Spirituality and Religion

"The difference between religion and spirituality is religion is a heart led by the mind whereas spirituality is a mind led by the heart."

As we progress on this spiritual path, we see that this is a journey from the mind to the heart.  We can say that we try to operate out of the heart-mind rather than the ego-mind.  Religion is a form that was set up to take you into the Formless.  Religion consists of methods and all methods are traps.

If we get caught up in a method, even a spiritual practice, we miss the point and are trapped.  The point is to go beyond the method and learn to operate directly from your Self.  We learn there is not anything to do, that it is the ceasing of doing that brings us to God.

The paradox is that we need a method to give us a taste of the Divine.  The best thing that can happen is for us to immerse ourselves in that method and then for that method to fail us.  Then, we can abandon the method altogether if we wish and realize that the method itself is not needed.  Religion is a tool to bring us to God.  Yet it is not religion itself that brings us to God; it is God Herself.

That Spark of divinity within you instantly recognizes the Truth.  This realization comes from the heart, not the mind.  Of course, we can then participate in religion, if we wish, realizing it is but a tool we can use if we desire.  This is also not to say that spiritual people do not think.  Rather, our mind is a tool like religion that we may use if we desire.  We operate out of a place of feeling and expansiveness, of pure Love.

Religion attempts to give form to the Formless.  This is a necessary endeavor to attempt.  However, we must realize this.  We must not allow our minds to cling to the forms of religion and arise above it to connect directly to the One that is above all religions.