We live in a world in which religious bigotry has reached alarming proportions. People, however well educated, tend to become narrow minded when it comes to the question of religion. Vociferous proponents of every religion claim that their religion is the best and others are worthless. However, all religions agree that there is only one God and the varied representations are the different manifestations of the single God.
This actually beats the very purpose for which religions were established. The Latin term "religare" from which the word religion originated means "to unite." However, the religions of today not only create discord among human beings, even exhort them to kill each other. All in the name of God!
Thus it becomes necessary to differentiate between religion and spirituality. It is rightly said that religions divide and it is spirituality that unites people. It is necessary to graduate from religion to spirituality. If one might ask for the difference, it could be said that religion is settling with a certain understanding of the beyond, whereas spirituality is an unending search for the ultimate with a scientific temper. This is what Albert Einstein probably meant when he said that "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
Religion is a set of codified principles, whereas spirituality is its practice. It would, however, be a mistake to think that religion is completely divorced from spirituality. As it was said by the saint Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, "The end of religion is the beginning of spirituality." Religion could be considered the kindergarten of the school of spirituality. This is not to say that different religions are unnecessary or should be avoided. On the contrary, people are different and therefore require different methods of practice which suits their respective temperaments.
If we look at the teachings of some of the contemporary spiritual leaders, we could find that their lives are the inspiration rather than their teachings. It is said by all spiritual leaders that all their teachings are repetitions of what has already been said since the values that they taught were timeless. As Gandhiji said, "I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Non-violence are as old as the hills. All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could." Though better known as a political leader, Gandhiji was more a spiritualist than anything else. Gandhiji also famously said that "God has no religion." Though he talked of Ram and Ramrajya, he made it very clear that his reference was not the Hindu religious icon. On his view of Rama, Gandhiji said, "My Rama, the Rama of our prayers is not the historical Rama, the son of Dasharatha, the King of Ayodhya. He is the eternal, the unborn, the one without a second." Thus spirituality becomes an inner search, rather than an outside one, without being limited by geographical particulars.
Religion implies a theoretical understanding of the divine, whereas spirituality indicates a practical experience of divinity. The formation of all religions were triggered by the spiritual achievements of the great saints, and their teachings metamorphosed into religions. However, over time, these teachings could become fossilized when it is divorced from the life of the saint who inspired them. This is the danger faced by all religions, whether institutionalized or otherwise.
Mother Teresa, the saint of recent times, said it very succinctly when she said, "Everyone of them is Jesus in disguise." She was referring to the unfortunate human beings ranging from infants to elderly invalids whom she took care of with great love and devotion. It could seen that the religion of Saint Mother Teresa was the service of the sick and the destitute. She was a living example of the saying that the hands that help are holier than the lips that pray.
Shri. Kamlesh Patel, the global guide of Heartfulness and the author of the international bestseller The Heartfulness Way, says that it is time to find ourselves and stop searching as is the wont in religion. In his own words, "What if the tables were turned and god, or the ultimate, or the source, is actually seeking us? Imagine for a moment that we don't have to go anywhere, or to do anything except simply sit wherever we are, and allow ourselves to be found? Imagine that heavens are waiting to enter our heart, right here and now! What a powerful concept!" Thus spirituality becomes a patient waiting for enlightenment which could get missed in the frantic searches characteristic of religions.
Bare religion is nothing more than a set of theories. Sri M, born Mumtaz Ali Khan, founder of The Satsang Foundation says, "Go to the core, theories are useless." The core of all religions is spirituality. Sri M is a crusader for interfaith harmony and has deep knowledge of and insight into many religions. His "Walk of Hope" conducted under the banner of Manav Ekta Mission from Kanyakumari to Kashmir is reminiscent of the walks of Swami Vivekananda, the major icon of Indian renaissance.
In the words of Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, "My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." Therefore, let our effort too be not to complicate religion, but to bring in the simple values of kindness and value into our practice and thus rise ourselves above religion to spirituality.
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