Meditation, spirituality and religion can work together; however, they can also work apart.
We can meditate as if doing a technical exercise, engaging neither spirituality nor religion. Meditation works then on the psychological level, similarly to psychotherapy or personal development training. It is usually undertaken to improve our personal situation from within. We don’t feel comfortable enough with ourselves, so we want to get something (e.g. peace, better concentration, harmonious relations, happiness) or to get rid of something (e.g. fear, chaos, bitterness). Meditation is about our affairs and our well-being. It starts at the point where we are and usually it is the point of self-centredness. We have no idea why meditation would help us, however we believe it will. Maybe we have some fantasies about it, maybe other meditators have influenced us, or maybe we want to taste something new. We try to follow instructions on how to meditate well, so that we can get the benefit.
On the other hand, there are religious people, some of whom are not much interested in meditation or spiritual inquiries. Both in Western and Eastern countries, they appreciate tradition and accept explanations of the world provided by religion, as well as the religious support for morality.
Spirituality
Spirituality arises from a vague, sometimes non-verbalized belief that there exists something much greater than us, as we appear to ourselves; that something unknown and ungraspable goes far beyond our small affairs and problems; that it is worthwhile to direct our attention and energy toward this “something”, whatever it may be, and to be open to changes this stance can cause in our lives. All that can be interconnected with the feeling of mystery. The mystery seems attractive and calls us to meet it. Even if we cannot resolve or master it, maybe we can just touch it. We become more and more amazed at life itself and more sensitive to what it brings to us and others.
Spirituality can arise spontaneously or can be inspired by religious teachings, or can develop from meditation (including the one practised originally as only an exercise). Meditation makes us more still and quiet. It removes some of our beliefs about the world, ourselves and others, or at least it loosens the grip of those beliefs, making them less important. As a result, open, free space is revealed, inviting us to explore it, and to walk toward the unknown. The “unknown” is a still, aware mind, embedded in the present moment. It tends to look directly into existence itself. This type of spirituality doesn’t need any religious support. It can do without it, although sometimes it is actually supported by meditation based on methods drawn from different religious traditions. On the other hand, there are people interested in spirituality appealing directly to religion for various reasons.
Different religions treat spirituality in different ways. They interpret spiritual experiences according to their teachings, suggest how to deal with them, what to do when they occur, and what extra practices can be undertaken.
Buddhism
Buddhism is rather modest. The act of becoming a Buddhist consists in taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma (his teachings) and Sangha (the community of co-practitioners), taking the so-called Buddhist vows and committing to basic moral precepts.
The Precepts
One’s morality can be based on common social norms or on just taking care about others, independently from norms or codes. This latter attitude will be supported by spirituality. However, if that attitude has not been developed yet, following the precepts prevents us from harming others. It also diminishes egoism, and in this way prepares the ground for spirituality, to which egoism is a strong barrier. In a traditional, simple form the five precepts for lay Buddhists are: not to kill, not to steal, not to lie, not to engage in sexual misconduct, not to use alcohol or drugs or offer them to others. Recently, the precepts have sometimes been enlarged, e.g. not to kill people, and also not to kill someone’s peace or joy; not to use drugs, and also not to use unwholesome contents on the internet, etc. Also, the precepts are sometimes supplemented by the positive part, e.g. not to steal, but to be generous; not to engage in sexual misconduct, but to be loving and responsible.
Moral precepts for lay people in Buddhism are understood in an open way. They are conducive, not prescriptive. They show the direction which is conducive to personal development; they do not impose commandments. They differ in various schools (e.g. in some schools they consist of 10 points), are expressed in general terms, and are interpreted in detail by the person in question.
The Three Refuges
What is specific in Buddhism is taking refuges and vows. Taking refuge in the Buddha usually means appealing to the example of Shakyamuni Buddha who lived 2500 years ago and to the tradition he originated. However, it can also mean taking refuge in our nature (fundamentally not different from the Buddha’s nature), trusting it and relying on it. Taking refuge in the Dharma means in the Buddha’s teaching, but also the way the universe works (for this is what the teaching is about). Refuge in the Dharma in the basic sense means to accept the teaching, but also it can mean to accept the process of life with all its stuff and to be ready to harmonize with it.
Taking refuge in the Sangha can be comprehended in a narrow or wide sense: as a strictly monastic community, as a local group of practitioners including lay people, as all Buddhists, as all people, or even as all sentient beings. So taking refuge in the Sangha can have different meanings.
Buddha didn’t deal with many points that are usually dealt with by religion. That’s why there are some doubts whether Buddhism is a religion at all (it depends on the definition of religion). He didn’t teach doctrines about supernatural issues. The only thing he was interested in was how the mind created suffering and how it would be possible to get liberated from this suffering using skilful means, including spiritual practice. When asked if he believed in God, he kept silent. When asked where does a saint go after death, he tried to turn the questioner’s mind toward more vital points. He described the human condition and he proposed precise methods useful for fundamental improvement of that condition. One of them is meditation directed toward spiritual inquiries.
The Vows
The Buddhist vows are about following the direction given by the Buddha. They are about what we would do now rather than what we would do in the future.
The vows are: to liberate innumerable sentient beings; to cut off endless vexations; to master limitless approaches to Dharma; and to attain supreme Buddhahood. In other words, that means to release the suffering of all beings; to stop feeding or supporting our own shortcomings and vexations, based on the illusion of “I”, to be aware of them and let them be exhausted; to apply the Buddhist teachings to all the various situations of our life; and to practice the Buddha’s way, deepening our understanding of the mind and life and proceeding with liberation from suffering caused by the misusing of the mind.
The task can seem hopeless, as we vow to deal with “innumerable” beings, “endless” vexations or “limitless” approaches. However, the meaning of those expressions is that no matter how many beings are to be helped, we will continue helping; no matter how many vexations we experience, we will continue getting rid of them, etc. The vows are mutually interconnected. A person full of his or her own vexations is hardly the best person to liberate others from their vexations.
Beliefs
In the course of time different Buddhist schools arose, adjusted to local cultures and based on various interpretations of the original teaching. Thus the Buddhists can believe (or not) in different things according to their traditions, habits, and attitudes. However, what is more important in Buddhism than the content of beliefs is to recognize what the very nature of a belief is and how it is produced by the mind. People who have different beliefs and aspirations can share the same Buddhist framework; what they have in common is a general world-view and sincere attempt to follow the moral precepts and to develop wisdom and compassion, as well as respect for and gratitude to the ancestors on the spiritual path. The core is: no harming others or oneself; acting from empathy, care, loving-kindness; and – in many cases – spiritual investigations. These meditative investigations help to develop the proper attitude in everyday life and to test and confirm the Buddhist teachings by reviewing one’s own experience. Formally taking the refuges, the vows, and the precepts guides one’s life and reinforces one’s engagement.
Ritual
The rituals and ceremonies can work in a similar way. They just strengthen our dedication, engagement, and commitment. Also, they create or reinforce our connection with numerous past generations of practitioners, as we chant the same words they have chanted for centuries. We are more clearly aware of our long Buddhist tradition then and of distinguished meditative achievements of some of our main ancestors. That can encourage us to practice more inquisitively.
However, various Buddhist traditions prescribe various meanings to the rituals. Some Buddhists worship the Buddha or other highly developed beings, pray to them or ask for the propitious future circumstances of life. The rituals are usually correlated with the beliefs of a given tradition. In general, the more rich the beliefs in a Buddhist tradition are, the more important, meaningful, and elaborate the rituals within that tradition are. Chan emphasizes studying and meditating rather than de scribing in detail invisible worlds or paving the way to them by means of the rituals.
The important function of rituals and ceremonies is to enable people to express feelings triggered in the course of Buddhist practice. E.g., prostrations open us to our feelings of gratitude or repentance and give us the opportunity to express them this way. Or while chanting together with others we can realize how helpful and supportive communal practice can be.
