Religious: Are you sure?

Hi people,

I am back again feeling "really" good about the fact that I am finally able to devote the much deserved time to my "first love", writing:-) And strangely, I actually am able to think about topics, which till a few months back were completely out of sync with my thinking frequency or I should aptly put it as things that were beyond the domain and intelligence quotient of my queer brain:-)

"Religion" has always been something, about which I have had very unclear thoughts. Though, I am still not very sure about what it is, why it is, where did it actually originate, how is it different from its new counter part spirituality.. Still, I am just making an amateur attempt to try and sum up some random thoughts about the most debatable political and social issue of our times.. So in case any of my random thoughts seem incorrect or unethical or immoral, I mean NO OFFENCE to anyone and I apologize.. I am not making any statement here, or not trying to criticize anybody else's point of me. What I am jotting down in the next few stanzas are just my opinion which you may or may not agree with. And anyways, I believe that "Religion is to each their own".
I go to the "Gurudwara" once a week. I clasp my hands, close my eyes, and say a prayer, twice a day. I visit the temple on special occasions, I look towards the almighty when I am not in the best of my spirits, and I share my desires in my personal talk with GOD. There are many like me and there are many who do even more. So can we all take pride in calling ourselves RELIGIOUS. I have doubts.. Had going to a sacred place of worship, solely being considered religion, there would have been very few atheists. Religion for me is much more than that, or I can say it is something completely beyond all these day to day practices.

You go to the temple everyday, perform rituals in the well ornated and embellished, marble polished temple in your "pooja room" at home, but during the day you wrong a hundred people whom you come across in your business deals. I doubt you conform to be called religious or may be you can be called religious but in no means spiritual. Well, that brings me to the point of contention, how does the two terms differ, religion and spirituality. In simple terms, according to me, religion is specific, while spirituality is holistic. Spirituality is nothing but a kind of self awareness. Ironically it’s more to do with non-materialistic self awareness rather than materialistic. Though, in no way spirituality teaches you to be a saint, you don’t really have to bereft or abstain yourself from the luxuries and whims & fancies of the world. You don’t really have to change your attire to saffron kurtas and jholas. You could be as "hep" as the latest model in town and yet be spiritual. It just teaches you not to be dependent or bound by the chains of your mind's and heart's unending desires. It just connects you to a greater power that lies above the world somewhere in the universe.

I know its getting a little too much and too heavy:-) But all these "seemingly saintly" thoughts are a by product my many months of thought process. And I think, I can't find a better sink than my very own blog to share it with the world. And trust me these thoughts have made me a much more peaceful human being. So you have a reason to go on and finish this read.:-)

For that matter, even for religion, it’s something that is not too much dependent on materialistic desires. Though I am not completely against those who say that it’s GOD only from whom you can ask for. (I personally believe in the, "dawa se dua behtar & khuda se maang kar sab milta hai philosophy) But someone once told me, "The best prayer is when you can feel the presence of GOD, anywhere, anytime. when you can close your eyes and just ask for the power and will to believe in the almighty, to have faith, and to love none but GOD. That is the most true kind of prayer and that is what makes you truly religious." And I have come to believe that’s where religion and spirituality amalgamate in each other as two souls in one body. Don't pray for a purpose, don't pray for a reason, pray for your very existence as a human, to connect your external self to your internal powers. Sounds a little too much, coming from someone who is still in her 20's... :-) May be I realized it a little earlier than the rest of you would.

I am already above my set limit of words I had planned to write and I still have so much more to say. Well if you are tired sitting in front of your computer screen, or your boss is standing on your head watching what you are doing, come back after a while but don’t skip it half way :-)

Religion and spirituality, both are very subjective matters, so it is kind of difficult to comment objectively and answer objective questions about them. But, what bothers me most in today's times is the misuse of religion by all sects of people for their own benefit. The more stature you have in society, the more easily you can define or defy laws of the religious scriptures and text. Somewhere, religion and wealth go hand in hand in this age of corruption. If you have one, it automatically grants you the power to play with the other. I shall not get into the statics and dynamics of this, since that would require an entirely separate post. So let’s leave that for some other time.

Religion is goodness of the soul. You may not visit a place of worship for a decade but still you could be religious, if you can connect to the inner goodness of your soul, and implement the same by being kind and understanding with family, friends, colleagues or even by giving a helping hand to someone who is a complete stranger. You can be religious by just sharing a little amount of your hugely amassed wealth and few minutes of your busy schedule with an orphan or a destitute woman. Charity, provided it comes from the heart, according to me is the greatest and best form of religion. Religion is tolerance, it is the strength to admire someone's kind gesture, it is the ability not to be jealous of a peer's instant success, it is the smile you share with others, it is to be part of your friend or family's happiness even if things are not that great for your own self.

Religion and spirituality may be different in many regards but they are sort of part of each other. Spirituality can be seen as a broader extension of religion. By the description of religion as stated above, even an atheist, in some sense could be called religious or more aptly spiritual. An atheist might know more about religion and spirituality than a person who worships everyday. Religion could be seen as a specific case of spirituality but one thing that binds them together is welfare of mankind. So whether you are regular in your prayers or not, whether you go to a place of worship everyday or once in a decade, just be good and see the healing effect it has on you. Strangely, the depth of this topic seems so endless that I can't really come to a conclusion for this piece.

So till I login again, just keep the faith and smile:-)