Beyond Narcissism: Towards an Analysis of the Public, Political and Collective Forms of Contemporary Spirituality
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Holistic Spirituality in Context: Theoretical and Methodological Considerations
3. Scenes and Actions: Holistic Spirituality in the Prison and on the Street
3.1. Holistic Spirituality in Prison
(…) as part of my time, or part of what I dedicate myself, I give it to life and named it ‘life,’ ‘existence’—everything that is God. For me, it is a gift living that experience [of yoga] so the minimum that I can do is to offer [yoga] as a gift. I also see it as a way to feed everything else [social change], as well as at an energy level. It’s like that.
I try to provide them, remind them, that the strength they are looking for is within, that is, they have to wake up … The philosophy of yoga is that power is in your hands, that is, it is yours and what you are looking for, through practice, is to connect more and more to that power, to really understand that it is there, that God is there, that you can do what you want with your life [and] that, if you are not doing it, it is because you have not managed to digest something of your past, or it is your way of seeing the world that leads you away from that.
I have the feeling that I am doing what I have come to do, which is [to teach them] how to awaken awareness and help them at the same time. It’s like a domino effect, right? I see that we are giving small inputs that generate changes in people and these changes are at the same time generating changes [in] the people that surround them. [It’s like a domino effect that [operates] among all the people that are in that [the yoga and holistic spirituality milieu].
We are thousands of millions, that is, we are very many people, each with their small parcel. It’s [like a little garden, because it is what is being [created], or this [yoga] is supporting a paradigm shift that is taking place.
3.2. Holistic Spirituality in the Streets
If what you are told is the need to be aware, you are aware. Even if you are not in any religion, then you support it while you can accept the things that it tells you. That’s why it is good to unmark labels that [exist] already [and which are] in a way, obsolete and that is why also mindfulness that has emerged, which is the meditation of all life. The Satipatthana Sutta is from 2500 years ago [and] cannot be explained as it [was] explained before, as if it were a religion.
In light of the tense situation that has been generated, it is advisable that serenity and interiority become visible on the street and especially in emblematic places. For this reason, a set of events, we call a Marathon of Shared Silence, is open to everyone. We meet ourselves without flags or emblems, above the noise of the words and the slogans that divide; people may say we are united in silence, in an attitude of internalization, meditation, prayer, visualization or projection of the future, according to their individual preference. People who are fasting for the same reason are welcome. We are convinced that a collective gesture, which is persistent, sprouting from the heart and fortified by the strength of thought that is well focused, will help overcome the spiral of confrontation.
We are mobilizing for something, which is to convey to society the message that we are not selfish people that are at home doing our practice—although [this] is still basic and fundamental because the healing of the soul itself is also very important. If you are not healed, you cannot heal anyone, but this aspect of showing that we are here is also important: [it shows] that we are about to help, and we want to integrate ourselves into society at all levels. That is why these Thich Nhat Hanh walks transmit the expression of a different way of walking, a conscious way of walking and doing all things. Walking consciously is just like a metaphor [for] being conscious in our lives; we have values and we have to respect and take care of them. These values are solidarity and meditation. Mindfulness is also doing everything you do every day but consciously.
4. Discussion
4.1. Beyond the Private: Holistic Spirituality and Its Public Resonance
4.2. Beyond Commodification: Discursive and Embodied Imaginaries of Social Change
4.3. Beyond Individualism: The Individual Who Is Not Individualistic
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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1 | Yogui Bhajan popularized modern Kundalini yoga during the seventies in the US. From there, it has been exported all over the world and it provides a combination of yoga asanas, tantric ideas and Sikh mantras. It is said to be the ‘most spiritualized’ form of contemporary yoga styles (Khalsa 1986; York 2004). |
2 | Kriya refers to a set of practices, mainly breath control techniques and exercises, that are practiced to achieve a specific outcome. The word is a Sanskrit term that means ‘completed action.’ See: https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5022/kriya (last accessed: 15 August 2019). |
3 | The Catalan Platform of Buddhist groups (CCEB) was founded in 2007 in order to coordinate and create synergies between various associations and Buddhist centres of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands with the will to present Buddhism to—and represent Buddhism in—society. See: https://www.ccebudistes.org/es/origen-y-objetivos-de-la-cceb/(last accessed: 20th September 2019). |
4 | Mindfulness is a technique that represents a form of vipassana meditation aimed at consciously anchoring the mind in the present moment. Starting with a basic technique of breathing, it gradually develops into intentional awareness of one’s bodily sensations, emotions and ultimately thoughts, in attempt to calm the mind (Arat 2017). |
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Clot-Garrell, A.; Griera, M. Beyond Narcissism: Towards an Analysis of the Public, Political and Collective Forms of Contemporary Spirituality. Religions 2019, 10, 579. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10100579
Clot-Garrell A, Griera M. Beyond Narcissism: Towards an Analysis of the Public, Political and Collective Forms of Contemporary Spirituality. Religions. 2019; 10(10):579. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10100579
Chicago/Turabian StyleClot-Garrell, Anna, and Mar Griera. 2019. "Beyond Narcissism: Towards an Analysis of the Public, Political and Collective Forms of Contemporary Spirituality" Religions 10, no. 10: 579. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10100579