Spirituality and Religion

How you think about the world around you, directly affects how you live in it. Your thoughts influence your actions. And spirituality is different from religion in that one is about how your consciousness (mind, thoughts) is connected to the universe; the other is about how one man controls another. Spirituality is about a state of mind, where religion is about a state of fear. God is not religion, and vice versa. For example, there is a religion that teaches that a savior will one day throw unbelievers into a lake of fire, killing them all. Another teaches that suicidal killing of unbelievers is the highest form of believing.

The challenge for me is to teach my children about love, compassion, ethics, freedom, enlightenment, and doing good without getting trapped by religious dogma that is in direct conflict with those virtues. Religion is not the way. There must be another. And I believe I'm on the right path. And it leads directly to the brain. The exploring the mind is most important when learning about being a spiritual person, someone enlightened, not conformed to this world, but transformed. Full of light. A person in spirit. 

Prayer, meditation, and yoga are all good ways to help a person control their mind and body. These ways can help a person fully understand the mind and how thoughts of self and your spirit affect the world around you. Rudolph Steiner said, "Seek the spirit, but seek it not out of spiritual greed, but so that you may apply it in the genuinely practical life.” Life is indeed as you see (think) it. Strip away all the trappings of this world (work, money, fashion, entertainment, technology, laws, taxes, etc.), and what do you have left? 

You, and how you see yourself. That's what you've got. 

Everything else is fleeting and consumable. You may surround yourself with cool friends, a big house, a fast car, a fat wallet, and a hot woman. Friends come and go. Houses fall apart. Cars break down. Money is spent. A great woman can help, but she can't do it for you. There's only one person in charge of your own self, and that's you. Other people? No. Gurus? No. Spiritual leaders? No. Jesus? No. Buddha? No. Religion? Certainly not. 

I am assuming that we (as human beings, regardless of race, age and gender) all share a common need for experiencing love and joy. And the path to attaining fulfillment is a spiritual one. Not a religious one. The Buddha said, "To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him."

It is written, "For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). But what does that really mean to me as a man, husband and father? In The King's Guide, I share my personal study into spirituality, the mind, God, and the great exploration into the depths of being a spiritual, powerful man, with a goal applying the knowledge gained to my life. 

You may be interested in reading articles from The King's Guide that will help you work on being a great man.