Leading a Spiritual Life

In 1995 I went on a spiritual journey to Ubud, Bali Indonesia. I spent my days visiting holy shamans in caves and ancient dwellings and going to dozens of ornate temples. In the morning, I watched devoted Balinese women making offerings to the gods and then sat in amazement as these same women carried huge stone boulders on their heads as they gracefully walked to take them to construction sites.

There are many definitions, perceptions, and misperceptions of what spirituality is and what leading a spiritual life consists of. When I ask others who come to mind when thinking of a person leading a spiritual life, Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama, and the Pope typically come up again and again.

When I went to Ubud, I was transfixed by peaceful and smiling faces of local Balinese people dressed in their native clothing living a very simple life in an amazingly beautiful and picturesque place. In Bali, there isn’t a word in their language for an artist because everyone is naturally considered to be an artist.

Looking up the word spiritual at thesaurus.com, synonyms include: devotional, pure, blessed, blissful, sacred, creative, and refined….all the qualities I found in the Balinese people. Spirituality then is a path dedicated to making our little world a heaven on earth. Mother Theresa said, “It is not necessary to make a pilgrimage to India and to join me in feeding and caring for the poorest of the poor. But do this work within the community you live in!”

Writer Deepak Chopra says, “Spirituality is not some kind of religious dogma or ideology but the domain of awareness where we experience values like truth, goodness, beauty, love, compassion, creativity, and insight.”

Author David Mixner writes, “Nature for me has always been a healing place. Going back all the way to my childhood on the farm, the fields and forests were places of adventure and self-discovery. Animals were companions and friends, and the world moved at a slower, more rational pace than the bustling cities where I'd resided my adult life.”

One of the qualities that stand out for people who are on a path to bring more spirit into their day to day life is inner peace. Using this as a guideline, inner peace comes about because we have made peace with our past, let go of everything that causes us distress, and have learned to live more in the moment. In the Buddhist philosophy one of the keys to achieving inner peace is to let go of our attachment to things and outcomes that have no real value or significance.

Author and lecturer Marianne Williamson writes, “The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.”