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What is the difference between being religious and being spiritual? 1. Being religious in the right way and the right spirit includes spirituality. However, if one does not practice religion in the right spirit, and if the practice of religion becomes purely mechanical, than it becomes devoid of spirituality. 2. If a person believes that being religious just means meticulously following the practices of the religion like prayers and tarikats without thinking, internalising and making conscious efforts to change one’s life, than it becomes mechanical. 3. Being spiritual means consciously living in awareness of one’s self, one’s mind, one’s soul and working towards evolving and making oneself better. Spirituality means being in harmony with the seen and unseen worlds. The unseen worlds include our inner self and the external divine world. The seen world is the entire creation around us with which we have to live harmoniously. 4. If one is just mechanically religious, one may not necessarily become a good human being. One needs to find the purpose behind the practises of the religion and perform them consciously. The conscious performance of religious principles and practices can lead one to goodness and humanity. 5. Just being religious in a mechanical way, may make one feel good, but it will not actually work towards improving one at the mental and spiritual levels. However, mechanical practise of the religious principals, after following all the ritual and purity requirements, may augment one’s khoreh (divine energy) which in turn may help at various levels. by Ervad Dr. Ramiyar Parvez Karanjia |