In his poison arrow parable (also called “A Brief Talk to Malukya”) the Buddha himself suggested: “Whether the world is or is not eternal or the life force is or is not the same as the body, still there is birth, aging, death, sadness, regret, unease, depression, and anxiety. So there’s no... 2: Mantras.
Your email address will not be published. Whether you want to be a chef, a doctor, or a pornographic film maker, the choices you make are entirely yours, and you have all the power to create make your life into a work of art, unique and totally yours. In other words, the argument follows this form: “If p, then q; not q; therefore not p” – where “p” is the premise that God exists, as defined by Judeo-Christianity. Some feel that if I am spiritual, that I’m open to hear all about their brand of spirituality, maybe even coming over to their side. It’s called Acem  [7]. For instance, why not try mindful writing. So let’s get this straight: anyone can meditate! I respect your decisions about how to represent your beliefs to others. We’re getting close to that point, but we’re not quite there yet. Tells you all you need to know.

belief in nothingness is by definition spiritual.

Mantras are simply words or sounds that are repeated. of no paltering and no evasion, and the need of the world, now as

Thank you for putting many of my feelings into words! Live life as you want to, or just wait it out. They don’t believe in God. I’m a Humanist, but if people ask, I say atheist because there is no ambiguity. To my mind, religion is somewhat distinct from spirituality and in its institutional form can be a lot more about ego, money, and power than enlightenment. Comment by raysny — December 28, 2010 @ 8:08 pm The third type of person doesn’t force themselves to stick to one type of religion or spirituality. Atheists get that, and it is important, maybe even essential, to our species’ psychological makeup to feel this way. I have only seen some of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos television series. Embracing the idea that you will die also becomes liberating. I’ll have none of it. Granted, people’s spirituality will vary as much as people do, so just saying you’re “spiritual” without more doesn’t tell a person much specific. Science has proven that spirituality is very healthy (the link above shows why). Great article!

There are five excellent non-religious meditation techniques atheists and agnostics will love. I’ve always felt that the outlook of an atheist had the potential to be equally as spiritual/poetic as that of any religious person. I like to think that, even without the existence of a God, life itself is beautiful and a bit magical in it’s own right. NOUN: | Reply. I reject that dualism and believe that what humans have metaphorically called the mind/soul/spirit emanates from the material. Just like there is no one way that believers worship, there is no one way that atheists confront the challenges inherent in the human condition. :).

Everyone I explain spirituality to says “Really?! Paradox, but truth. You can’t put a label on God and say, “Here is God.” Scientists are the biggest atheists of us all. I agree with your Buddhism, I agree that rationality isn’t all there is, and that beauty, awe, and yes, mystery and such-like are vital to a good life. I’m sure that everyone can (and will) define it as they see fit, but I think this is talking about atheism as specifically the rejection of the ideas of deity and religion. Or maybe agree in some way. Think of how mind boggling it is that for about 150,000 years human beings, no different than you and me, walked the Earth with other human-lik…

They objectively study and measure everything. Change ). I would be interested to know where Sam Harris makes a case for atheist spirituality. Four thousand years has left a stain. This is exacerbated by how easily any fool calls himself an atheist, without understanding how much responsibility it is to be one! It seems the world refuses to accept the idea of non-religious meditation. They are the ones with open minds. Who knows? Interesting article and one which opens the door to a dialogue between the atheist and the theist. I love all 5 things you list. This really is a fantastic technique. These religious and godly associations are a *major* part of the word, and I don’t know that you’re going to make them go away (or make people understand what you are saying), nor am I convinced that “reclaim” is the right word to use here (although I get that Ann Druyan is trying to “reclaim” the word, too). Carl Sagan made a good case for non-theist spirituality as well, one of the best in my opinion. I am an unabashed, unapologetic atheist–thus the title of my blog. “of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit : incorporeal For Sam, I would recommend The End of Faith. And I can understand that. This mentality helps them to avoid being consumed by any one belief. All species on earth were at one time connected, we all share certain common characteristics passed on through eons in our DNA strands, and we are just one link in a chain whose future is uncertain. Because there are more than 100 health benefits of meditation. This is why the third type of person (above) is the best. M-W gives me one, “sensitivity or attachment to religious values”. Comment by SAJohnson — December 27, 2010 @ 8:46 am Learn about us. I know those church-goers think they own everything. Comment by Laurance — December 28, 2010 @ 10:53 am.

The size and scale of the universe are unfathomable, and the age is beyond comprehension. Perfect. Required fields are marked *. Like many words, “spirit” has multiple meanings. Even if you hate everything spiritual, you can just ignore the spiritual parts.

And surely Nike is not religious (even if their name is actually based on an old Greek god). Spirituality, no matter how conceived,  is one of the most delicate, personal, and complex capabilities of the human mind. ever, is for clear-cut issues and unambiguous speech.” Once someone accepts that their death is inevitable, they begin to lose tolerance for doing something they hate doing. I have been explaining my spirituality to people on this blog since the end of last May and I have not had a single person try to explain to me why their spirituality is better.

One of the most beautiful meditations in the world is to focus on pure silence. Though I dislike the word spirituality itself, mainly due to all its religious connotations, I understand the word’s significance. And surely there can’t be anything religious about that. The word “spiritual” is now one of those terms that really doesn’t mean anything anymore. A lot of atheists, humanists, and other nonbelievers are leery or dismissive of meditation and mindfulness. As Stephen Batchelor says in Confessions Of A Buddhist Atheists, “[Mindfulness] is not concerned with anything transcendent or divine.


So inevitably, any practice that is more than 100 years old will likely be tied to some spirituality.

I’m going to guess that you are in the third group, that you are not religious, nor even particularly spiritual, but that you are open-minded enough to believe that some meditative exercises could be helpful for you even though it did originate from a faith [that much is just historical fact]. This is an effortless practise that clearly is not remotely spiritual, and it is significantly beneficial for your health. Spirituality best expresses my experience so I am going to continue to use it. I don’t think it needs to be called “spiritual.” They are awesome independent of labels. If you tell someone you meditate, they’ll presume you are religious or at least somewhat spiritual. I have had the most engaging conversations about spirituality and values with a colleague who is a devout Mormon who knows very clearly that I am an atheist (and who I know opposes my right to marry–because I am very happy to be gay). It’s kind of insulting and ridiculous that you’re commenting on an article you never bothered to read. I challenge you to read this actual definition of spirituality and then tell me whether you are spiritual or not (You will be surprised. “Spirituality” on the other hand does have communicative value for me. As Inigo Montoya said… You keep saying that word. -Chapman Cohen-, Comment by raysny — December 28, 2010 @ 8:00 pm Spirituality and science don’t agree on much.

I tend to disagree. You could have included a new heading under Creation. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Or how incredible it is that we share a common ancestor with both a dragonfly and a grapefruit. But for an excellent read that takes only 30 min or so, his Letter to a Christian Nation is outstanding and compelling. It’s a beautifully written piece, well done. Now anytime people see someone meditating, they instantly think “Religious person.”. There are many different types of non-religious meditations that non-spiritualists can use. If you stop yourself from doing anything remotely spiritual or religious, you will be severely limiting your life. You might wonder what a mantra is? I wish that really smart and attractive guy would deep-six it and use his bright brains to find better words to describe what he’s doing. ), “Further, spirituality and materialism are opposed to each other only if one accepts the false dualism inherent in belief in a mind/soul/spirit separate from the body. A problem with most religious discussions is the polarising and unknowledgeable view they have of atheism. ‘Spirituality is simply an adjective that is used to describe the search for one’s place in the universe.’. Is meditation religious and spiritual?

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