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'''Spirituality''' is the concept of an ultimate or an alleged immaterial [[reality]];<ref>Ewert Cousins, preface to Antoine Faivre and Jacob Needleman, ''Modern Esoteric Spirituality'', Crossroad Publishing 1992.</ref> an [[Involution (philosophy)|inner path]] enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the "deepest values and meanings by which people live."<ref>Philip Sheldrake, ''A Brief History of Spirituality'', Wiley-Blackwell 2007 p. 1-2</ref> [[Spiritual practice]]s, including [[meditation]], [[prayer]] and [[contemplation]], are intended to develop an individual's inner life. Spiritual experiences can include being [[connected]] to a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive [[self]]; joining with other individuals or the [[human]] [[community]]; with [[nature]] or the [[cosmos]]; or with the [[Divinity|divine]] realm.<ref>Margaret A. Burkhardt and Mary Gail Nagai-Jacobson, ''Spirituality: living our connectedness'', Delmar Cengage Learning, p. xiii</ref> Spirituality is often experienced as a source of inspiration or orientation in life.<ref>Kees Waaijman, Spirituality: forms, foundations,methods Leuven: Peeters, 2002 p. 1</ref> It can encompass [[belief]] in immaterial realities or experiences of the [[immanent]] or [[transcendence (religion)|transcendent]] nature of the world.
The traditional meaning of '''spirituality''' is a process of religious transformation{{sfn|Waaijman|2000|p=424}} "to refind the original shape of man, the image of God".{{sfn|Waaijman|2000|p=460}}


In modern times spirituality has been separated from religion{{sfn|Wong|2008}}, and connotes a [[Syncretism|blend]] of [[Humanistic psychology|(humanistic) psychology]] with [[Mysticism|mystical]] and [[Esotericism|esoteric traditions]] and [[Enlightenment (spiritual)|eastern religions]] aimed at personal well-being and personal development.{{sfn|Houtman|2007}}
In modern times spirituality has been separated from religion{{sfn|Wong|2008}}, and connotes a [[Syncretism|blend]] of [[Humanistic psychology|(humanistic) psychology]] with [[Mysticism|mystical]] and [[Esotericism|esoteric traditions]] and [[Enlightenment (spiritual)|eastern religions]] aimed at personal well-being and personal development.{{sfn|Houtman|2007}}

Revision as of 20:45, 1 February 2013

Spirituality is the concept of an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality;[1] an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the "deepest values and meanings by which people live."[2] Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop an individual's inner life. Spiritual experiences can include being connected to a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self; joining with other individuals or the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or with the divine realm.[3] Spirituality is often experienced as a source of inspiration or orientation in life.[4] It can encompass belief in immaterial realities or experiences of the immanent or transcendent nature of the world.

In modern times spirituality has been separated from religion[5], and connotes a blend of (humanistic) psychology with mystical and esoteric traditions and eastern religions aimed at personal well-being and personal development.[6]

Definition

Several authors state that there is no definitive definition of spirituality.[7][8][note 1]

According to Waaijman, the traditional meaning of spirituality is a process of religious transformation:[9]

The transformation aims to refind the original shape of man, the image of God. To accomplish this, the transformation is oriented at a mold, which represents the original shape: in Judaism the Torah, in Christianity Christ, in Buddhism Buddha, in the Islam Muhammad.[10][note 2]

In modern times "spirituality" has acquired a new meaning. It still denotes a process of transformation, but is often seen as separate from religious institutions, as "spiritual-but-not-religious." [5] Spirituality has come to mean the inner experience, the individual aspect. Religion represents the organized aspect, the institutions which press people into a mold.[5] This modern spirituality blends (humanistic) psychology with mystical and esoteric traditions and eastern religions.[6]

Social scientists have defined spirituality as the search for "the sacred," where "the sacred" is broadly defined as that which is set apart from the ordinary and worthy of veneration. Spirituality can be sought not only through traditional organized religions, but also through movements such as the feminist theology and ecological spirituality. Spirituality is associated with mental health, managing substance abuse, marital functioning, parenting, and coping. It has been suggested that spirituality also leads to finding purpose and meaning in life.[11]

Development of the meaning of spirituality

Classical and medieaval meaning

Words translatable as 'spirituality' first began to arise in the 5th century and only entered common use toward the end of the Middle Ages.[12]

The term "spirituality" is derived from the Latin spiritualitas and the Biblical "roeach/pneuma". It means to be put in motion, to be a living person, and being driven. In a Bibilical context it means being animated by God.[13] Spirituality means to be driven by the Holy Spirit, as opposed to a life which rejects this influence.[14]

In the 11th century this meaning changes. Spirituality denotes then the mental aspect of life, as opposed to the material and sensual aspects of life. Spirituality represents "the ecclesiastical sphere of light against the dark world of matery".[15][note 3]

In the 13th century "spirituality" acquired a social and psychological meaning. Socially it denoted the territory of the clergy: "The ecclesiastical against the temporary possessions, the ecclesiastical against the secular authority, the clerical class against the secular class"[16][note 4] Psychologically it denoted the realm of the inner life: "The purity of motives, affections, intentions, inner dispositions, the psychology of the spiritual life, the analysis of the feelings".[17][note 5]

Early-modern meaning

In the 17th and 18th century a distinction was being made between higher and lower forms of spirituality:

A spiritual man is one who is Christian 'more abundantly and deeper than others'.[17][note 6]

But the word was also associated with mysticism and quietism, and acquired a negative meaning.

Modern spirituality

The spread of the ideas of modernity began to diminish the role of religion in society and in popular thought.[citation needed] Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was a pioneer of the idea of spirituality as a distinct field.[18]

A major influence on modern spirituality was the Theosophical Society, which searched for 'secret teachings' in Asian religions. It has been influential on modernist streams in several Asian religions, notably Hindu reform movements, the revival of Theravada Buddhism, and Buddhist modernism. D.T. Suzuki, who popularized the idea of enlightenment as insight into a timeless, transcendent reality, was also a Theosophist.[web 1][web 2][19] Another example can be seen in Paul Brunton's A Search in Secret India, which introduced Ramana Maharshi to a western audience.

Important early 20th century writers who studied the phenomenon of spirituality, and their works, include William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902), and Rudolph Otto, especially The Idea of the Holy (1917).[citation needed]

The distinction between the spiritual and the religious became more common in the popular mind during the late 20th century with the rise of secularism and the advent of the New Age movement. Authors such as Chris Griscom and Shirley MacLaine explored it in numerous ways in their books. Paul Heelas noted the development within New Age circles of what he called "seminar spirituality":[20] structured offerings complementing consumer choice with spiritual options.

After the Second World War spirituality and religion became disconnected.[17] A new discourse developed, in which (humanistic) psychology, mystical and esoteric traditions and eastern religions are being blended, to reach the true self by self-disclosure, free expression and meditation.[6]

Among other factors, declining membership of organized religions and the growth of secularism in the western world have given rise to this broader view of spirituality.[21] The term "spiritual" is now frequently used in contexts in which the term "religious" was formerly employed.[22] Those who speak of spirituality outside of religion often define themselves as spiritual but not religious and generally believe in the existence of different "spiritual paths," emphasizing the importance of finding one's own individual path to spirituality. According to one 2005 poll, about 24% of the United States population identifies itself as spiritual but not religious.[web 3]

Traditional and modern spirituality

Traditional spirituality

In the Catholic Church, spirituality is generally seen as an integral part of religion, as much for the laity as for the "religious".[note 7]. There is a variety of charisms that emphasize particular ways to serve God and humanity.

In the late 19th century a Pakistani scholar Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi wrote of and taught about the science of Islamic spirituality, of which the best known form remains the Sufi tradition (famous through Rumi and Hafiz) in which a spiritual master or pir transmits spiritual discipline to students.[23]

Hindu and Buddhist traditions know a wide range of spiritual practices called Sādhanā, aimed at reaching moksha or enlightenment.

Modern spirituality

Modern spirituality is centered on the "deepest values and meanings by which people live."[24] It embraces the idea of an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality.[25] It envisions an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being.

Spiritual-but-not-religious

Religion implies a particular faith tradition that includes acceptance of a metaphysical or supernatural reality,[26]: 22  whereas spirituality is not necessarily bound to any particular religious tradition. Thus William Irwin Thompson suggested that "religion is the form spirituality takes in a civilization."[27]

Spiritual values

Modern spirituality emphasizes humanistic ideas on moral character (qualities such as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others.[26]: 22  These are aspects of life and human experience which go beyond a purely materialist view of the world without necessarily accepting belief in a supernatural reality or divine being.

Personal well-being

Philosophers across many traditions, from Stoicism to Buddhism, have suggested that a spiritual practice is essential for personal well being. Such practices do not necessarily include a belief in supernatural beings. Contemporary authors, too, suggest that spirituality develops inner peace and forms a foundation for happiness. Meditation and similar practices may help any practitioner cultivate his or her inner life and character.[28] [unreliable source?] [29]

Spirituality has played a central role in self-help movements such as Alcoholics Anonymous:

...if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead....[30]

Asian religions

Due to the colonisation of Asia by the western world, since the 19th century an exchange of ideas has been taken place between the western world and Asia.[19] Modernist movements in Hinduism, Theravada Buddhism and Japanese Zen Buddhism have taken over modern western notions and integrated them in their religious concepts. The Theosophical Society has played a very important role in this exchange.[19] It was furthered by the Perennial Philosophy, and the growing wellfare, education and mass travel after World war Two. Modernised versions of traditional Asian religions have been imported into the west, such as Vivekananda's Neo-Vedanta, the Vipassana movement and Zen.

Spiritual experience

William James popularized the use of the term "religious experience" in his The Varieties of Religious Experience.[31] It has also influenced the understanding of mysticism as a distinctive experience which supplies knowledge.[web 4]

Wayne Proudfoot traces the roots of the notion of "religious experience" further back to the German theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834), who argued that religion is based on a feeling of the infinite. The notion of "religious experience" was used by Schleiermacher to defend religion against the growing scientific and secular citique. It was adopted by many scholars of religion, of which William James was the most influential.[32]

Spiritual experiences can include being connected to a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self; joining with other individuals or the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or with the divine realm.[33]

Spiritual practices

Spiritual practices may include meditation, mindfulness, prayer, and the contemplation of sacred texts; ethical development.[26] Love and/or compassion are often described as the mainstay of spiritual development.[26][34] Spirituality in this context may be a matter of nurturing thoughts, emotions, words and actions that are in harmony with a belief that everything in the universe is mutually dependent; this stance has much in common with some versions of Buddhist spirituality.

Science

Antagonism

Since the scientific revolution, the relationship of science to religion and spirituality has developed in complex ways.[35][36] Historian John Hedley Brooke describes wide variations:

The natural sciences have been invested with religious meaning, with antireligious implications and, in many contexts, with no religious significance at all."[36]: 16 

The popular notion of antagonisms between science and religion[37][38] has historically originated with "thinkers with a social or political ax to grind" rather than with the natural philosophers themselves.[36]: 13  Though physical and biological scientists today avoid supernatural explanations to describe reality[39][40][41][note 8], many scientists continue to consider science and spirituality to be complementary, not contradictory.[42][43]

Holism

During the twentieth century the relationship between science and spirituality has been influenced both by Freudian psychology, which has accentuated the boundaries between the two areas by accentuating individualism and secularism, and by developments in particle physics, which reopened the debate about complementarity between scientific and religious discourse and rekindled for many an interest in holistic conceptions of reality.[36]: 322  These holistic conceptions were championed by New Age spiritualists in a type of quantum mysticism that they claim justifies their spiritual beliefs,[44][45] though quantum physicists themselves on the whole reject such attempts as being pseudoscientific.[46][47]

Scientific research

Neuroscientists are trying to learn more about how the brain functions during reported spiritual experiences.[48][49]

The psychology of religion uses a variety of metrics to measure spirituality.[50]

In keeping with a general increase in interest in spirituality and complementary and alternative treatments, prayer has garnered attention among some behavioral scientists. Masters and Spielmans[51] have conducted a meta-analysis of the effects of distant intercessory prayer, but detected no discernible effects.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Koenig e.a.: "There is no widely agreed on definition of spirituality today".[7] Cobb e.a.: "The spiritual dimension is deeply subjective and there is no authoritative definition of spirituality".[8]
  2. ^ Original in Dutch: "De hervorming is erop gericht de oorspronkelijke vorm van de mens, het beeld van God, te hervinden. Daartoe oriënteert zij zich op een vorm, die de oorspronkelijke gestalte present stelt: in het jodendom de Thora, in het christendom Christus, in het boeddhisme Boeddha, in de islam Mohammed".[10]
  3. ^ In Dutch: "de hemelse lichtsfeer tegenover de duistere wereld van de materie". [15]
  4. ^ In Dutch: "de kerkelijke tegenover de tijdelijke goederen, het kerkelijk tegenover het wereldlijk gezag, de geestelijke stand tegenover de lekenstand".[16]
  5. ^ In Dutch: "Zuiverheid van motieven, affecties, wilsintenties, innerlijke disposities, de psychologie van het geestelijk leven, de analyse van de gevoelens".[17]
  6. ^ In Dutch: "Een spiritueel mens is iemand die ‘overvloediger en dieper dan de anderen’ christen is".[17]
  7. ^ Those who have taken vows to the Church
  8. ^ See naturalism

References

Written references

  1. ^ Ewert Cousins, preface to Antoine Faivre and Jacob Needleman, Modern Esoteric Spirituality, Crossroad Publishing 1992.
  2. ^ Philip Sheldrake, A Brief History of Spirituality, Wiley-Blackwell 2007 p. 1-2
  3. ^ Margaret A. Burkhardt and Mary Gail Nagai-Jacobson, Spirituality: living our connectedness, Delmar Cengage Learning, p. xiii
  4. ^ Kees Waaijman, Spirituality: forms, foundations,methods Leuven: Peeters, 2002 p. 1
  5. ^ a b c Wong 2008.
  6. ^ a b c Houtman 2007.
  7. ^ a b Koenig 2012, p. 36.
  8. ^ a b Cobb 2012, p. 213.
  9. ^ Waaijman 2000, p. 424.
  10. ^ a b Waaijman 2000, p. 460.
  11. ^ Snyder 2007.
  12. ^ Jones, L. G., ""A thirst for god or consumer spirituality? Cultivating disciplined practices of being engaged by god," in L. Gregory Jones and James J. Buckley eds., Spirituality and Social Embodiment, Oxford: Blackwell, 1997, 3-28, p4, n4.
  13. ^ Waaijman 2000, p. 359-360.
  14. ^ Wong 2009.
  15. ^ a b Waaijman 2000, p. 360.
  16. ^ a b Waaijman 2000, p. 360-361.
  17. ^ a b c d e Waaijman 2000, p. 361.
  18. ^ Schmidt, Leigh Eric. Restless Souls : The Making of American Spirituality. San Francisco: Harper, 2005. ISBN 0-06-054566-6
  19. ^ a b c McMahan 2008.
  20. ^ Paul Heelas, The New Age Movement: The Celebration of the Self and the Sacralization of Modernity. Oxford: Blackwell, 1996, page 60. Cited in Anthony Giddens: Sociology. Cambridge: Polity, 2001, page 554.
  21. ^ Michael Hogan (2010). The Culture of Our Thinking in Relation to Spirituality. Nova Science Publishers: New York.
  22. ^ Gorsuch, R.L., & Miller, W. R. (1999). Assessing spirituality. In W. R. Miller (Ed), Integrating spirituality into treatment (pp. 47-64). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  23. ^ Azeemi,K.S., "Muraqaba: The Art and Science of Sufi Meditation". Houston: Plato, 2005. (ISBN 0-9758875-4-8), Pg. xi
  24. ^ Philip Sheldrake, A Brief History of Spirituality, Wiley-Blackwell 2007 p. 1-2
  25. ^ Ewert Cousins, preface to Antoine Faivre and Jacob Needleman, Modern Esoteric Spirituality, Crossroad Publishing 1992.
  26. ^ a b c d Dalai Lama, Ethics for the New Millennium, NY:Riverhead Books, 1999
  27. ^ Thompson, William Irwin (1981). The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality, and the Origins of Culture. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-312-16062-3. {{cite book}}: More than one of |pages= and |page= specified (help)
  28. ^ Wilkinson, Tony (2007). The lost art of being happy : spirituality for sceptics. Findhorn: Findhorn Press. ISBN 1844091163.
  29. ^ Browner, Matthieu Ricard ; translated by Jesse (2003). Happiness: A guide to developing life's most important skill (1st pbk. ed. ed.). New York: Little Brown. ISBN 0316167258. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ Alcoholics Anonymous, p.14-15.
  31. ^ Hori 1999, p. 47.
  32. ^ Sharf 2000, p. 271.
  33. ^ Margaret A. Burkhardt and Mary Gail Nagai-Jacobson, Spirituality: living our connectedness, Delmar Cengage Learning, p. xiii
  34. ^ Kalchuri, Bhau: Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, the Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Volume Eight, Manifestation, Inc., 1986, p. 22987.
  35. ^ Gascoigne, John (1988). Cambridge in the Age of the Enlightenment: Science, Religion and Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 300.
  36. ^ a b c d Brooke, John Hedley (1991). Science and religion: some historical perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  37. ^ Applebaum, Wilbur. Encyclopedia of the scientific revolution: from Copernicus to Newton Volume 1800 of Garland reference library of the humanities. Psychology Press, 2000 ISBN 0-8153-1503-1, ISBN 978-0-8153-1503-2
  38. ^ R. Cruz Begay, MPH, DrPH, Science And Spirituality March 2003, Vol 93, No. 3 | American Journal of Public Health 363 American Public Health Association
  39. ^ Clarke, Steve. Naturalism, Science, and the Supernatural in Sophia From the issue entitled "Special APRA Issue" Volume 48, Number 2, 127-142, doi:10.1007/s11841-009-0099-2
  40. ^ Dawkins, R. (1986). The blind watchmaker. New York: Norton.
  41. ^ Stroud, B. (2004). The charm of naturalism. In M. De Caro & D. Macarthur (Eds.), Naturalism in question (pp. 21–35). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  42. ^ Richardson, W. Mark. Science and the spiritual quest: new essays by leading scientists Psychology Press, 2002 ISBN 0-415-25767-0, ISBN 978-0-415-25767-1
  43. ^ Giniger, Kenneth Seeman & Templeton, John. Spiritual evolution: scientists discuss their beliefs. Templeton Foundation Press, 1998. ISBN 1-890151-16-5, ISBN 978-1-890151-16-4
  44. ^ Capra, Fritjof (1991 (1st ed. 1975)). "The Tao of Physics: an exploration of the parallels between modern physics and Eastern mysticism, 3rd ed" (Document). Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications. {{cite document}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |coauthors= and |url= (help); Unknown parameter |isbn= ignored (help)
  45. ^ Laszlo, Ervin, "CosMos:A Co-creator's Guide to the Whole World", Hay House, Inc, 2008, ISBN 1-4019-1891-3, pg. 53-58
  46. ^ Sheremer, Michael, Quantum Quackery in Scientific American (January 2005), 292, 34. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0105-34
  47. ^ Silverman, Mark P. Quantum superposition: counterintuitive consequences of coherence, entanglement, and interference Frontiers collection. Springer, 2008 ISBN 3-540-71883-4, ISBN 978-3-540-71883-3. p. 25
  48. ^ Alper, Matthew, The "God" Part of the Brain: A Scientific Interpretation of Human Spirituality and God Sourcebooks, Inc., 2008 ISBN 1-4022-1452-9, ISBN 978-1-4022-1452-3
  49. ^ Talan, Jamie Science Probes Spirituality February/March 2006: Scientific American Mind. [1]
  50. ^ Afton N. Kapuscinski & Kevin S. Masters (2010). "The current status of measures of spirituality: A critical review of scale development". Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. 2 (4). American Psychological Association: 191–205. doi:10.1037/a0020498. ISSN 1941-1022.
  51. ^ Masters, K.S.; Spielmans, G.I (2007). "Prayer and health: review, meta-analysis, and research agenda". Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 30 (4): 329–338. doi:10.1007/s10865-007-9106-7. PMID 17487575.

Web-references

Sources

  • Cobb, Mark R.; Puchalski, Christina M.; Rumbold, Bruce (2012), Oxford Textbook of Spirituality in Healthcare
  • Hori, Victor Sogen (1999), Translating the Zen Phrase Book. In: Nanzan Bulletin 23 (1999) (PDF)
  • Houtman, Dick; Aupers, Stef (2007), "The Spiritual Turn and the Decline of Tradition: The Spread of Post-Christian Spirituality in 14 Western Countries, 1981-2000", Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (2007) 46 (3): 305-320
  • Koenig, Harold; King, Dana; Carson, Verna B. (2012), Handbook of Religion and Health, Oxford UP
  • McMahan, David L. (2008), The Making of Buddhist Modernism, Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780195183276
  • Sharf, Robert H. (2000), The Rhetoric of Experience and the Study of Religion. In: Journal of Consciousness Studies, 7, No. 11-12, 2000, pp. 267-87 (PDF)
  • Snyder, C.R.; Lopez, Shane J. (2007), Positive Psychology, Sage Publications, Inc., ISBN 0-7619-2633-X
  • Waaijman, Kees (2000), Spiritualiteit. Vormen, grondslagen, methoden, Kampen/Gent: Kok/Carmelitana
  • Wong, Yuk-Lin Renita; = Vinsky, Jana (2009), "Speaking from the Margins: A Critical Reflection on the 'Spiritual-but-not-Religious' Discourse in Social Work", British Journal of Social Work (2009) 39, pp.1343-1359{{citation}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)

Further reading

Traditional spirituality

  • Kees Waaijman, Spirituality: forms, foundations,methods. Leuven: Peeters
  • Downey, Michael. Understanding Christian Spirituality. New York: Paulist Press, 1997.

Modern spirituality

Origins

  • Hanegraaff, Wouter J. (1996), New Age Religion and Western Culture. Esotericism in the mirror of Secular Thought, Leiden/New York/Koln: E.J. Brill

American spirituality

  • Eck, Diana L. A New Religious America. San Francisco: Harper, 2001.
  • Schmidt, Leigh Eric. Restless Souls : The Making of American Spirituality. San Francisco: Harper, 2005. ISBN 0-06-054566-6

Critical

  • Carrette, Jeremy R.; King, Richard (2005), Selling Spirituality: The Silent Takeover of Religion, Taylor & Francis Group