If spirituality be your food of love, pray on

Indian nasi briyani, anyone? :)

Many of us who used to be in the grace-universalist-preterist-progressive Christianity circles have embarked on our own spiritual journey that goes beyond the confines of mainstream Christianity. For example, a Facebook friend who used to consider herself an evangelical Christian fundamentalist has embraced a kind of Hindu mysticism, though according to her, her current belief system is not affiliated to any particular branch of Christianity or ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).

It is good to see people embarking on different spiritual journeys to discover God for ourselves in our own ways. I've come to see the various religions or belief systems as merely a stepping stone - a finger pointing to the moon - and then, we are off on our own in search for the truth within our heart.

I think a revelation of grace and an understanding of our oneness of God is essential so that in the process of exploring other belief systems, we continue to guard our heart against anything that might be legalistic or propagate a sense of separation from God. Life is a more colourful and exciting adventure when we revel in our freedom to discover our true Self in various paths - after all, we know God/Unconditional Love transcends boundaries, and no one belief system has a monopoly on God/Love.

Love is perhaps so vast and multifaceted, that it takes a multitude of belief systems and philosophies to express its infinite varieties of colours and music. Our search and experience in life and spirituality will be personal and meaningful, and our communion with others will be interesting as we learn from one another's insights and experiences. It's like eating from a huge buffet, and yet having our own customised diet best suited for our needs at the same time.

I borrowed the above analogy of food and spirituality/religion from Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Living Buddha, Living Christ" where he wrote "To me, religious life is life. I do not see any reason to spend one's whole life tasting just one kind of fruit. We human beings can be nourished by the best values of many traditions."