The Benefits and Meaning of Being Spiritual

Are you looking for reasons to bring more spirituality into your life? Well, then you’re not alone. There comes a time in everyone’s life when they start contemplating being more spiritual and the true meaning of spirituality. While the effects of being spiritual have to be experienced personally, there is a large body of scientific research that has identified a number of benefits associated with being spiritual. According to Psychology Today, spiritual people have more positive relationships and are more optimistic, compassionate, gracious and self-actualized. Furthermore, research in the medical field shows that being spiritual has a positive impact on health and healing.

Spirituality can mean a number of different things to different people. According to research compiled by the University of Maryland’s Medical Center, spirituality has many different definitions that include: a belief in the existence of a higher power, feeling connected with other living beings, and being aware of a meaning or purpose of life.  Below, we share an excerpt from one of Sadhguru’s talks where he brings clarity to what being spiritual really means and why people are sometimes reluctant to be spiritual:

“Today, most people in the world, especially young people, have developed a certain allergy towards spirituality. This has happened because spirituality has been presented in such an ugly way. People have come to understand spirituality as not eating properly, sitting on the roadside and begging. People understand spirituality as living a terrible life, torturing yourself and above all being anti-life—you should somehow not enjoy your life and must suffer it in every possible way.

Being spiritual has got nothing to do with your external. You can be spiritual whether you live in a hut or a palace. Living in a hut or a palace is either about your choice or social and economic compulsions. It has got nothing to do with your spirituality.

To be spiritual means to experientially know, “I am the source of my joy.” Right now, you believe that something or somebody else is the source of your joy so you are always at their mercy. If you realise and experientially know that you are the source of your joy, wouldn’t you be joyous all the time? It is not even a choice. The very life seeks to be joyous. If you look at your life, you educate yourself, you want money, a house, a family, children; you want all these things because you have a hope that someday they will bring joy to you. But now, you are piled up with too many things and joy is the one thing that has been forgotten.

People have become miserable because they have a deep misunderstanding of what life is. “No! But my husband, my wife, my mother-in-law…” Yes, all of them are there, but it is you who chooses to be miserable because you have made investments in misery. You think that by being miserable, you will get something. Let us say, somebody in your family starts doing something that you don’t want them to do. You will make yourself miserable and go around with a long face hoping that it will produce results. You are willing to cause misery to yourself with the intention of getting something. Once you are miserable, what is the use even if you have heaven in your hands? But if you are a joyous person, even if you have nothing in your hands, who cares? If you are truly joyous, does it matter what you have or don’t have or whom you have or don’t have? Please understand, your caring and loving, your needing and wanting to own this or that is just with the simple hope that it will bring joy to you.

People always ask me this question, “What is the difference between a spiritual and a materialistic person?” As a joke, I tell them, a materialistic person earns only his food. For everything else—for joy, for peace, for love—he has to beg. A spiritual person earns everything himself—his love, his peace, his joy. He begs only for his food and if he wants, he can earn that also.”

Now that you have clarity about what it truly means to be a spiritual person, tell us what further steps you will take in your spiritual journey today?