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To Be Spiritual, But Not Religious
An excerpt from my book, “Wisdom and Other Gifts of Spirituality.”
I have long been interested in the ways those of us who shy away from formal, organized religions may still grow spiritually. I identify as a “secular Buddhist,” which I guess affords me the right to claim that I am a seeker of spiritual insight, even if I recoil against the dogma and strictures of organized faith. I have spent many years thinking about what informs a spiritual life. Early on, I realized that there are foundational truths in everyone’s spiritual life, regardless of their religious origins. I’ve concluded that for me — and I think many others — these truths are what matter, however they come to be known and experienced.
After many years of thinking about these matters, I decided to finally put my thoughts down in a book, which will be available on Amazon and other retailers in March 2022.
The following is an excerpt (the first chapter) from my book Wisdom and Other Gifts of Spirituality. The book explores nine “gifts” of spirituality: Self-knowledge, Self-awareness, Self-love, Self-compassion, Mindfulness, Kindness, Forgiveness, and Gratitude, which all come together and lead to the final gift, The Gift of Wisdom. The book concludes with a chapter on Living With Gifts of Spirituality.
