Generally, we tend to accept a person as “spiritual one”, if we find him a man with religious propensity. Whether, this is a right way to identify a person! No, it’s not! Apparently, religion and spirituality seems interconnected, there is no doubt about that. But, in deep senses, when a man attains the acme of of religious propensity, from that point on wards, spirituality begins to take its course. Firstly, in simple , we need to define term “religion” in this context. Religion as such, is a practice by a person or group of persons or a State as a whole ( In certain cases) with a bend of mind. It may be in shape of veneration or reverence or faith in some specific way, that claims to facilitate an approach to (some) god.
Religion, simply defined
Even, this “religion” may be a sect in which the hypothetical existence of god may be of some embodiment or it may be a shapeless entity. In observance of religion, all these sacraments have to be observed as per predefined rituals of practicing the prayer etc. Indubitably, from the ancient time, every religion is supposed to be based upon some ethics. The religion has got significance of its own kind since the dawn of human culture. In certainty, the religion has worked as a “factor” to help unite a whole Nation as one entity majestically. Religion may be “liberal” or “Paradoxical” as well. This becomes as such the salient feature of the religion.
On studying deeply about the ‘ evolution’of the mankind, we find during this process, the man has traversed through the various stages. At the beginning, he was a primate living in the ‘ stone age.’ Then he passed through the metal age and to other stages. By going through the journey of evolution, he has reached to his so called present ultra- advanced stage. This journey of evolution, consumed thousands of thousand years of man kind. In between this journey, he got encountered with innumerable mysterious incidences and miracles of Nature. He had no explanation of these incidences, no doubt, he tried to extricate the mystery behind, but failed. Eventually, he was forced to accept the presence of some paranormal/ supernatural power behind these phenomena. This Supernatural Power gradually got acceptance of an entity in shape of god
Religion intrinsic to social system
Our this World has ever been so huge. It contains thousands of languages, castes and predilections as strata of various social systems. Not only this, all these too had clashes with one another, in this or that way from time to time. But as a human being, he ever was propped by the element of some mysterious Supernatural power. This mysterious power he gave a name as per his language, predilection of sacraments as a god. To day, the god has different names. Majorly, he has denomination as Ishwer, Allah, Jesus or Budh etc. As told earlier, the religion played a significant role to unite every communal system. No society can identify itself without religion. ( Here the concept of communism is projected as anti thesis. But is there any Communist country, where religion does not exist? People practice religion there despite the hard barriers, in their own personal nooks.)
Now back to the ‘title” of the article. To practice a religion some icon, symbol or a specific place to pray is needed. This place may be in shape of pagoda, mosque, church or temple etc. All these “symbolize” through appearance some specific religion respectively. Every religion has got its own ‘precincts.’ Every person proclaims, his religion excels to that of others. In this proclamation, disciples of some religions we find liberal and other as fanatic as well. The disciples of a specific religion may look down at others’ religion. Whilst, another religious community may be liberal in practicing, not despising other religious community.
In this way, when a person proclaims his religion ‘excels’ others, he on the same despises the another religion and in this sense “religion” becomes “narrow sighted.” May be, every religion seems to sound about the welfare of people at large, but it works or practices with in its “precincts.”
Spiritualism
Just contrary to religion, spirituality stands afar. The mental spectrum of a spiritualistic person is so wider. He does not proclaims any human welfare on communal level. Rather he thinks to take the entire globe as a village. The god of a spiritualistic person looks on all, at large. his god is an entity, who grants every person to live a free life of his own, in pursuance to his religious beliefs.
A religious man, may tend to live a life infested with all vices of greed, sensual pleasure and coquetting. But a spiritualistic person’s perception always is beyond these vices. He apparently lives in this banal world and also above that in his own mental world. He lives in a state of “trance.” A spiritual man does not need some religious place like pagoda or temple to practice his religious belief. Spirituality needs only a belief into the existence of god,but not a worshiping place or icon specifically. Spirituality begins it journey from the point where religion finishes its race.
An interesting fact there always is. The religion induces a man to become a spiritual one. Though only selected numbers tend to become that. Religion works as a complimentary element to spirituality. In this way, it seems, spirituality is the ” refined shape of religion.” In following the practice of religion, we accept the existence of god, but in observance of spirituality, we melt in with god in this trance. When a person enlightens to the level of spirituality, he does not need a specific worship place, as told earlier. He can enter into his state of “Trance” under a tree, on the bank of a river, even with in a crowd of people he enjoys his “Trance.”
conclusion
At the end, it is essential to know, when we become deeply religious, we begin to take ourselves as a “spiritual one.” It’s a wrong conception. A deep religious person, in fact may be a “fanatic,” under the impression of his deep religiosity. Whilst a genuine spiritualist, never can be a fanatic. In the stage of spirituality man dialogues to himself and churns out his thoughts. In contrary to this, in religiosity he wrangles and dialogues with others.
In all, between religiosity and spirituality, there exists a subtle line of differentiation which is invisible. Whoever succeeds to cross this line, he enters into the state of “trance.” This “Trance” changes the perception of a person to look upon this world. Penned by — Vinay Pharasi …..
