I headed off to India to learn more about and experience spirituality in its purist form. Fireworks started the exploration, so I could move deeper into the believing department. As I move deeper, I still keep stumbling over the human part of the equation. If humans are going to be on the planet/in the universe, I can see why they need a conscience and a drive to develop it. (Even though that could appear to be in question.) I am not clear on why the planet actually needs humans, since they seem to be bent on destroying it, but that is another topic...
While examining spirituality, I have been looking for the root of my continued annoyance with religious/spiritual practices. They never seem pure enough. I think I found it today. I am beginning to sort out the different factors in the "food chain" of spiritual consciousness: personality, culture, religion, and spirituality. Personality is 'easy' and obvious. Existing in a culture that is very foreign to me is allowing me to clarify what are cultural influences on our human belief system. Sounds like Cultural Anthropology 101. (I even took that class as an undergraduate at UCDavis.) Next is exploring religion which has its own sandbox with specific rules of conduct, rituals, and beliefs. At the top of the food chain, I am putting spirituality on its own as pure formlessness. Part of my confusion was resolved by more clearly distinguishing each. In learning about a system like Hinduism, I had mistakenly combined cultural influences as part of religion/spirituality. Spirituality can stand on its on as a pure manifestation. All the before mentioned aspects of living in a body creates a desire for structure/form. Probably even a necessity. So at this point, it appears to me that we develop these ideas/rules/realities and then have to let go of all of it to get to the other side. Each one of us scratches against different aspects of the multitude of structures which give us opportunities to open and let go of the resistances or of course, sitting in a small hut in the woods with a shot gun could be the converse approach. Each one of us moves along at some pace from destiny. If it sounds like I have bumped my head, please don't hesitate to comment, criticize, or whatever is stimulated as a response.
So in a nutshell, I unraveled culture from religion/spirituality and religion from spirituality. This may have no significance for anyone else, but for me it helps me let go of the resistance to so many rules that feel like separation instead of unity. Now, I can just shrug it off as "humaness." And I have plenty of it myself...
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