10 Provocative Thoughts on Religion, Spirituality, & God!

Many people ask what is the difference between religion and spirituality?

Religion is for your mind. You soul does not care which religion you follow.

Religion is only for the purposes of your mind. Your soul does not care what you believe or don’t believe.

How do I define the soul? You and I have a life-force, an energy in us that keeps us living. When that energy leaves, the doctor will tell my loved ones, Ravi is gone. My body will still be there, but the doctor will say, Ravi left.

The soul, call it spirit, life-force, atman in Sanskrit, whatever you like, is the energy that gives us our dynamism. The soul is the cosmic energy within us.

Religion applies only to your mind. Your mind tells you, I am an Atheist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, or another religion.

Beliefs apply only to your mind. Your soul is beyond your mind, your soul is beyond what you believe. Now, how does this first point change your perspective on religion. Think about it.

Spirituality and religion are completely distinct. Religion is like looking at a picture of a Hollywood star, let’s say, Julia Roberts or Tom cruise. Or if you follow younger popstars, then say, Justin Bieber, Drake, Shawn Mendez or Lady Gaga. Spirituality would be actually meeting the star in person. There can be no comparison between a picture and meeting someone in person.

Similarly, there is no comparison between religion and spirituality. Religion is just the marketing. Spirituality is the end product. Religion is the means. Spirituality is the goal, the destination.

Religion is the ground transportation to the airport. Spirituality is the airplane. You could use organized transportation, or if you are an atheist, you could drive yourself to the airport. How you get to the airport is not important. Getting to the airport is the most important thing.

Think about how this second point changes your perspective.

Most spiritual and religious leaders give complex and confusing answers for the definition of spirituality. Therefore, many people think spirituality is mysterious and mystical. May I share with you a succinct definition.

Spirituality is the direct experience of your own soul. That is it. That is the most succinct definition.

Focus on this simple definition. You do not have to worry about all the complexity out there.

When you experience your own soul, your life changes. There is an ocean of peace within you. Spirituality is the journey to the infinite peace in you. Spirituality is life’s most amazing gift.

The material world is the side act. Spirituality is the main act. This third point is worth taking to heart. Your best life awaits you.

This may come as a shock to you. Spirituality is not about God. Spirituality is connecting with the energy within.

You can focus on God, but that is a roundabout way of making spiritual progress. God is not accessible, so it distracts us, and questions about God confuse us.

You may be religious and a big believer in God. I respect that and I appreciate that. I am religious too, but I recognize spirituality is different from religion.

God and religion may help us deal with our worldly problems. But when it comes to spirituality, let us keep it simple. Focus on something that is within reach — the life-force in you.

Experience your own soul. If you do that, your life will open its wings and become a beautiful butterfly. And, then you will understand the true nature of God, until then anything you hear about God is hearsay.

This fourth point is critical for the serious spiritual seekers.

Let us talk about how amazing spirituality is.

Religion may discriminate between man and woman, between gay and straight. Spirituality does not discriminate. It cannot!

What your gender is, what your sexual identity is, does not matter. You have full and equal access to spiritual ability.

Whether you are religious or an atheist, you have equal access to spiritual ability.

Spiritual ability is there in all of us since the day we were born. It is in our DNA. No one can give you spirituality and no one can take it away from you. If you are human, you have spiritual ability. Period.

This fifth point is so amazing. Think about its ramifications. Religion excludes people, spirituality is all inclusive!

Do not let anyone tell you spirituality is difficult to understand, or it is difficult to access.

Spirituality is simple, it is natural, and it happens automatically. You do not have to believe me. I do not need your belief. When you try it for yourself, you will discover the Truth for yourself.

If you plant a seed in the soil and water it, it will germinate. You do not need belief, you can verify it for yourself.

Truth does not need belief. Truth needs to be experienced.

You do not have go to a temple, mosque, or church. You do not have to go on a pilgrimage. You can experience spirituality in your own home!

Yes, you are self-sufficient.

This seventh point is so great. Spirituality, life’s most amazing gift is available for you 24/7 in your own home.

Anything that you do to satisfy your mind, including religion, will only give you happiness that is temporary and tentative. Only when you go beyond the mind, can you achieve permanent happiness.

On Earth, spirituality is the only source of permanent happiness.

There are so many studies done on happiness, from top universities, including Harvard and Yale. They must understand they are researching and writing about temporary happiness.

It is permanent happiness that matters. The person who understands this eight point, is on the path to self-realization.

What is God? People have pondered this question for thousands of years. God has been defined as infinite, omnipresent. Then why is that we can’t “see” God?

There are  seven billion people on Earth. How many do you know who have seen God? Imagine, how big a news it would be if someone met God.

Now, let me tell you something that is a key philosophical Truth. You cannot see God with your mind. Your mind is not the tool to see God. Why? Because the mind is a tool for the material world and not for the spiritual dimension.

Your soul is the only handshake with God! This is huge. All the religions of the world feed your mind. They want you to experience God through your mind. All the mythology is for the mind.

If you want to meet God — whatever name you call God by — Allah, Christ, Krishna — you must go beyond your mind. Only then will you experience God — an experience that is far more profound than your label of him right now.

I love this ninth point. It is a philosophical gem.

Now let me share the definition of God, which is the most logical and scientific explanation of God. Are you ready?

God is the Universe! The Universe is God!

Yes! You may recoil when you here that and all kinds of thoughts may go through your mind, because we all have been taught, God created the Universe.

But it is a provocative thought. If God is the Universe, then your God and my God has to be the same. All the misguided fighting about religion and God can stop.

God is the Universe — this understanding can change the world forever!

If you would like to read more here is an article on the tenth point.