Essay on the topic “Spirituality”
Spirituality is the awakening of the inner reality of our being - our soul; the inner desire to know, feel and identify with it; to be in connection with her, to unite with her and, as a result of this contact, to transform our entire being, turning it into a new personality, into a new nature.
For me, psychic energy is synonymous with the word “spirituality.” Unfortunately, now by this concept - spirituality - many mean observing rituals, going to church on Sundays or reading the Bible. All this, of course, is good, but it is only preparation for real spiritual development, that is, for self-awareness, the disclosure of one’s potentials and capabilities for the benefit of evolution and the benefit of all humanity.
I have tried to list some significant signs of spirituality:
– spirituality is not characterized by upbringing, origin, education, external beauty, or era. Spirituality lies deep within.
– external shine covers the internal emptiness. The more spiritual, the simpler.
– devotion, simplicity, altruism, innate wisdom are obligatory phenomena of spirituality.
Throughout the history of Russia there have been spiritual ascetics who motivated people to self-improvement. However, no one has achieved perfection, even those people whom we call spiritual ascetics. Their exact list will never be complete and accurate, since each spiritual ascetic has his own, but Orthodox saints can be considered generally accepted. Also, artists, writers, philosophers, musicians and even physicists, for example, are a powerful incentive for the self-development of many. Without them, any country would be a huge moral “monster.”
For me, the Russian philosopher and writer Elena Ivanovna Roerich is a spiritual ascetic. Her works, written in the first half of the 20th century, entered the spiritual and cultural life of Russia relatively recently, but aroused the interest of many people, not excluding me.
Elena Ivanovna Roerich was born on February 12, 1879 in St. Petersburg in the family of the architect-academician Ivan Ivanovich Shaposhnikov and his wife Ekaterina Vasilievna, grandniece of the great Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzova. On her mother's side, Elena Ivanovna was a distant relative of the outstanding Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky.
From childhood, the girl showed a deep interest in literature and languages; by the age of seven she could write and read in three languages. After graduating from the Mariinsky Gymnasium and receiving a music diploma, she could have made a brilliant career as a pianist, but life had other plans.
In 1899, on her aunt’s estate, Elena Ivanovna met her future husband, Nicholas Roerich. Then he was still a young and unknown artist, but later Elena Ivanovna became his muse. They not only loved each other, they were connected not only by marriage, but also by common interests and spiritual closeness.
In August 1902, their son Yuri, a future orientalist with a worldwide reputation, was born, and in October 1904, Svyatoslav, a future artist, thinker, and public figure, was born.
Elena Ivanovna Roerich was the mentor of the entire family, inspiring everyone with spiritual conversations confirming eternal truths. But still, this woman was unusually modest; having entered the life of the great artist, she always remained in the shadows.
In 1916, the family moved from St. Petersburg to Sortavala (Finland) due to N.K. Roerich’s illness, and in 1920 to London, where Elena Ivanovna began work on the books “Living Ethics,” which is a new concept of a philosophical system. These works were created in close collaboration with a group of anonymous philosophers.
In the fall of 1920, together with her husband and children, E.I. Roerich travels to New York, where Nikolai Konstantinovich planned exhibitions in US cities.
In America, under the leadership of the amazing Roerich couple, a small group of their associates launched extensive cultural and educational activities. Its results are amazing: Nicholas Roerich Museum, Master-Institute of United Arts, International Art. These institutions are major cultural centers whose influence has spread beyond the country's borders, becoming international. Numerous societies, creative clubs and educational institutions were created not only for artists, but also for people who wanted to embody humanistic ideals. Elena Ivanovna wrote: “It is joyful to see how, in the days of destruction, bright souls gather in the name of Culture, trying to keep the fire alive and give the joy of creative creation and expansion of consciousness to those seeking a way out of the created mental impasse, which leads to material disaster.” From 1924 to 1928, Elena Ivanovna participated in an expedition organized by her husband to inaccessible and little-explored areas of Central Asia. In 1926, her manuscript “Fundamentals of Buddhism” was published in Mongolia.
In the same year, one of the books of Living Ethics, “Community,” was published.
In 1928, upon returning from the Central Asian expedition, the Roerichs settled in the ancient picturesque Kullu valley in the Western Himalayas. Here they founded the Institute of Himalayan Studies “Urusvati” - “Morning Star”. E.I. Roerich is elected honorary vice-president of this unique scientific institution and takes an active part in organizing its work, but still devotes himself to working on the main work of his life - the books of Living Ethics - and continues to carry out this work until the end of his life. Being a philosophy of cosmic reality, Living Ethics contains a unique system of knowledge based on the general and particular laws of the Cosmos, of which the Earth and humanity are an integral part. This system of knowledge of Living Ethics corresponds to a new evolutionary round of human development, when scientific thinking is replaced by a cosmic worldview. The name of the philosophy itself - Living Ethics - connects man and the Cosmos into a single spiritualized system.
In January 1948, shortly after the death of her husband, Elena Ivanovna, together with Yuri Nikolaevich Roerich, left the Kullu Valley and, after a short stay in Delhi and Khandala, settled in the small town of Kalimpong on the slopes of the Eastern Himalayas.
E.I. Roerich always wanted to return to Russia. Her requests to return to her homeland, submitted to the Soviet embassy, remained unanswered. The same fate befell letters and petitions addressed to the government. The Academy of Arts did not help either. But, despite all the refusals, Elena Ivanovna hoped to return, bring all the treasures she had collected and work for at least a few years for the Best Country - that’s what she called Russia. The hope of seeing Russia did not leave her until her very last days: “It’s impossible that I wouldn’t come. I have to come!” – she repeated before she left. But this return never took place. On October 5, 1955, Elena Ivanovna Roerich passed away.
The more time passes and the deeper we penetrate into the spiritual and philosophical heritage of the outstanding Russian philosopher Elena Ivanovna Roerich, the clearer becomes the greatness of what she did for the evolution of the planet and all humanity.
For me, self-development is, first of all, cultivating a culture of feelings. I believe that this concept includes, of course, God's commandments, as well as Ethics. If every person was culturally educated, then we would not hear about murder, theft, violence, betrayal, etc. In this case, the country did not need the police or the judicial system, which means that the state would allocate more money, for example, to the educational system. Thus, society would develop endlessly, we would live in love and harmony. But this idea may seem utopian.
So why do we need spiritual ascetics if there is no point in self-improvement? What if we never achieve an ideal society? I believe that complex relationships in society make some people commit crimes or simply become angry at the world around them. But it forces others - smart and sensible people - to change themselves, to change the world. This is what spiritual ascetics have done throughout the history of the planet.
In my opinion, every teacher is also, in some way, a spiritual ascetic. Teachers guide their students on the true path, telling the young, inexperienced generation in which direction they need to move in order to be a respected person, a necessary unit of society, and not a useless burden of society.
But the endless pursuit of perfection is not for everyone. This is for strong, persistent, patient and persistent people. For those who never give up. And, unfortunately, there are not many of them. They are the engine of the process - the ones that keep society afloat, closing its path to degradation.
Humanity has forgotten its evolutionary role as a transformer. Most of modern society lives according to the “here and now” rule, without thinking about future generations and the future fate of the planet. I would say that society is in a state of spiritual starvation, which is why it suffers. I believe that we need to return to the teachings of spiritual ascetics who dedicated their lives to saving society in order to change the situation.
Semenova Anastasia, anthem. No. 446
The word spirituality, what does it mean?
If we pay attention to the interpretation of the word “spirituality” in different dictionaries of the Russian language, we will see that the meaning of this internal state of a person will be somewhere between the religious and moral understanding of this state.
In fact, that's how it is!
Practice more to know your own soul. Only through practice can you fully learn to control your emotions and achieve perfection in everything. The teaching of a person’s inner spirituality does not imply anything bad. Both in religious scriptures and in various scientific works of famous philosophers. The spiritual world is described as something high and perfect.
By following the basic rules and principles, you can achieve maximum perfection of your own will and state of mind. But it is also worth considering the fact that, depending on national characteristics, each country has its own moral principles and rules. Based on this, it is necessary to highlight the main similarities in all scriptures and teachings. The concept that is embedded in the understanding of spirituality has its similarities everywhere.
It is in this way - by comparing different interpretations, that one can comprehend the real spiritual truth. That is, to understand the very essence of spirituality throughout the world. The word “compassion” is found in many sources, both religious and philosophical teachings. It may look a little different, or be called by other words, but still the main task is to teach all people to understand and show a sense of compassion.
A spiritual person, finding harmony with his inner world, begins to feel stronger and more necessary for this world.
This message is carried by all religions of the world without exception. Except in those cases when political beliefs begin to interfere with the spiritual world. Politicians always try to use any means to achieve their goal. There are no barriers or moral principles for them. They manage to achieve their political ambitions, and even make good money by deceiving ordinary people.
Afterword
A spiritual person has a large set of cultural and moral values, and his consciousness is much more developed and open, which makes other people feel uncomfortable being around an enlightened person. The manifestation of spirituality can be seen both in religious books and teachings, and in many cultural works. The main message of spiritual enlightenment is the harmony between the human soul and its bodily shell. Such people always bring only good deeds and thoughts into this world. One of the accompanying manifestations of spiritual life is the acquisition of conscience. A spiritual state helps all humanity to live in harmony with themselves and the world around them.
What does spirituality mean and its development
The spiritual development of a person includes several basic principles, adhering to which, a person strives for the internal evolution of his own qualities. Constantly improving the internal state of one’s own soul helps to overcome all negative feelings and emotional manifestations, such as:
- Envy;
- Anger;
- Discontent;
- Fury;
- Hatred;
- Anger;
- Oppression;
- Depression;
- Aggression;
- Fear;
- Doubt;
- Uncertainty;
- Confusion, etc.
This is not the entire list of feelings and emotions that impede a person’s spiritual development. But we should not forget that positive emotional manifestations, on the contrary, help to develop and grow above oneself.
The understanding of spirituality is different for each of us, but there is still something that unites all concepts for any society, regardless of religious beliefs
In order to gain spirituality, you need to understand a few simple truths. First of all, we must understand that spirituality is a combination of moral and ethical qualities of one person or an entire society. Finding spiritual balance, a person receives a comprehensive understanding of justice and learns self-sacrifice.
