Everyday Soup for the Soul

The name of our site takes inspiration from Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield which has become a No. 1 Best Seller. You may or may not have read it, you may or may not have liked it, but it’s difficult to argue with the basic premise which, essentially, promotes kindness.

All religions and spiritual practises, at heart, do the same. They may focus on internal and spiritual development or some other aspect of life or a possible afterlife and the individual’s relationship with a higher force or energy but the tenet of all religions is love and kindness, tolerance for fellow beings and consideration for the other life forms we share the planet with.

Spiritual

At one time, spirituality was considered a part of religion but with the decline in the number of people actively practising organised religion, certainly in the West, spirituality has taken on a broader meaning. Many people now consider themselves spiritual even if they don’t follow an organised religion.

It’s not always easy being spiritual or following a religious path in our frantic modern society. To help, many people practise some form of meditation. This can be any number of things such as prayer, yoga, saying mantras, or quiet contemplation.

Mindful

The Buddhists use the word ‘mindful’ a lot and almost anything can be a meditation if done mindfully. In fact, meditation does not have to be a religious or spiritual practise. Many people meditate who would not consider themselves to be religious or spiritual but they do it because of the benefits they get themselves. But while meditation affects them, it also has an effect on those they come into contact with.

In particular, meditation can make you calmer and more readily able to handle the stresses and strains of everyday life without getting stressed or worked-up.

Practise Makes Perfect

It can help enormously in relationships, again by helping you remain calm during situations which could otherwise be fractious and in ways such as being more aware of their point of view and have more consideration and compassion.

These benefits accrue simply through the practise of correct meditation; they are a by-product of the wider goal.

Enlightenment

For many religious and spiritual people, however, practises such as meditation, prayer and contemplation have enlightenment as their main goal. This can mean different things to different people and different religions but it’s often an attempt to realise the non-dual nature of being.

In essence that we are all one and we are all part of God or the Spirit or whatever you perceive the controlling power of the universe to be.

Religious Goals

This is not the goal of all religions but the many of them do teach that we and our creator are one, and enlightenment through meditation can help us realise that fact. For most people, however, enlightenment is an aspirational state never likely to be reached. But the practise of it confers many benefits and it’s worth doing for its own sake both for the individual and for those they come into contact with.

In addition, meditation is not actively taught by some religions so it’s not as common or popular as it could be but, it does not have to be a religious or, indeed, spiritual activity unless you want it to be.

Meditation Win-Win

The bottom line is simply this: - whatever your religion or spiritual calling, one of the foundations will almost certainly be that you are kind to your fellow man. Tolerance, understanding and compassion are usually the underlying mainstays of belief, whatever the outward trappings appear to be. Meditation can help you achieve these things without any conscious effort on your part, other than doing the actual meditation.

It’s a win-win situation. You can follow your religious and spiritual beliefs, improve your own personal wellbeing, and relate better to those around you. There are no downsides and the gains are made by you, your friends and associates, and the rest of world.