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what is "spiritual life?"

genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
in General Banter
Does anyone wonder, as I sometimes do, what IS spiritual life?

Or, put another way, what ISN'T spiritual life?

And, if we knew, would we be any the wiser?

Comments

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    I think it would be sacrificing a small pleasure for greater. Material pleasures versus spiritual.
    Dennis1shadowleaver
  • lobsterlobster Veteran
    A spiritual life does not require the label but is based around the principals of leading a virtuous and ethical existence - in Buddhism, Sila.
    Does it make us wiser? It is the wise thing to do and yes it leads to clarity and wisdom. :clap:

    People who do the opposite do not appear to be skilful, wise or happy.
    VastmindDennis1anatamanJainarayan
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    edited December 2013
    genkaku said:

    Does anyone wonder, as I sometimes do, what IS spiritual life?

    Or, put another way, what ISN'T spiritual life?

    And, if we knew, would we be any the wiser?


    Today I'd say
    Ceasing from evil, doing good for others and widening your heart......
    compared to not.

    And

    sometimes wisdom has less to do with what we know
    but is instead our mindfulness of keeping out of it's way.
    Vastmind
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    @how ... I tried this out on a fellow who visited here: "Wisdom is not what you know. Wisdom is who you are."
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    I think real wisdom is simply the reality beyond our identity patterns.
    Trying to define myself by your wisdom turns me into a pretty ethereal being.
    Dennis1
  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran
    Religion is not spiritual life. :-/
    lobster
  • Steve_BSteve_B Veteran
    Interesting how the nuances of phrasing affect the interpretation. I perceived the question from the thread title as kind of a compartment. I have my work life. I have my home life. I have my spiritual life. I guess I should strive toward having my spiritual life infuse the other "lives" I'm living.

    But others here seem to be interpreting the question of A spiritual life, as in one who "lives a spiritual life" (as opposed to how I too-often live mine).
    Dennis1
  • lobsterlobster Veteran
    genkaku said:

    "Wisdom is not what you know. Wisdom is who you are."

    Is behaviour in terms of dogmatic vinaya important for illustrative purposes in monastics and lay behavourists? Books, data and information may lead to wisdom. Is it the processing that is important?
    genkaku said:

    Or, put another way, what ISN'T spiritual life?

    :) As we know the wise (whoever they are) learn from all experience and events. So there is nothing mundane or empty of potential. Us ignorants, presented with the most sublime wisdom are happy to pervert it to our latest 'wisdom'. :buck:
    Steve_B said:

    I have my work life. I have my home life. I have my spiritual life. I guess I should strive toward having my spiritual life infuse the other "lives" I'm living.

    Might be the wise thing to do? We all compartmentalise to a lesser or greater extent. Giving the spirit life or in Buddhist terms 'integrating our practice' is part of the 'get serious' brigade. Most of us like me are perhaps just 'play Buddhists'?

    Must be time to play at meditating soon . . . then perhaps a bit of fusion. :wave:
  • Dennis1Dennis1 Veteran
    nice discussion. Thank you all.
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    edited December 2013
    genkaku said:

    Does anyone wonder, as I sometimes do, what IS spiritual life?

    I wish I knew what "spiritual" means. It seems to be another of those vague terms that people interpret in all sorts of different way.
    :rolleyes:
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited December 2013
    @genkaku .......
    Didn't you build a building in your back yard to do spiritual things
    in? I think it's a little late to be wondering...hahaha

    Well, maybe not...you tell us...are you any the wiser for the hours
    you spent/spend back there?
  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran
    edited December 2013
    genkaku said:

    Does anyone wonder, as I sometimes do, what IS spiritual life?

    Or, put another way, what ISN'T spiritual life?

    And, if we knew, would we be any the wiser?

    Just my opinion but to answer one by one;

    1. Reaching beyond current understanding or being moved by the non-physical.
    2. A life without feeling.
    3. Only if we don't cling too hard to our ideas.

    Vastmind
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    Didn't you build a building in your back yard to do spiritual things
    in? I think it's a little late to be wondering...hahaha

    Well, maybe not...you tell us...are you any the wiser for the hours
    you spent/spend back there?
    @vastmind -- Honestly -- cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die -- I haven't got a clue. Practice strikes me as a good idea, but why it's a good idea eludes me.
  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran
    @genkaku;

    Maybe it's just because you care.

    Sorry, was that cheesy? I sure hope so.
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited December 2013
    genkaku said:

    Didn't you build a building in your back yard to do spiritual things
    in? I think it's a little late to be wondering...hahaha

    Well, maybe not...you tell us...are you any the wiser for the hours
    you spent/spend back there?
    @vastmind -- Honestly -- cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die -- I haven't got a clue. Practice strikes me as a good idea, but why it's a good idea eludes me.

    Damn. I see where your going with this...

    Does the why matter that much to you? .....
    Or is the why a condition of your practice?
    What is the relation to the why?...In your mind?
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    What is spirit? It seems to have to do with awareness. Thus citta is spirit. Spirituality is the development of citta.
  • shadowleavershadowleaver Veteran
    My (very intellectual) take on what spiritual life is, which hopefully cuts across religious lines:

    1. Understanding that this little fellow that I think I am is truly little. That he doesn't know very much, can't do very much and doesn't even matter very much. That whatever it thinks or feels needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Therefore, being humble and open.

    2. Having faith that there is something beyond what the little fellow can comprehend. That this "beyond" is what it's really all about and is always worth it. That it is actually possible to go beyond. Being hopeful and joyous because of that.

    3. Making a conscious effort to see "outside" of the little fellow and attain that "outside". The exact nature of the effort may differ depending on my natural inclinations and background but it is always excruciatingly hard at times. That entails being patient and courageous.

    4. Realizing that the little fellow that I call "I" owes its very existence to what I call "not I" and indeed cannot be separated from it: others, nature, universe etc. That using "not I" to boost "I" only leads to misery and is indeed the sole cause of it. That using "I" to help "not I" leads to peace and happiness. As a result, being greatful, compassionate and generous.

    I also think that there is no such thing as a completely spiritual or a completely unspiritual life out there. I believe it's always a mix, a continuum.
    lobsterVastmind
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