Concept and definition of spirituality. What is spirituality? Manifestations of spirituality in everyday life

What is spirituality? It does not have an ideal and final definition; it cannot be described as any object. Sociologists define spirituality as the search for the “sacred,” where this “sacred” is broadly defined as different from the ordinary, everyday, it is worthy of veneration and respect. It can be defined in various ways: faith in certain forces that control the Universe, a sense of interconnection with all living beings, awareness of the purpose and meaning of life, improvement of personal qualities, peace of mind. That in which every person finds meaning, hope, inner peace for your life.

What spirituality is has been interpreted differently in different historical periods. It has most often been associated with religious life, but it is not defined by religion and does not necessarily have to be associated with it. IN modern times the concept of “spirituality” is often associated with humanistic psychology, combined with mystical and esoteric traditions, Eastern religious and philosophical teachings aimed at developing the individual into a unique holistic system characterized by compassion, selflessness, altruism, and a rich inner world.

What is spirituality? To enjoy life fully, all expressions of our essence must be balanced. Mind, soul, body must be in harmony with each other. In theory, a person cannot focus exclusively on material things and neglect spiritual ones. Walking among beautiful landscapes, listening to genius, admiring a beautifully painted picture, reading a talented book, he is enchanted, reverent, delighted, enjoys - all this touches his soul. There are many wonderful ways in which human spirituality manifests itself, but which cannot be explored using scientific methods because it involves deeply personal, subjective experiences. Its essence lies in the search for one’s own “I”, which helps to discover the true nature of consciousness. Unable to explain his own, he identifies himself with his thoughts, feelings, and memories.

A person's spiritual growth plays an important role, although different people's views on how to understand it will vary based on experience, beliefs, and personality characteristics. But in general, it can be described as the result of focused attention on one’s inner life, gaining and changing the perception of the world around us, when a person comes to the understanding that serving people is a priority. When he comes to understand his true nature, he is freed from many fears, discovering that he does not depend on the circumstances in the world around him. He becomes less self-centered, less in need of approval or recognition, does not focus on material things, and does not strive for a high social position. A truly developed spiritual life can offer many benefits, both emotional and physical. He becomes happier, healthier, more loving, more understanding.

What is spirituality in a religious context? It is the basis of the world's major religions and some humanistic ideologies. Thus, in India, spiritual experience is taught through yoga. Most people perceive it as certain physical postures, which are in fact only one of its components. Yoga is divided into four types or ways of experiencing spirituality related to the four basic instincts of man. Control of the mind, introspection, the ability to abstract from feelings and focus on the source of one’s thoughts. Love and commitment in relationships, understanding that love is the ultimate truth in the very heart of creation. Performing actions without any selfish motivation. The fourth way to understand spirituality is through reason, understanding how the laws of nature work as they work in the Universe.

Spirituality– the highest level of development and self-regulation of a mature personality, at which the highest human values become the main motivational and semantic regulators of its life activity.
General psychology. Dictionary

"Spirituality" often referred to as the unifying principles of society, expressed in the form of moral values and traditions, concentrated, as a rule, in religious teachings and practices, as well as in artistic images.
Wikipedia

Spirituality is the ability and willingness to act in such a way that the amount of good in the world around us increases.
Spirituality is a free mind and the ability to perceive difficulties and failures as a simulator for spiritual development.
Spirituality is the subtle ability to compassion and come to the rescue.
Spirituality is education, moral purity and integrity of worldview.
Spirituality is the absence of selfishness in a person’s thoughts, words and actions.

Benefits of Spirituality

Spirituality gives love - for people and life.
Spirituality makes it possible to understand and experience the beauty of the world around us.
Spirituality gives faith - in the highest justice.
Spirituality gives humility - in the face of the insurmountable.
Spirituality gives strength to improve oneself and the world around us.
Spirituality gives liberation - from the shackles of baseness, rudeness and malice.

Manifestations of spirituality in everyday life

Religion. Religion is justifiably called “spiritual food” - spirituality develops and manifests itself in faith.
Volunteering, charity. One of the manifestations of spirituality is selfless help to those in need, a sincere desire to alleviate their suffering.
Family relationships. A good family man and caring parent is spiritual.
Education, science. An educated person with a refined, developed intellect has spirituality.
Respect for the law. Law-abidingness, respect for moral and ethical standards accepted in society is one of the components of spirituality.
Art. Works of art carry a charge of spirituality inherent in their authors.

How to develop spirituality in yourself

Religion. Faith, following the biblical commandments is the path to the development of spirituality.
Education. Spirituality implies spiritual richness; One of the ways to achieve it is to gain new knowledge.
Volunteering and charity. By helping those who are weaker, those who find themselves in difficult life situations, a person not only shows spirituality, but also develops it.
Work on yourself. Developing spirituality in yourself means fighting your own selfishness, insensitivity, indifference and inactivity.
Communication with highly spiritual people - clergy, scientists, people of art, respect for their experience and knowledge helps to develop spirituality in oneself. It’s not for nothing that Christianity has the concept of “spiritual mentoring.”

Golden mean

Materiality, lack of spirituality

Spirituality

Idealism | an excess of misinterpreted spirituality, as a rejection of “worldly” joys in favor of spiritual development; development as an end in itself

Catchphrases about spirituality

An industrious soul should always be employed at his trade, and frequent exercise is as invigorating for it as ordinary exercise for the body. - Alexander Suvorov - Scientific research has overtaken spiritual development. We have guided missiles and unguided people. - Martin Luther King - The soul of a person develops until his death. - Hippocrates - Greatness of soul should be a characteristic of all people. - Seneca - The soul inevitably strives upward - towards ideals. - Cicero - Saint Theophan the Recluse / What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it? The easiest to understand work of the Orthodox saint on spirituality. That's why it's valuable. Alexander Gudzenko / Russian spirituality The author examines spirituality in a national context. The features of Russian spirituality are determined by him on the basis of statements key figures Russian religious, philosophical, state thought.

Spirituality is a very complex and multifaceted concept, and for many people it is not at all clear. For most people, spirituality is associated only with religion, and those who are interested in spirituality they understand it more deeply, in completely different ways. Moreover, the world of traditional science is mainly materialistic and, in principle, does not study issues of spirituality, therefore it is practically very difficult to find any clear, complete and strict definitions of what Spirituality is.

There are a lot of misconceptions in this matter, and we will consider the main ones in this article. And in order to more or less adequately and fully define and describe Spirituality, we will give relevant examples, and comparative characteristics. But first, let’s immediately define what spirituality is not!

What is Spirituality not? Basic Illusions

Spirituality– is not a Religion or a Church, although Religion speaks of Spirituality, and ideally should contribute to the spiritual development of people and society.

Spirituality is not a single quality of a person or his soul, it is a set of beliefs, qualities, feelings, etc. See below for the full definition of Spirituality.

Spirituality is not Knowledge in its pure form, that is, it is not information or erudition. A person can know literally everything about Religion, paths of development, about spirituality, be a walking encyclopedia, and at the same time be an absolutely unspiritual and immoral person, an unprincipled cracker and a miser.

Spirituality is not faith or fanaticism, although real Faith is a large part of spirituality, but Faith alone is not enough.

Spirituality is not a way of life consisting of continuous restrictions, vows and renunciations of material things, desires, money, pleasures, etc. Although the development of spirituality presupposes the subordination of instincts, control of one’s desires, etc.

Now let's move on to the definitions of Spirituality.

So, what is Spirituality? Definitions and Explanations

One of the definitions of Spirituality:

Spirituality is the knowledge realized in a person about God, Good and Evil, about our society, one’s destiny and everything that concerns a person’s interaction with higher powers, himself and the world around him. This knowledge determines most the main manifestations of a person (thinking, psycho-emotional sphere, behavior, lifestyle), his individual characteristics, the attitude of other people towards him, the ability or inability to achieve any significant achievements, and much more.

Understanding Spirituality:

Spirituality is, in essence, the light divine power of the human Soul, all its revealed spiritual (not material) values and virtues, feelings, talents and wonderful qualities. And when spirituality is truly realized in a person and in his life, it is manifested as his most beautiful and noble qualities, behavior, words, worthy gestures, emotions and significant Deeds for the benefit of the whole society. The lifestyle of such a person, from the way he carries himself to the way he organizes his life, evokes only respect.

Let's consider Spirituality - its main internal components and external manifestations.

The main components of Spirituality:

And a person, even if he is supposedly engaged in spiritual development, but all his thoughts are occupied only with himself, and other people do not interest him - an ordinary egoist and nothing more. Even if he is super talented and charming, such a person cannot be called spiritual. One of the main manifestations of Spirituality is Love for other people, which manifests itself in selfless deeds, and not in chatter, selfishness and narcissism.

2. Methods of achieving goals are always pure and worthy, without cunning and lies, without violence and weakness. The main thing for a spiritual person is to always act with Honor without losing your own Dignity and your positions (never lose!).

3. Behavior and all other manifestations - which are based on respect and impeccability, compliance with etiquette standards. This manifests itself in relation to others, to oneself, and in the organization. own life(your life, etc.). A spiritual person will never allow himself to be untidy, dirty, and live in dirt and chaos.

But if a person practices, for example, meditation or regularly goes to Church and considers himself super spiritual, and at the same time lives like in a barracks, swears, indulges in alcohol and is infected with other bad habits - this is not spiritual person, and a vicious person with perverted understanding of spirituality, he doesn’t deserve respect (at least not in everything).

Of course, a spiritual person, as mentioned above, is not a saint who has no shortcomings at all. He may have weaknesses, some negative qualities and manifestations, but that is why he is spiritual, so that he can control these shortcomings (hold them with his iron hand - his will), never justify them (evil, vice have no excuses) and step by step eradicate (work on yourself regularly).

D. is called search, practical activity, experience, through which the subject carries out in himself the transformations necessary to achieve the truth, for self-determination. More precisely, D. is a spiritual-practical (not utilitarian) activity for self-creation, self-determination, and spiritual growth of a person. Without it, neither man’s independence nor his greatness are possible.

D. is a condition for movement towards peak psychology, which, according to L. S. Vygotsky, determines not the depths, but the peaks of the personality. Movement towards them “from below”, only from the side of objective activity or from the side of the Freudian It, no matter how important their role in human development is, is not only fruitless, but also dangerous. Such a movement inevitably leads to a man-machine, to artificial intelligence, to the artificial intelligentsia. The movement from below must necessarily be complemented by the movement “from above”, from the side of the Spirit. Psychologists and educators who set themselves this goal will have to immerse themselves in the spiritual experience of humanity in order to expand their consciousness and strengthen their own spirit.

To do this, it is useful to refer to the following. phrases forgotten by science not as strange metaphors, but as a subject of serious scientific thought and research.

1st row, optimistic, inspiring, spiritual: spiritosphere, spiritual conductivity; strength of spirit, monument of spirit, seal of spirit, culture of Spirit. The epithet "spiritual" is attached to the next. words: vertical, substance, motherhood, womb, maturation, intimacy, potency, organism, constitution, gene pool, installation, background, beginning, support, foundations, situation, mirror, appearance, health, balance, unity, dimension, beauty, gaze, nerve, light, smell, personality, thirst, search, guidance, renewal, needs, abilities, practice, production, equipment, workshop, way of life, exercises, development, growth, communication, result, feat, age, flourishing, heritage, kingdom, family, homeland, generosity, self-determination, self-denial, asceticism, greatness, being, life, perspective, universe...

2nd row, pessimistic, tragic: unclean spirit, evil spirit, poverty of spirit; here the epithet “spiritual” is attached to words with a negative. connotations: barbarism, weakness, blindness, nakedness, temptation, lies, hibernation, idol, violence, genocide, capitulation, slavery, market, masturbation, insignificance, insanity, self-exposure, confusion, non-existence, death, hell...

Behind these lists is the ontology (anatomy, physiology, real means, tools and functions) of the spirit, recorded in language, in art, in religion, in the existential layers of folk consciousness, in people's memory and behavior. Scientific psychology abandoned this wealth. Since the nature of the spirit is freedom (“the spirit breathes where it wants”), then ignoring the spirit is one of the reasons, perhaps. even the main one, the surrender of psychology to the phenomenon of freedom, be it free will, free action or a free personality.

The brevity of the 2nd row in the above lists does not mean at all that the ontology hidden behind it is weaker than the one hidden behind the 1st. It is weaker because sooner or later the inner and final impotence of enthusiasm and the energy of evil is revealed. Therefore, she is much more impatient, aggressive, insidious, tricky, and uses illegal methods that go far beyond the boundaries of spiritual strife. But the spirit endures for a long time! Afraid of getting into the 2nd row.

In these lists everything is named, named, without which it would not be possible. conscious revision of oneself, self-examination, self-condemnation. No way. no humility, no overcoming pride and self-deification, no asceticism, no personal and public repentance. Without this it would not be possible. no revival, no straightening of the spirit. Science, philosophy and religion do not have a monopoly on the study of D. and the nature of the spirit. Another thing is that theology has vast experience in the knowledge of the spirit, and modern science It’s good to at least acknowledge it first!

G. G. Shpet sharply protested against the utilitarian interpretation of the spirit: “Only the spirit in the true sense is realized - even if it is materialized, embodied and inspired, that is, realized in the same nature and soulfulness, but always arises to real existence in the forms of culture. Nature simply exists, the soul lives and biographs, one spirit is present to emerge into culture, waits, is long-suffering, hopes, endures everything, does not riot, does not exalt itself, does not seek its own... The spirit is the source of everything, including . and love. Spirit is not a metaphysical Sesame, not a vital elixir, it is real not “in itself,” but only in recognition. “In itself” it is only cognized, in itself it is only an idea. Culture, art are real realization. Spirit is created ..." (Soch. - M., 1989 - P. 359).

A.S. Pushkin, despite the scoffing of the savages, in a language understandable, at least in letters, for them, captured once and for all about every true creative spirit: “We are born for inspiration, for sweet sounds and prayers.” From now on, no electrifiers, no Salieri will erase these words from the history of culture, and these words will excite people until the very language of Pushkin is abolished. For Pushkin, this was already a spontaneous creativity of the spirit, a manifestation of some kind of downtrodden and forgotten, but not completely extinguished Russian impulse. spirit. Now its “reflective awareness and clarification” was required (Shpet).

These words were written almost 80 years ago, and reflexive awareness and understanding took place against the background of bans and murders of writers and poets, philosophers and scientists, including the author of these words. The clarification continues today. And yet Shpet was right: it was not possible to erase Pushkin’s words, nor was it possible to stop the creativity of the spirit, although incredible efforts were made. To what extent did it take the great philosopher M. Momardashvili to exclaim: “D. is not a disease!” The most important sign of D., as A. A. Ukhtomsky explained to us, is the dominance of the other’s face. Only in this case can one speak of a person as a person. (V.P. Zinchenko.)

Spirituality is a unique personal experience that is gained through self-knowledge; going beyond one's own narrow interests, maturity of personal values. It is considered as a phenomenon of the subject’s internal experience, going beyond individuality, something connected with the divine, super personal or the forces of the cosmos. This concept ranks an individual with the Holy Spirit, reflects his closeness to God, the transcendence of the individual beyond the boundaries of the existence of the soul. On the other hand, it considers the sincerity, intellectuality, virtue and morality of the individual.

What is spirituality

In modern religious studies, spirituality is considered as the most general feature, characterized by experiences that arise within human experiences, influenced by culture. Accordingly, the source of this concept is the internal experience of the individual. “Spiritus” – literally translated, the meaning of this word is “spirit”; it is believed that the definition of a person’s spirituality is a derivative of this word. For today's world, this word usage is used to explain the highest part of human food, the spiritual essence of the subject, a description of his inner life. Denial of the dependence of human existence on the material and physical appearance of human life.

The definition of human spirituality has numerous interpretations due to the existence of different paradigms in the life of society. Through all the various explanations of spirituality, a certain pattern can be traced in its attribution to the religious life of an individual. But spirituality as an individual personal experience is not always identified with religion and is not always defined by it. In most explanations this concept interpreted in the directions of humanitarian psychology. At the same time, it is combined with a certain mystical act, esoteric traditions or philosophical teachings. Within this framework, spirituality is aimed at developing a holistic personality as a system that includes rich inner experience, selflessness, compassion, and a developed inner world.

Spirituality began to be considered as a psychological category from the end of the nineteenth century, defining it within the framework of understanding psychology. Eduard Spranger, Wilhelm Dilthey, as representatives of this direction, focused on the study of the relationship between the spiritual activities of the individual (culture, ethics and art) and the psyche of the individual. At the same time, they denied the relationship between the subject’s psyche and the natural sciences. Carl Jung further considered spirituality within the framework of analytical psychology. Within the framework of these studies, the concept was considered and analyzed through the prism of the collective unconscious and archetypes. Jung became the founder of the analysis of the psychology of religion and alchemy.

In the paradigm of humanistic existential and transpersonal psychology, spirituality was identified with the higher unconscious, which is the source of creative inspiration (Roberto Assagioli). Maslow Abraham, in his numerous studies, identified the relationship between spirituality and peak experiences. The emergence of which occurs during the period of personality.

Spirituality, depending on the occurrence of transpersonal experiences and spiritual crises, was considered in the studies of Stanislav Grof. Within the framework of transpersonal teachings, this concept was interpreted as a kind of healing using shamanism and other traditional cultures. Viktor Frankl also views this phenomenon as something higher than the anthropological dimensions of the subject. In the aspect of Christian psychology, scientists interpret spirituality identically with the highest divine or demonic forces of nature, manifested in the actions of an individual, and its manifestation in other directions is denied.

Human spirituality, as something deeply subjective, is internally unable to be studied using scientific research methods. By identifying himself with thoughts and feelings, a person discovers the true nature of his consciousness, determines his true “I,” and thereby acquires it.

The problem of spirituality

Spirituality is a phenomenon that distinguishes human life from natural existence and introduces a social character into it. How much a person uses spirituality depends on his existence, his future and his truth. Since an individual’s awareness of his surroundings, the formation of a more graceful view and a deeper attitude towards the world, is the concept of human spirituality. Today, spirituality helps a person to know himself, his meaning in life and purpose in it.

Spirituality helps humanity on the path to survival, developing a stable society and an integrated personality. It plays a vital role in the process of forming a social society. A person’s ability to distinguish between the hostile and alien in his existence allows him to protect his habitat, himself, from erroneous actions and actions that have destructive consequences. Speaking about the problem, we should touch upon the emergence of spiritual and moral problems of society. As you know, the current stage of society’s life is experiencing a crisis of spirituality.

Spirituality and morality acquire new meanings and realization. Thus, the flourishing of cruelty, crime, disorder, speculation, the shadow economy, drug addiction, inhumanity are the consequences of the decline of human spirituality, and, accordingly, the devaluation of human life. Although the decline in the level of morality of the population does not lead to its direct death, it leads to the destruction of many institutions of society: economic, spiritual and political.

The most sensitive problem is that this destruction of society occurs unnoticed by humans. The new stage in the formation of human culture contributes to the development of liberated, free, uncomplicated individuals, open to innovation, but at the same time indifferent, aggressive and indifferent. Most people direct their actions to fill their lives with material, consumer values, rejecting the spiritual component of human existence.

A contradiction is revealed in the formation of the current community: scientific and technological progress and spiritual development follow completely different paths, while a large number of individuals lose their moral support in life, thereby complicating the spiritual life of the whole society. Against this background, in the period from the twentieth century, a complete devaluation of human life began. History shows that every century, changing the “old inhuman”, brought more and more victims among people. Despite the development of social and political living conditions, developed culture, literature, cruel atrocities were carried out against the individual. The lack of morality was considered as something conducive to such actions, assumed by the paradigm of a given society.

No matter how developed the socio-economic society, technology and resources are, it is impossible to solve the problem of life with their help. Only a change in a person’s thinking, a change in his internal worldview, and an awareness of the integrity and spirituality of society will help direct him to the true path of existence and development. Creating an ideal world of human spirituality, creating a world of values and concepts will help raise the human soul high above material wealth. In order to renew society, it is necessary to act from within: to renew the spirituality and morality of subjects, to prepare a person’s consciousness for the coming changes, for realizing the importance of the integrity of society and updating the value system.

Development of personal spirituality

There is no general agreement on the concept of development of the spiritual world of man. Each individual shapes his spiritual world in different ways, using different teachings and methods of knowing himself and his inner world. Often these paths of achievement are intertwined with religion, but sometimes they bypass it. Basically, the development of spirituality is understood as the transformation of a person’s “spirit”, internal state, and individual. “Spirit”, as an abstract concept, has its own embodiment in cause-and-effect relationships that help to understand the meaning of human life. If an individual is determined to learn the truth and develop his spiritual life, he will certainly come to this, let this path be slow and gradual, or easy and without obstacles, or instant. The spiritual development of a person, no matter what teaching it occurs, consists of several components: self-improvement and.

It should be noted that all teachings about spiritual development the individual comes from the inner world of himself. Spirituality has always been a human desire to change the world around oneself through changing one's personality. The spiritual evolution of a person allows him to rise to a higher stage of understanding and consciousness of his soul. To form a fully spiritually developed person, first of all you need to monitor the development of the energetic and physical state of the subject. This promotes a harmonious existence with the surrounding world and the people in it. Spirituality is growth, a certain progress of the human personality towards integrity and.