What Is Spirituality? Three Mysterious Elements That Create the Spiritual World

In a dharma talk at Phuc Long Pagoda, Venerable Thich Chan Quang began with a question. He asked if two stones placed next to each other know one another. The assembly fell silent. The teacher smiled and explained that they do not know each other because they lack mind. However, if a worm crawls onto a stone, it knows it is a stone, meaning the worm possesses mind. From this simple image, the teacher guided us into the profound world of spirituality. Many people search for it, yet some wander into superstition.

What Is Mind? The Knowing That Cannot Be Defined

The teacher taught that first, mind is knowing. Wherever there is knowing, there is mind. Wherever there is no knowing, there is no mind. Two stones do not know each other, so they are insentient. But a worm knows the stone, so it has mind. Even plants seem to possess a type of knowledge, as science acknowledges. So what is knowing? The teacher stated that knowing is an awareness we recognize ourselves but cannot define.

It is like drinking hot water. We know the water is hot, but we cannot describe exactly how hot it is in words. Language fails here. Therefore, to build a science of spirituality, we must accept knowing as an axiom. This is similar to how Euclidean geometry accepts the postulate of parallel lines. Only then can we open up a new worldview.

Three Elements of Mind: Knowing, Wanting, and Karma

Mind is not just knowing. It also includes wanting and karma. The teacher explained that mind never stops wanting, just as it never stops knowing. Even when you sit still, you want to sit still. That is still a form of desire. Wanting to eat, wear clothes, love, or gain fame are all desires of the ordinary mind. A practitioner of wisdom sees their hidden desires clearly.

A person who practices with wisdom always sees what they are currently wanting. When we see our wants and control them, we have taken one step toward the realm of the holy. The third element is karma. Karma governs the structure of the mind. It causes us today to cherish the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) and abandon trivial pleasures to come to the temple to listen to the dharma talk. Karma sown from many past lives creates our consciousness today.

When Mind Becomes "Spiritual" – What Is Spirituality?

When knowing, wanting, and karma rise above the ordinary level, we call it spirituality. Knowing becomes deeper and farther-reaching. A spiritual person might sense that someone will refuse an invitation before even calling. The wanting of spirituality is the desire to practice and reach for the sublime, not basic survival needs. The karma of spirituality pushes people to ordain or practice as laypeople. The teacher said that spirituality is still knowing, but it is deep and far-reaching knowing.

The wanting of spirituality, which is the desire to practice, is also a special kind of want. It does not belong to the needs of eating, clothing, or sleeping. It is the soul's longing to transcend birth and death.

The Spirituality of Saints: Non-Self (Anatta) and Compassion

The teacher told a story about a Zen master who saw a farmer woman coming to worship at the pagoda. He immediately told her to hurry home to save hundreds of living beings. She ran back and found her daughter-in-law preparing to boil a basket full of live snails. She managed to release the snails into the rice field in time. This was the saint's ability to know beyond space. However, it is the morality of these saints that truly commands our respect.

The teacher spoke of Most Venerable Thich Thanh Bich, an elder monk over one hundred years old who lived simply and yielded to others. Once, he was locked out of his room on a cold night. He did not knock on the door because he feared disturbing the community. He stood outside all night so everyone could sleep peacefully. This action came from non-self (anatta) and the wish to bring peace to others, even at personal cost.

This is the nature of a saint's spirituality. It involves supernatural knowing, noble wanting, and a lifetime of karmic cultivation. We can hardly match them. Yet, if we hold reverence and look toward the saints, the seed of spirituality within us will gradually be nourished.

Conclusion: Nurture the Seed of Spirituality

Thus, spirituality is not superstition or mysterious tricks. Spirituality occurs when our knowing, wanting, and karma rise above trivial needs, turning toward the Dharma and enlightenment. The fact that we are here listening to these teachings proves we already have a seed of spirituality within us. Let us nurture that seed through practice and reverence for the saints. One day, our minds may become miraculous, allowing us to enter the realm of the holy.