The Rise of Spirituality in the West - Research Paper Example

 The Rise of Spirituality in the West Is It a Boon or a Bane? Abstract In the recent years there has been a dramatic rise in ‘Spirituality’ in the western countries especially United States of America and the United Kingdom.. This study was conducted into the reason for this phenomenon and also the affect it has on the different societies. This study was conducted using many primary and secondary sources of data. Numerous textbooks, journals, documentaries and interviews on the topic were analyzed. Personal interviews were conducted to know their opinion about things such as Psychedelic drugs and meditation. The results obtained were startling. The reasons for the rise of spirituality were diverse ranging from religion to superstition. People felt empowered and believed that they had a sense of direction when they get involved in spirituality. These findings open new doors for the governments in these countries which can create policies that can make people engage in more productive activities and make them rely less of spirituality for peace of mind and self-esteem. But the results also showed rise in happiness level and self-esteem. The success of spirituality can be harnessed to make people feel fulfilled. Introduction This study investigates into the phenomenal rise of spirituality in the western countries. Many things such as astrology and meditation have existed in the Oriental civilizations such as India, China and Japan. But these are being adopted by the western countries at a very fast pace. The purpose of this report is to investigate this issue by asking four major questions – 1- Where did the spirituality rise and when was it assimilated in the west? 2- Who were the pioneers of Western spirituality? 3- How has spirituality affected the well-being of people? 4- What are the downsides of faith in spiritual practices? There have been many studies on the rise of spirituality. Author of the book The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins, made a documentary called The Enemies of Reason. In that he argued that people believe in superstitions in order to escape hard realities of life. He wondered on the rise of spirituality at a time when science was giving answers to most of the problems. With these studies in the background, this study identifies the need to investigate the real reasons behind rise of spirituality in current age. This research is very important as it can provide an insight into the psychology of people and may also identify a social drift taking place in the western society. This research will address questions that aren’t usually asked in developed countries. Questions such as are people happy with the material prosperity, and are they seeking for some form of escape through spirituality, will be addressed by the present study. Literature Review People, throughout the world, look for new experiences that would satisfy them. In the developed countries, where people have achieved economic prosperity, there are various news avenues that offer people diversion from their daily lives. To entertain themselves, people indulge in art, movies, food etc. Some have wanderlust and they travel around the world and enjoy different places. This exploration of new places leads people to areas which are not discovered. There has been revival of peoples’ interest in Africa and Asia. But in the process of exploration, western people stumble upon some practices which offer them solace. These practices or techniques, also known as meditation, promise to make people happier ‘from the inside’. Many phrases such as ‘self-knowledge’, ‘enlightenment’ and ‘inner peace’ are used which highlight the direction of spirituality. That direction is inside the mind, personality, and the things that make up an identity of a person. The first major wave of spirituality came in the 1960s with the Hippie era. Timothy Leary and his experiments with Psychedelic drugs ushered in a new era. People would take these drugs, ‘mushrooms’ and other substances and get high. They would experience themselves going into depths of their minds and experiencing things they had never seen before. Aldus Huxley describes one such experience in his book Doors to Perception. In that book he took a drug which made him experience various states of mind. He says that after taking the drug all he saw was brilliant patterns of designs and light everywhere. He says that there were no ‘cheap thoughts’ that clouded the vision but was an appreciation of the beauty that was around. Similar experiences with drugs were conducted by Ram Dass (Previously known as Richard Alperton). He used to take LSD and other drugs that would take his mind on a whole new level. The significance of these experiments with drugs is that they created dissatisfaction within people about the existing way of life. The discontent that was created by the drugs was harnessed by the various gurus that came from other parts of the world. There was a rise in interest in western people about the various spiritual gurus who offered people the same high as the drugs with the use of meditation. These gurus told people that there was no need to take drugs and that meditation itself can give people permanent happiness. One of the major gurus to have come in the United States of America was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He became popular after the famous music band members of The Beatles became his disciples. With the followership of immensely successful people such as John Lennon, Ringo Star, George Harrison and Paul McCartney, Mahesh Yogi became widely recognized in the western world. He proposed his method of meditation known as the Transcendental Meditation. This technique promised people of permanent happiness and peace of mind. One more popular cult to have come to the west was Hare Krishna movement. This movement was started by the head of ISKCON, A.C.Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada. He also propsed his own technique of meditation and that was to repeat the divine mantra of Hare Krishna repeatedly. The effect of the spiritual movements like these was the exposure of the western society to the Eastern concepts of meditation. In the west, Christians had their own meditation which was about contemplation of Jesus Christ and the suffering he endured. Christians repeated Ave Maria and prayed to lord to forgive them of their sins. But now, after the exposure to eastern philosophy and meditation techniques people had knowledge of many new concepts. One such concept is Karma. It basically means ‘as you reap shall you sow’ philosophy. Western people began to look at their life in terms of their Karma. The sources of Karma theories are Hinduism and Buddhism. The Tibetan Buddhism has effect deep impact on Americans who follow it ardently. Its endorsement by Hollywood celebrities such as Richard Gere and Sharon Stone seems to have made Tibetan Buddhism very popular. Recently, Sharon Stone made a controversial comment about China’s massive earthquake calling it to be a result of China’s ‘negative Karma’. Tibetan Leader Dalai Lama is world renowned for his non violent protests against Chinese occupation. He has even received a Nobel Prize for this. The worldwide recognition adds to the appeal of eastern spirituality. Popular mediums such as movies and books also promote spirituality. Dalai Lama has written several books such as the Art of Happiness which describe Buddhist techniques of achieving happiness. There are also documentaries and books which introduce eastern cultural practices in the west. The movie Little Buddha starring Keanu Reeves shows the whole process of finding the Dalai Lama. A Dalai Lama is not nominated but instead ‘found’ based on signs and predictions from Tibetan Masters. Facts like these fascinate the western audience and they are mesmerized into exploring the issues further. There are other concepts which are being absorbed by the western culture. One concept of major consequence is the concept of rebirth. In Christianity there is no mention of rebirth but most of the eastern philosophies confirm its existence. One of the major institutions to have brought the concept of reincarnation into the western culture is the Theosophical Society. It was headed by Mrs. Annie Besant and pioneered the adoption of esoteric and occult practices into western societies. The concept of reincarnation also enforces the importance of Astrology. Astrology is a subject which deals with movements of the planets and predicts future based on the calculations. Astrology is very common nowadays with Astrologers appearing on daily newspapers giving their predictions (in a generalized way) to millions of readers. The human population is divided into twelve sun signs. Each sun sign has its own characteristics. Apart from general predictions, there are personalized predictions. People go to the Astrologers, pay money and get their futures predicted. All the aspects of spirituality that have been discussed above belong to the traditional spirituality practiced in the Eastern countries. In the recent years there has been a rise in the ‘new age’ spirituality which looks like a mixture of many eastern methods. This new age spirituality is promoted by English language authors such as Deepak Chopra (Seven Spiritual Laws of Success), Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations with God), Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist) etc. The books of these authors sell in millions and they have a deep impact on their reader’s Psyche. The influx of gurus and spiritual authors is equally complemented by the out flow of people to other countries in search of peace of mind. ‘Spiritual Tourism’ is the word that is used when people visit other parts of the world in search of spiritual fulfillment. In the recent years there has been a rapid increase in the number of spiritual tourists going to corners of the world to find their gurus. Many people have taken the refuge of gurus in the past and continue to do so in the present. Apart from the gurus like Mahesh Yogi and A.C.Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada, there are many other gurus that have offered people happiness and enlightenment. For example, Gangaji, Poonjaji, Andrew Cohen, Ramesh Balsekar, Nissargdutt Maharaj, J Krishnamurti and U.G.Krishnamurti, all have put forward their theories of enlightenment and offered people advices about right way of living. One of the most famous gurus was OSHO who was banned in America. After leaving America he started his Tantrik centre in Rajneeshpuram near Pune. Thousands of rich people went there and did various spiritual practices to get enlightenment. The question that now arises is that do these spiritual practices have an impact on people. Do they really feel happy or do they just go on a merry-go-round of finding something that doesn’t exist. Richard Dawkins in his Documentary The Enemies of Reason explains that people deceive themselves into believing that they are getting anything out their spiritual practices. Richard Dawkins conducted an experiment in which he assembled people. Each person represented a separate sun sign. These people believed in the ‘science’ of Astrology. Then one by one their horoscope was read from a national newspaper. Most of the people agreed to what was written about ‘their’ sun sign. But the twist to the whole survey was that they were read the wrong sun signs. The purpose of this experiment was to highlight the futility of daily astrological predictions. Dawkins explained that most of the predictions are so general that they apply to almost everyone. In fact they can be repeated in different order the next day without people paying attention to them. It would be wrong to presume that all the spiritual practices are bogus and without any base. There are many people who believe in the power of spirit and they say that self-healing is a natural process. In the recent past there have been many medical successes attributed to positive thinking of people. Recent study claims that positive thinking creates harmony in the body and people live longer than those who think negatively. The concept of spirituality is also many times in harmony with Christianity and teachings of the Jesus. For example the spiritual practice of positive visualization is similar to the biblical teaching – ‘‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive’’. There can be one more reason in the rapid spread of spiritual practices and that is the failure of medical science to find a cure for Cancer and Aids. Science has given humanity many wonders but until now a cure for Cancer and Aids and other diseases have proven to be elusive. What spirituality offers people is the ability to transcend the bodily limitations and reach a state where nothing affects their well-being. Like Buddhism, many spiritual practices a place of ‘no mind’ where nothing can disturb a person’s inner being. There is a plethora of literature available on the topic of spirituality. Both the opponents and proponents of the spirituality provide valid facts about the benefits (or lack of them). There have been many debates about the existence of a soul or a spirit. Science has asked for evidences about the existence of these things but spirituality has always replied back by saying that faith is needed first before any advancement. Science does not believe in faith, it rather questions any assumption that is made in the process of any research or experimentation. For every critic of spirituality in the western countries, there is an equally fanatic supporter of it. The criticism about spirituality seems to be shifting to a science vs. spirituality debate. It is assumed that spirituality is opposite to science because it doesn’t base itself on facts. But recent researches on the role of meditation in healing process have showed that spirituality isn’t a complete hoax. The research shows that meditation creates brainwaves which make a person feel good and even awaken inner energies. The problem The literature review mentioned above has highlighted the war between science and spirituality. The problem that encounters human beings and that this study aims to discuss is the explanation of spirituality against the scientific need for facts. This problem is really interesting because science doesn’t accept the claim of millions of people who ‘believe’ in spirituality. Science demands facts and hence this study aims to find a way of solving this tussle. The science experts believe that the only way this confrontation can be solved is through scientific investigation into the effect of spirituality on people. There was such a research carried by the Deepak Chopra Centre on the effect of meditation on people. In his book Syncrodestiny, he describes the results as extremely positive. Similar researches have been carried out on the effects of Buddhist meditation techniques which have revealed that meditation increases individual awareness and brings harmony in the body. The next issue is the validity of Astrology. Until now no scientific research has been attempted. In the recent times the popularity of Nostradamus has revived faith in Astrology in the west. His book which comprises of many predictions has been a bestseller and is widely discussed among ordinary people. the critics of Astrology have not made an attempt to investigate the authenticity of various eastern Astrology such as Nadi leaves. All these points lead this study in the direction of the people who actually practice spirituality and believe in rebirth. They have to be should be asked about what impact spirituality has had on their lives. The problem with basing all them responsibility on scientific testing reduces the human element in the research. People cannot be treated as atoms, molecules, nuclei and hormones as the medical science suggests. They are entities with complex problems. The idea Religion and spirituality are things which are hard to be tested on the basis of scientific reasons. Since the emergence of theories of Charles Darwin on evolution and Sigmund Freud on the psyche of human beings, scientists have questioned the validity of Bible. They have issue with the Genesis chapter of the Old Testament which says that the world was built in seven days. In such cases the religious sentiments of people cannot be discarded. Many times science itself has come under scrutiny over its own theories and formulas. Freud has become irrelevant and Carl Jung has gained more acceptance in the recent times. Scientists are even investigating the possibility of a particle that travels faster than the speed of light. This might nullify the Einstein’s equation of E=MC2. Science itself isn’t irrefutable. So what should be done with the case of spirituality? The answer probably lies in asking people and knowing from them about their experiences. It is they who practice it and the success of spirituality should be measured by the peace of mind spirituality provides to them. The successes of spirituality should be looked at. The main points should be noted down and then these major points should be highlighted in rehabilitation centers throughout the world. There are many prisons which teach the prisoners spiritual practices in order to make them calm and bring them into the mainstream of the society. It is these efforts that should be counted and their success should be documented. The criticisms put forward by science would nullify if it is proved that spirituality adds meaning to people’s lives. It gives them direction and peace of mind. Such an outcome is desirable even if science doesn’t accept the findings. The total well being of people is more important than systemic dissection of spirituality. Details For the purpose on more clarity over the issue of spirituality, a survey of ten people was conducted. These people were devout spiritual people and they were asked various questions about their state of mind and happiness level. Given below are some of the results that can be helpful in arriving at a conclusion about spirituality. When ten people were asked about whether spirituality had helped them in their life, eight responded by saying yes, one said no and the other remaining respondent was unsure. The results are shown in the Figure given below. Figure 1 When these ten respondents were asked about how much they would rate their peace of mind and satisfaction increase since practicing spirituality, the following results were obtained – From the above figure it can be seen that all people reported an increase in their happiness. Conclusions This study began by asking many questions about the origin and relevance of spirituality in the current age. After the introduction into the topic, a literature review was provided which highlighted the magnitude of inclusion of spirituality in people’s lives. The sources of spirituality were searched and so were the people who pioneered this new dimension of human life. This study has found that although there is lack of substantial scientific evidence of the success of spirituality, its success should rather be measured in terms of comfort it provides to people. A survey of ten people was carried out and majority of them claimed that spirituality has helped them in their lives. It is on the basis of these arguments that the study concludes that spirituality is a boon for people who practice it wholeheartedly. They should continue to practice it and help others to have a meaning in their life. There are various sources from various wisdom of spirituality can be sought. Many people can start with books and after learning the techniques, practice them. But there is a word of caution. Many books are about awakening the inner energies and they should be practiced only under proper guidance. This study has used a very small sample for its survey; future studies can employ other methods which will represent the population much better. There are many limitations inherent in the study and so this study cannot be said to be perfect. Future studies are suggested which will shed more light on the topic by conducting direct experiments on the effect of spirituality on the human mind and body. Read More