There are many different religions and spiritual teachings but all religions and teachings have one thing in common.   They all teach that there is a “soul” and that the soul is embodied into a physical form during this life and that it lives on after our physical death. Religions also agree that there are consequences after our death which are related to the things we do in this physical life. With this as the general agreement, one question still remains.  Why does the soul have to enter into a physical body and then leave again after the body dies?  Why can’t the soul just remain out of the body forever and avoid all the problems and temptations that plague it during physical life?  What is the purpose of the soul?  Why did it come here?

The answer about the purpose of the soul can be discussed in two different ways. One answer is that the soul has the purpose of guiding the body through a very difficult landscape where the body itself actually can find a purpose of its own.  We can see many purposes of the body, for instance, in term of eating, breathing and growing.  Then we can see the purpose of eventual reproduction of the physical body through birth and the raising of children.  But isn’t there more purpose than just having babies? Apart from the purpose of the body, the soul seems to have a purpose and this is the real question we are here to answer.

In fact, the purpose of the soul is to earn a reward for something that is possible to achieve but only through a physical means. Because of the fact that it is more difficult to do something in the physical world, the soul has an opportunity to accomplish or achieve something beyond its normal opportunities when it is “out-of-the body”. What are those accomplishments that the soul can achieve?  First we must understand the position of the soul when it doesn’t have a body to inhabit.  Free unearned enjoyment as an unencumbered soul certainly sounds great to us but we may have trouble imagining how it can also be an embarrassment when considered in the context of being “unearned” or never struggled for in the physical plane.

An example which might make this more clear is to consider a child who is born to extremely rich parents and is dressed up in perfectly clean clothes and sent off to school.  As he is walking to school, he passes the slums of the city and he sees other boys his age playing with each other in the dirt.  The poor boys cannot afford to go to school like the rich boy and they point their fingers at him and make fun of him for wearing such ridiculous clothes.  “Look at his tie!” they say and laugh with each other and then run off to play.

The child feels embarrassed of his clothing and wants to take it off and go play like the other kids in the dirt.  He wants to be “tough” and “independent” and “able to take care of himself”.  He walks on to school that day but he decides to carry a second set of clothes with him from now on and change into his dirty clothes after he leaves his parents house each morning.  He decides to leave a bit earlier in the morning and he takes a detour into the slums to play with the other kids as if he were “only a poor kid” himself. His plan actually works and he begins to make friends with the poor kids of the slums.

The purpose that this child is after is the same purpose that the soul is after when it enters into a body.  The soul chooses to enter into a difficult environment in order to feel like it is “one of the tough kids” and to feel as though it has somehow “earned its integrity” as an individual.  After playing with the poor kids from the slums for many mornings, the child may actually gain something positive and learn to be more self-sufficient.  He may grow into a stronger person who can protect others or instill confidence in them.  It is possible for good things to come out of this scenario although we all know that it is more likely that the child will end up in trouble in most cases. This is because the soul often forgets itself and gets carried away in the moment.

Although it is certainly dangerous take a detour into the slums, the child would hopefully remember to put his clean clothes back on after 30 or forty minutes and get back on the path to school.  If he missed the entire day, he might get into a lot of trouble from his parents and find himself locked in his room for a whole week. He might even get kidnapped and never find his way back to his parents again. Living in the slums is a lot more difficult than simply playing in the slums and there can be dire consequences if the child decides to leave his parents and forego his schooling altogether.

Nonetheless, there are certain benefits which this child may get from playing with the poor kids from the slums each morning and then returning on his path to school each day.  He may find that he becomes a stronger, more compassionate person after having befriended these other less fortunate children. He may discover that they are only a lot like himself and he may even make a permanent friend who he can invite back to his house one day to meet his parents.

If the soul is successful in this life, it can reach a much greater reward in the next world but this task is extremely dangerous and risky for the soul. It may also become trapped in this world and find it impossible to ever get out.  If it fails to ride the fence between two worlds, it may even be punished for its actions. It is imperative that the soul remember it’s true purpose for coming into the physical world and navigate carefully so as to not fall off its real path. This is the ultimate soul purpose and the opportunity that exists for all of us in the physical world.

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Spiritual awakening refers to soul awakening, self-development, self-transformation, leading a balanced and integrated life, leading an internally joyous life, and leading a spiritual life.

In one sense, spiritual awakening is ingrained as the by default universal purpose in the DNA of each of us. And we are already undergoing spiritual transformation – the pace and method and outward conditions differ. Becoming conscious of this silent awakening, we become open to make little practical steps in our life to expedite the process.

When we look around and see the world, we find that there is a gradual progression in the manifestation of spirit or consciousness in nature.

There are mountains, hills, stones, ground, river and other water bodies that seem to be inert or dead. We sense the functioning of spirit in them as well. Mountains and rivers have their own cycles of life.

The next advanced form comes in the form of plants and animals. There is gradual complexity from one celled plants and animals to giant ones.

We find the pinnacle of the manifestation of consciousness in human beings. Let us become humble because with this truth comes the great responsibility for manifesting the full potential of spirit in our life. Perhaps it is the true purpose of all of us; rather all of us are guided by destiny and our present actions to serve this purpose in conscious and unconscious ways.

When we experience that there is something grand, something magnificent, supernatural or some creative or governing principle in life, whatever you call him – and remember it is not about thinking, it is about experiencing – we open ourselves to the possibility of spiritual awakening on a conscious level.

Spiritual awakening is a gradual process; it is the unwritten commandment that we are unconsciously following. The only need is to become aware of it and then making little steps toward it consciously.

The Four Classes Of Spiritually Advancing Persons:

When we are leading a normal life, we are also making spiritual advancement. It is happening passively.

When we are leading a religious life, following truly the teachings of any religion, we are progressing toward this goal much faster. The original teachings of each of the different religions revolves around the same principles that progress us spiritually.

The core practices of any religious path are practiced by very few individuals, and they are the scientific means of spiritual awakening. Few individuals are able to dive deep enough in these precious teachings and implement them in their lives. They are truly practicing the essence of all religions even though they might be following a particular religious path.

Next in line are the spiritual teachings. They are different from religions and morality, even though they include all the good things of them. Spiritual teachings are the direct means of spiritual awakening in a direct and practical way. These are the underlying science of all religions. They are the different pathways of freedom in Spirit.

The spiritual development can be tremendously advanced when we come in contact with spiritually advanced or enlightened person. It is like transformation of a piece of iron into a magnet by coming in contact with a magnet.

Understanding The Practical Aspect Of Spiritual Awakening:

Spiritual awakening is the unfolding of Spirit in us. We know in theory that we are souls but our thoughts, speech and behavior are far away from the spiritually attuned life.

Under normal conditions, we are influenced and attached to objects of five senses of sound, touch, vision, taste and smell, and to prejudices, biases and conditioning of our mind.

When we are advancing spiritually, we become connected at first with our own soul – the consciousness in us. And then, Spirit begins to influence our mind and body. This is like gradual spiritualization of our entire being.

We become more peaceful, more content, more productive, more integrated, more in harmony with us and with all of nature. We feel connected. The bonds of senses and bad habits begin to loose their hold on us.

Ultimately they shed off as if they had been foreign to us. We begin to accept ourselves, we become more connected, and we manifest the joy that is our nature. Remember pleasure is derived from contact of desired sense objects to senses and joy is our internal nature.

I remember the saying of one great saint. He preached to his disciples, “The true sign of spiritual advancement is getting non-causal joy during your spiritual practices and feeling glimpses of it during your working hours. Gradually as you become more and more intoxicated with this joy, know that you are progressing in Spirit. You will be fulfilled with this joy like no other things.” This equals to the rejoicing in Spirit mentioned the teaching of Christianity.

Another important sign is feeling connected with all – nature, men and women and with all that exists. At first, the feeling of connectedness will be with our own self. Then, this experience will broaden and broaden. The whole life, whole nature, the universe will feel connected.

Most people attach miracles with spiritual advancement. It is non-issue with spiritually awakened person. Miracles are the normal functioning of spiritually advanced individuals. They are more able to experience and work through deep states of consciousness. It is natural to them.

The most important thing is to realize and accept that we are here for spiritual awakening. This realization could be instant under some instances, or it could be gradual like in most cases.

Second step is making little steps leading a more healthy, intelligent and balanced life. Third step is following spiritual practices and then adhering to some specific one that is more appealing to us.

Fourth step is not worrying too much about spiritual awakening. When you eat healthy and exercise and follow some good diet plan, you grow healthier naturally, day by day, each day. The same applies to spiritual growth. Leave this part to Spirit. Let Him take care.
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The difference between the soul and the spirit has a lot to do with “whose” soul and “what” spirit we are actually talking about. Most people refer to the soul and the spirit as being connected to specific people and each of us is often said to have a “soul” or a “spirit” which will live on after our physical body dies. This is usually enough to satisfy those of us with a passing interest in the subject and little more is ever required on the topic after that.  Of course, there are others who become more curious about spiritual topics during their life and they wish to get a better understanding of what these terms mean.
   
If we are talking about a particular person’s “soul” or their “spirit”, we can say that there is a difference between these two things.  Still, if we found ourselves at the gates of Heaven and the question was posed to us “Choose your soul or your spirit”, which would we choose?   In a case similar to this one, we can begin to make sense out of the difference between a person’s soul and their spirit.  The essential difference which gives meaning to these terms can also help us to understand ourselves more readily.
    
Typically, the idea of a soul is something which is more closely associated with a person’s physical body. This is the main essence of what sets these two terms apart. Although the spirit is also associated with the body, the association is not a “necessary” association as it is with the soul. The “soul” of the Buddha, for example, can be said to be associated with the physical man Siddhartha Gautama Buddha who was born in Nepal several centuries before Jesus and who was raised by his father and his mother’s sister. He lived and breathed and ate a lot of food and he was a great teacher for many decades. 
    
If the “soul” of the Buddha were not associated with that physical body that we know from history, then we would not be able to say it was the “Buddha’s soul” at all.  We would need to connect it to that physical body in order to be appropriately talking about his “soul”.  If we weren’t speaking of his body, then we might say it was someone else’s soul or we might say that it was the Buddha’s “spirit”.
    
Now we can see where the difference between “soul” and “spirit” starts to become apparent.  There are many things about the “Buddha” which really have nothing to do with the physical body of the man who lived in Nepal.  What is meant when we talk about these other attributes is that they are part of the Buddha’s “spirit” which lives on today even after all the qualities of his body and discussions about his physical history have ended.  If the discussion isn’t associated with a physical body, then we can’t really say that it is a “soul” discussion. Instead, we can say it is someone’s “spirit” we are discussing because we begin to discuss the term in ways that are no longer associated with the physical body. 
   
In typical discussions about the soul, people often talk about individual lives and the emotions which that person struggled with or is struggling with in their own spiritual quest for happiness.  The soul is said to live on after physical death but it may continue to struggle even after the physical body is gone. The spirit, however, does not usually find itself in the discussion of “emotional struggle” so much as it does in the discussion of “intentions” and “activations” and “influencing” of people and things.  The spirit can be discussed in terms which go beyond the body even more so than the soul. Although the spirit of a person is with them when they are physically alive and the soul is also there, it is the spirit which activates both of these and which goes beyond the soul in many instances.  Everything which has a soul also has a spirit, but everything that has a spirit does not always have a soul. This is the essential difference between these two terms.
  
In summary, we can now say what our answer would be at Heaven’s gate when we were asked to choose between our soul and our spirit?  First we might ask a little question of our own; “Who’s asking me this?” Then if we found that the person who was asking us was a trusted guide such as Jesus or Buddha or St. Peter, we could confidently choose the “spirit” because it is the spirit which gives life to the soul and which gives life to all things even after their physical form has changed. It is in the “spirit” of Heaven that this question would have been posed and giving up our “soul” in order to get into Heaven would surely be the best choice if such a question were ever asked. Goodbye to the soul and hello to the spirit as we move into a new phase of our spiritual growth! Amen.

Because of the fact that spirituality and mysticism are often such vague areas of knowledge, there can actually be quite a bit of confusion about the idea of a spiritual awakening.  One of the most popular places that people hear about a spiritual awakening is in the programs of Alcoholics Anonymous or any of the other 12-step programs. 

The 12th and final step suggests the possibility that a person can have a spiritual awakening and therefore arrive at some kind of final condition wherein their spiritual journey is said to be complete.  The idea of coming to an “end”, however, is problematic in spirituality and this is the reason we need to be clear about what is meant about a spiritual awakening. Great sages like Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Lao Tzu and Sri Aurobindo have discussed these confusions in detail and suggested that the condition may be extremely rare even though it is often reported y many individuals.
    
The idea of “waking up” spiritually might be best understood by imagining that people are all relatively “asleep” when it comes to the reality of their day to day lives. Oftentimes, when you are asleep, you don’t even realize that you are asleep because your dream can seem so real!  This is a similar experience in relation to the spiritual “slumber”. 
    
People who first enter a spiritual recovery program or spiritual group of any kind can all be said to be somewhat “asleep” in terms of their awareness about what is real or what is most valuable in their lives.  They seek out the instruction of other more experienced individuals to help them to “wake up” to the realities of the world around them.  This can often be a very difficult and even traumatic experience as we don’t particularly like to wake up to reality anymore than we like to be awoken from a good dream when we are asleep in our beds.  Nonetheless, if we stick around a spiritual group long enough, we begin to become more aware of certain things and can be said to be “awakening” to a new reality.
    
The full significance of a spiritual awakening, however, is often much more extreme than most of us realize.  We may have experienced certain dreams at night where we thought you had been awake and actually visited many “real” places such as our job, our school or our home but then later we discovered that none of this was real.  We had either fallen abck asleep without realizing it or we had only been going through another dream, very lucid, yet unreal nonetheless. 
   
This “dream” experience is also very common among people who begin to study spiritual truths and become very excited when they feel that they are finally “waking up”.  The reality of this “waking up” as a full blown spiritual awakening, however, is very far from a reality in most cases. As one great sage once said “You are mistaking a crack in the mirror for the full light of noon!”  A spiritual awakening is something that is actually much more profound and comprehensive than most people realize.  These experiences are classically restricted to a very small percentage of the population throughout history and have been discussed in many great books such as the Bhagavad Gita, the Kaballah and the New Testament. 
    
There is wide agreement amongst some of the world’s most notable spiritual teachers that only one in ten million people will ever truly become awakened to the full reality of the spiritual condition of mankind!  Can this be true?   The reason it may be correct is that spiritual work actually requires extreme dedication and effort over many years before a person can typically be said to become completely awakened to their spirit.  Muhammad is known to have spent years in mediation before finally becoming “Enlightened” and certain issues surrounding life and death and the eternity of the soul are very profound and can only be intuited by those who witness extreme tragedies or experience near death transformations in their lives.  Even after these extreme experiences, people often return to their original state and are only changed in a very profound way rather than being completely “awakened” to their spirit. 
   
A spiritual awakening is something more grand than many people have likely been capable of understanding after simply hearing about the subject.  The rarity of the experience, however, can provide great inspiration to those who would choose to devote their lives to that same spiritual quest.  These great spirits have included such names as Muhammad, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Krishna, St. Paul, Ramana Maharshi, Gautama Buddha, Lao Tzu, Jesus Christ and many others. 
    
The quest for a spiritual awakening can make a person into one of the most influential figures in history, as th previous list suggests.  If you set your course for the stars, you may just reach it someday! Once you do, there will be no more doubt about whether you have arrived or not.

Some things just don’t seem to go together.  Cats and dogs, oil and water, coffee and lemon juice?  Actually, many people are quick to judge whether science and mysticism can actually go together because the two subjects seem a lot like oil and water.

Science is a very rigid means and method for determining the truth about the world around us and it produces extremely accurate and repeatable data that can be proven over and over again right before your very eyes!  Many scientists are so impressed by the facts which are obtained in their experiments that they come to believe that there is really nothing else in the world which can be used to determine accurate dependable truth apart from science.

Mysticism is almost the exact opposite of science.  Mysticism is a means and method of obtaining truth which comes entirely from within the area of a persons own subjective experience.  If you experience a strange sensation or a sudden transformation within yourself, the changes which take place might be explained by a mystic to be the evolution of your higher Self and this will be something that only you can decide for yourself even if you meet another famous mystic who tells you that you are only experiencing a hallucination!  How any mystic can expect to feel confident about his or her version of truth often makes the scientist laugh out loud when he hears about it!

Although these two subjects have stood in staunch opposition to one another over the centuries, the dawn of a new science known as quantum mechanics has brought about an arena where science and mysticism are now studied together as one subject.  Maybe cats and dogs can get along after all!  Early physicists such as Werner Heisenberg, Max Planck and Edwin Shroedinger discovered that subatomic particles behave in a manner which suggests that the old scientific principle of “cause and effect” no longer works as well as they thought.  Some things in nature just don’t behave according to the laws of physics and they never will.  For this reason, it became necessary for modern physicists like David Bohm and Henry Stapp to consider more mystical approaches to the understanding of sub-atomic particles.  This has led to a modern scientific interest in the subject of consciousness and how a person’s subjective condition can actually affect the results of a scientific experiment.

Many people today are familiar with the way that scientists often set up their experiments in such as way as to affect the way he results will look.  If they choose certain test subjects based on certain preferences, for example, they will come up with completely different answers than another scientist who chooses different test subjects for different reasons.  This phenomena has also brought about a renewed interest in the study of “double-blind experiments” which often suggest a hidden bias on the part of the scientist.
A famous psychiatrist by the name of Dr. David R. Hawkins is one of the leading researchers in the connection between science and mysticism. Dr. Hawkins has developed a scientific test which employs the use of a person’s own subjective consciousness into an experiment and also suggests that the inherent biases of the subject can be bypassed by simply using this method known as “kinesiologic calibration”.  If his method proves to be useful in the future, it will mean a great breakthrough in the world of science and mysticism; two subjects which have previously appeared to be like coffee and lemon juice!  Come to think of it, I think I’ll go see if that lemon juice tastes good in my coffee!

Many people claim to be spiritual but are either fooling themselves or fooling others and this can be extremely damaging to someone who is honestly trying to find serious answers to their most important questions.  This is a collection of the characteristics of a true spiritual person which will make it easier for you to check your best intuitions and make sure you aren’t being fooled by someone who is really just out to serve their own ego.

One of the first things you can look for in a spiritual person is whether they are saying something that has always been true from the beginning or whether they are giving you a version of truth that is dependant upon certain conditions and circumstances in their own life.  What they are saying should be something that includes everyone and not just a certain “sect” of people.  Their ideas should be open to all people and there need not be any “secrets” or “mysteries” about what they are trying to convey to you.

The next important characteristic to look for in a true spiritual person is the willingness that they have to offer their ideas free to others, at least in part.  Although teachers often have to charge their students for book printing, advertisements and travel expenses, it should become apparent if they have something to gain besides the simple joy of spreading their message.  Oftentimes, truly spiritual people will charge for some of their lectures but they will also offer some free sessions as well.

Another characteristic to look for is that they should not be seeking power for power’s sake.  Oftentimes, a person who appears to be fighting a particular ‘cause’ is actually caught in a power struggle with their supposed “enemies” and this actually represents a limited position in life.  True spirituality recognizes the dominion of peace over all other forms of power.  A spiritual person does not need to ‘fight for a cause’ because peace is its own end and its own reward. Peace does not have any needs or desires except in as much as it seeks to share itself with others who seek its same sovereignty. This does not require ‘fighting’ for anything external.

A true spiritual person places no demands, requirements or controlling rules and regulations on anyone else and only offers suggestions to those who wish to find that same peace within themselves.  Peace is an inside job and others should be free to come and go around a spiritual person and do not need to be persuaded, coerced or intimidated into believing what someone else says.  Spiritual people already are total and complete in and of themselves and don’t need to gain ‘followers’ or adherents to their truth, although this may happen of its own.  Spiritual people remain non-involved in world affairs and, even when the world seeks to pull them into its theatrical, glamorized arena, they remain non-attached and peaceful.

The characteristics of a true spiritual person are that they have no need to change the world and see all of life as deserving of absolute reverence.  This is God’s world, although the ego may sometimes tell us otherwise. Spiritual people seek to avoid the things which are unhealthy rather than trying to oppose those things. They see the simple beauty and perfection of all that exists and feel a compassion for all life rather than an emotional involvement.

Although a true spiritual person is often respected by others around them, they reject any special treatment and remain humble. They do not depend on the authority of any other person, place, institution or historical document in order to maintain their spiritual qualities but merely espouse certain teachings or teachers as a way of affirming the truth which they are already know within themselves. Truth is the same no matter who speaks it or at what time or place in history. If it is true that a person should ‘love his mother’ then it is true regardless of whether anyone says it or not. Spiritual people know what is true and don’t require the need to ‘prove’ their awareness to others.  They are content with merely knowing that truth and then living it according to the way it has worked for them. These are what the characteristics of a true spiritual person are.

What is spirituality? How do you define it for yourself and what does it ultimately mean to you in your life? How you define spirituality for yourself has a big impact on your experience and also your relationship to this intangible dimension of life that we all long to know more intimately. On a very fundamental level we can define spirituality as everything that deals with matters of our spirit (or our soul). Each and every one of us have an aspect of ourselves that is invisible but still very real. In fact this invisible part of ourselves is the very essence of our lives and spirituality is about being connected with this spiritual part while being in the physical world.

We all have spiritual experiences all the time. Spirituality is not just about recognizing these spiritual experiences, but consciously seeking these experiences and to develop a greater sensitivity to the spiritual in life. It’s about growing this tiny spark that’s inside each and every one of us to become a more dominant force in your everyday life. By nurturing the seeds of divinity that’s inside each and every one of us, you can start to deliberately work with the very ‘laws’ that govern all of life and the physical world.

Everything in the physical world emanates from an invisible source. Spirituality connects you with this profoundly and powerful divine force that’s present in all of the universe. So often we try and change our physical circumstances by ‘moving things around’ in the physical world. The transforming truth about spirituality is that the solutions to our external conditions lie inside. The outer world flows from the inner world. When you are connected to your own spirituality you are connected to the very source of everything in the world. You uplift your world by first transforming and uplifting your own inner world and your inner vision.

The greatest challenge is that many people define spirituality by religious connotations and religion is almost exclusively based on outward experience and conforming to someone else’s rules. Spirituality is not so much about external observations, but more about inner experiences. It is deeply personal and something that only you can truly define for yourself since these inner experiences are often very hard to fully express in words and explanations.

Since the seeds of divinity is already inside you (it is the essence of life), hearing the right words may trigger within you your own awakening to a higher level of consciousness. This is a spiritual consciousness that transcends the physical world and your ordinary sensory perceptions of life. From this point of view religion can be very useful in assisting you to find your own spiritual centre, but religion without spirituality can be very empty and most often it becomes an emotional experience rather than a spiritual one.

For the most part religion is riddled with superstition, rules and dogma. It’s predominantly based on someone else’s beliefs and experiences rather the personal experience of God within. It’s a bit like wearing someone else’s shoes – even if it is the right size it feels uncomfortable, but if you wear it enough eventually you get used to it until it becomes your very own.

One of the most powerful and useful ways to define spirituality for yourself is to recognize and nurture that divine spark deep within you. As you grow in your understanding of this spiritual dimension you will be able to transcend the illusion of everyday awareness. Ultimately spirituality is about enriching your experience of life and to see a greater sense of meaning and purpose in life. Regardless of how you define spirituality, it is that still silent voice deep within. It is your spirit and it is your constant companion on life’s journey. It is your own personal connection to the higher intelligence that’s present in all of life.

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