Spirituality is realising, knowing, believing and living in awareness of the spiritual/divine aspects of life, which includes God, divine beings and the soul. Discovering and experiencing them and making them an essential part of life constitutes a large part of spirituality.
Spirituality also involves the awareness of the spiritual powers within us and the spirit world outside us. As the awareness and acceptance of these aspects become stronger, the person becomes more spiritual.
The Avesta word for spirituality is mainyu, which comes from the same root as manah “the mind”. This indicates that the mind is the corridor which leads to the spirit world.
One of the best ways to know that one is on the path to spirituality, is when one is able to recognize the divinity within matter, first within oneself, then in other humans, and finally in all creations, animate as well as seemingly inanimate. This realization leads one to the higher truth that the primal source and beginning of all creations is in pure light, that all matter comes from it and has to finally culminate into it.
Since the spiritual aspects of life are hidden to the senses, they have to be searched and discovered. Spirituality is thus an active, conscious process that requires one to understand, search and connect.
Zoroastrian religion does not give preference to spirituality over material life. It gives equal importance to both, as each is necessary for the other.
In Zoroastrianism, the emphasis on ethics and rituals, have misled some people, especially youngsters, to believe that to be the end result of religion. However, ethics and rituals are means towards spirituality, and not ends by themselves.
Religious teachings and practices are generally expected to lead man towards spirituality. However, when the real message of the religion gets enmeshed with selfish interests and hypocrisy, then spirituality diminishes from the religion.
All aspects of a religion have to be understood and embraced in balance. There should be no fanaticism and rigidity in religious practice. One should go beyond the form and try to look for the purpose behind a practice.
Religion has to be an aid to spirituality. It provides teachings and world-view often in a metaphorical form which people can relate to and use easily and unconsciously. The purpose of religion is to transfer a human being to a divine level with the help of mind and energy.
Religion may be compared to a ladder to be used to ascend to higher levels. It is to be considered a means, and not the end. People become so pre-occupied with the means (ladder) – like its colour, its texture its material, ways to ascend, which foot forward, and how many steps at a time, that in due course they totally forget that the ladder is just a means to go to the higher levels, and its importance ends there.
There are several paths to spirituality, some predominating in knowledge, some in love, some in service and some in practices, prayers and rituals. A person is free to choose the path, preferably within the framework of one’s religion and belief system, that is best suited to one’s nature and temperament. It is necessary to be understanding and tolerant towards other paths and their adherents.
Several Zoroastrian concepts, like the full Avestan name of the religion, the five divisions of the day, the emphasis on “energy”, the recurrence of words for harmony and unity, composition of human constituents, and the Avestan word for prayer, when probed deeper, start exhibiting glimpses of spirituality.
The ultimate benefit of spirituality is feeling whole, complete, unfragmented, at peace with oneself and in harmony with the creations.
Ramiyar Karanjia 