thinks that their own pleasure and "problems" are somehow more real and important than that of others, because we are identified with our own experiences. But this is just a perspective, it is not Reality. Knowing this (deeply, not just intellectually) makes us realize that we are not the centre of our Universe, that the field of awareness endures for ever, not the individual forms that come and go within it. This is liberation, joy and peace: to know our true infinite identity - we are not our bodies, emotions, thoughts, memories, success, ambitions, what others think of us, or our experiences: we are the One Awareness in which all these things happen. Surrendering the payoff of identification with our own experiences gives an incredible new freedom - no longer do we have to spend our lives run by trying to "get" something - we realize that there is nothing to get because we ARE the Allness.

The atheist says consciousness (awareness) is but an accident of evolution. The mystic says that the material world is an appearance within consciousness - it is in divinity/ consciousness that we move and have our being. It is the knowing of the true Self of everyone as this divinity/ consciousness that is the heart of spirituality from which emerges love, peace, and joy.

So far, so simple. So what makes it appear so complicated? Here are some thoughts:

First, people are often seeking "spiritual experiences" (and often, experiences of the paranormal), whereas spirituality is beyond experience (though experiences might, perhaps, be signposts along the way). Experiences come and go, the awareness behind experiences is eternal.

Second, people are often seeking a replacement identity through spirituality - which of course is just another identity, little different from an identification with a particular fashion brand or particular culture. Spirituality language and spiritual self-labeling is nothing to do with authentic spirituality; spirituality is about discovering the liberation of living beyond identity. (Whereas one of the biggest attachments of human nature is to its manufactured identities).

Third, we are conditioned to think of spirituality as something we can do, or grasp hold of; whereas it is simply the unveiling of what already IS. Human nature wants to be the doer; the reality is that Life is the doer and realizing our true infinite Self is a gift of grace.

Fourth, spirituality is often regarded as a means to an end, whereas the realization that we-are-already-that-in-which-all-things-happen brings the knowing that there is nothing to gain or achieve.

And, last but not least, the IMPLICATIONS of knowing that all-others-are-as-real-as-me, are so radical, that the human condition would rather focus on anything other than this reality. Who really wants to be dethroned from the centre of their universe?

Your comments and views are most welcome...

Love and peace!
Joseph