I’ve mused about my definition of spirituality a bunch on this blog. For example, here’s an early musing, from over a decade ago.
Fast forward to today, and I think I’ve come to “the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” Here’s my current definition of spirituality, small enough to put on a post-it:
For me, spirituality is a way of seeing that emphasizes oneness. This comes in two flavors:
One witness consciousness in all beings
A common metaphor for consciousness is the blue sky and clouds:
The blue sky is the observer or witness consciousness. Clouds are thoughts/feelings.
The observer consciousness — the blue sky — is the same in all sentient beings.
Two quotes:
You and me, that is the awful lie. It’s I and I. — Conor Oberst, from his song One for me, one for you
I honor the place within you where, if you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us. — Ram Dass
The egg is a sweet animated story that makes a similar point to the quotes above.
A penpal of mine gave this pointer: if you look at someone’s pupils, the witness consciousness on both sides of the gaze is one and the same. The two people don’t have the same mind or the same thoughts and feelings. But they do have the same observer consciousness. The same blue sky.
One universe
I have to give credit to Thich Naht Hanh for really bringing this teaching to the forefront of my attention. When we drink tea, there’s a cloud in the tea. Before we we born, we lived inside our parents, and before that, in our grandparents. After we die, the ripples we left in the world will continue. There is no birth, no death, and no independent self.
There is no such thing as a tree independent of the earth, the clouds, the air, the sun. The entire universe is a system that inter-is, changes and morphs through time. Seeing in this way promotes a felt sense of connection.
The art of Alex Grey underscores both of these forms of oneness, for me:
I’m only now realizing that there’s a subtle latticework permeating each artwork above. Could this be a symbol of oneness that connects us all?
For me, spirituality is not about belief in a deity or anything supernatural (like reincarnation). It’s about putting down the illusion of separateness, and waking up to our oneness with each other and the universe.
danscreativeoulet 