Article: Religion versus Spirituality

You will often hear people say, “I am not religious, I am spiritual.” And, then there are others, who associate spirituality very closely with their religion, they see spirituality as an integral part of their religion. What is the difference between religion and spirituality? Are they the same?

Religion and spirituality are distinct. Religion is the means, while spirituality is the goal. You can pursue spirituality with or without religion.

Imagine, you must head to the airport to take a flight. The flight represents spirituality. The ground transportation to get to the airport is religion. You can take a bus or train to the airport — they represent different religions, the organized transportation, if you will. Or, you can take your personal car — it represents your own effort without any external organized help.

Now, if you fall in love with the bus, train, or car, and refuse to get down at the airport, you will never board the flight. If you fall in love with your religious or non-religious ways, if you become obsessed and attached to them, if you make the mistake of thinking they are all that matters, you will not be able to make spiritual progress. Religion or atheism are only mechanisms to get to the airport.

Regardless of how you get to the airport, the important thing is to get to the airport. Once at the airport, the gate agent does not ask you which ground transportation you used to get there. They check your papers and then let you board the flight.

Spirituality does not care whether you are religious or not, and which religion you follow. It does not matter. Why?

Religion is for the purposes of your mind. Spirituality is about your soul (life-force).

Your life-force does not care what you believe or don’t believe. What your mind thinks and feels has no impact on your soul.

Religion is only for the purposes of your mind. This statement is a profoundly important statement. If you want to make spiritual progress you must understand and appreciate the deep import of that statement. Spirituality is about going beyond your mind. Your faith and beliefs, or the lack of faith and beliefs, does not affect spirituality!

So, is religion helpful? That is like asking, is organized transportation helpful? It depends on the person. Some want the security and guidance of organized religion. Others are happy and confident in their independent path. One path is not better than the other. They are just the means. Treat them as such. Focus on arriving at the airport where the real purpose of life awaits you.

Religion is like looking at the picture of a Ferrari, while spirituality is the actual experience of driving one. Watching a picture of a Ferrari certainly puts you in the mood and mindset of a Ferrari but it can never come close to the actual experience of driving one.

Spirituality is your birthright and your destiny. How you get there does not matter. Just get there. Spirituality is a million times more important than religion.

— Ravi Kathuria, Author, “Happy Soul. Hungry Mind.”