Recently, I have had a strange feeling: the more rational I become, the more spiritual I come to live. Then, I realized that being rational is the ideal, balanced state for spiritual people. Let’s talk about it.
Mysterious, traditional spiritual teachings
Sometimes, we want to know the essence of spiritual teachings.
They are often mysterious and difficult to comprehend. For example, in Buddhism, traditional scriptures teach as follows:
- Live without ego.
- Everything is meaningless, so give up every attachment.
- Everything is changing. Focus on changes rather than stable things.
- There is always cause and effect. Think of it and improve your life.
In Taoism, they teach as follows:
- Keep your balance.
- Following the natural flow helps you reduce your stress.
In the Middle East, there is a unique culture of fatalism known as Qismat. It means that all events and circumstances in life are predetermined.
Those spiritual teachings are difficult to comprehend. Although there are many detailed explanations on the Internet, we don’t understand the integrated reasoning behind them. Since they are traditional ones that have remained for over a thousand years, there should be a valid reason.
In other words, we want to ask, “Why?” We want an integrated logic based on our mental system.
Fortunately, I have gradually come to understand the logic thanks to the experiences of these past months. I realized that being rational would be the ideal, balanced state for spiritual people. Today, I will explain why.
The logic of why they are connected
The way to comprehend the essence of these traditional teachings is simple: be rational. If you have an empathic nature and start to live logically, you will naturally apply such beliefs.
All those traditional teachings are connected tightly.
Rationality gives us a broader, historical perspective. It shows us various aspects of values. That allows us to let go of pursuing only one value. We try to satisfy multiple aspects of desires reasonably. That creates a balance in life.
In a given situation, there is always only one reasonable answer, including no answer and being unable to answer. That makes us feel we have no choice but to follow the predetermined path in each situation. That makes us feel like we live with fatalism.
It means that the future is determined as long as we live rationally. That allows us to stop worrying about the future.
We think of cause and effect, but we also understand there are cases where we cannot identify the causality. That allows us to accept our ignorance of the causality, the laws of nature.
Since we don’t know perfectly what the future holds, we can proceed while improving our lives in our own ways. When we decide to act, we make a move. When we determine to rest, we take a break. That is the state of following the natural flow. That reduces our stress.
We don’t pursue one aspect of value, so we feel that everything is meaningless. Because we don’t know how the future unfolds, we can let go of every attachment. We can accept that everything is changing, and we don’t have to stick to the old style.
Living rationally means we live without ego.
You can see that everything is closely connected.
The essence of traditional spiritual teaching
I realized that it is the essence of traditional religious teaching. I used to think that rationality made me spiritual. However, that was not accurate. The fundamental of those teachings was based on rationality. In other words, refined spirituality is logical.
It tells us that mastering the fundamentals of religious teachings is not difficult. Be rational. This simple method will show you the heart of a spiritual life. Although it looks contradictory, it is a fact.
It also allows us to discern unreasonable teachings. For example, there is a teaching that says just imagining makes your wishes come true materially.
Rationally speaking, there are multiple unknown causal relationships between the image and the material world. It is unreasonable to identify the cause-and-effect relationship.
In other words, according to our levels of rationality, we will think as follows:
- (More rational and broader perspective) We don’t know the relationship between our inner images and the outer material world. The connection is too complicated to tell precisely.
- (Irrational and narrow perspective) Your mind determines your result in the material world. (It implies that no other factor affects the outcome!)
Rationality provides us with a broader perspective. It gives us wisdom about things we don’t know. It doesn’t make sense to assume one causal relationship in chaotic areas where countless factors influence the outcome, like our lives and happiness.
The same goes for pursuing supernatural powers. Examples are analyzing the subconscious, trying to hear the gods’ voice, reading the Akashic records, and minding others’ prophecies of the future. Although they might be fine as an enjoyment, they would not resolve our mental problems.
If you are empathic and logical, try living rationally. That will tell you the true essence of spirituality.
Conclusion
That is why being rational would be the ideal, balanced state for spiritual people.
If you become reasonable, you will comprehend the mysterious, traditional spiritual teachings.
This is based on my experience. This might help you solve your mental problems and improve your life.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
