Vitamin P

If you consider yourself to be a religious person, chances are you probably also consider yourself to be a spiritual one. According to Dr. Bohendra Doobay, a learned heart surgeon and Hindu priest, “spirituality has nothing to do with religion.” A religious person may not be truly spiritual and a spiritual person doesn’t have to be religious. Many people who never see the inside of a church, mosque or temple are far more loving, kind and temperate than some who are deeply and faithfully religious.

“I am not bothered by the fact that I am unknown. I am bothered when I do not know others.” - Confucius

Dr. Doobay defines spirituality as “the quality of an individual and his humanness with the rest of creation, meaning the environment, atmosphere, earth and animals – not just other people.” A spiritual person understands the impact of their deeds and actions and that both their kindnesses and thoughtless moments will have an effect.

“If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there.” – Mother Theresa

“We all have our spiritual deficiencies,” says Dr. Doobay, “and to overcome those, we first have to admit our faults to ourselves. Then, we must work on our faults.” He doesn’t have the perfect prescription for accomplishing this, but is an enthusiastic advocate of “Vitamin P”. The doctor believes that living in and enjoying the Present is a way to appreciate our blessings and to keep negative memories and future worries from blinding us to the small and wonderful moments we pass through every day of our lives. We should look back long enough to learn and look forward to plan and dream and the rest of the day should be spent in the moment.

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.” - Buddha

The doctor sees the human ego as the biggest hindrance to finding true peace and spirituality. To gain true spirituality, a person must be “accommodating”. Spirituality demands outreach and empathy and often it can take us out of our comfort zones, unlike the atmosphere of a particular faith where one is surrounded by people of like minds.Many religions will organize planned occasions for giving or helping in the community,but this is rarely enough to enrich a spiritual soul. Personal outreach to nourish your spirit should be done with a giving and loving heart with no regard for reward or recognition.

“A man's true wealth here after is the good he does in this world to his fellow man.” - Muhammad

“Man’s inhumanity to man is getting worse on a daily basis, especially when we see the leaders of nations encouraging wars.” Dr. Doobay allows. “People suffer in many ways from wars and it’s not just the obvious ways. There is a lack of good health care and education because so much money is spent on war.”  With this in mind, Dr. Doobay has incorporated spirituality, peace and religion in a project that is the first of its kind in North America, The Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization and a permanent installation in the museum, the Wall of Peace. The wall contains busts or representations and written profiles of personalities of all religions that speak of peace, and includes Buddha, Jesus Christ, Judaism and Islam. It also includes busts of three men who are known for their peaceful movements: Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King. All three were true spiritualists and understood that the selfless work of one person can inspire and effect great change.

“Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” – Martin Luther King

To become a more spiritual person is a daily process that takes a conscious effort to increase awareness of the world around you. Taking time out from the hectic pressures of life in order to enjoy every bite of food we eat and to understand the blessing it is to go a day without hunger is a step to spirituality. Opening your eyes to every person you pass in the course of your day and to the state of the small part of the world you inhabit and then expanding your view to take in the people you don’t pass and the part of the world you’ve never travelled will enrich your spiritual self. A true spiritual person needs very little to be happy in this life and is able to give more to the world around them because they find joy and pleasure in every experience and they appreciate the gifts already in their lives without having a driving need for “things”.

“Everyone should be able to eat to his fill, at least for one day. There should be at least one day when hospitals see no one admitted due to violence. By doing selfless service for at least one day, everyone should help the poor and needy.” - Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma)

Embracing spirituality enhances people of every faith and belief system. It brings together people who might otherwise have been driven apart by religious or cultural differences. True spirituality is the path to peace both within us and within our world.

“We must be prepared to make the same heroic sacrifices for the cause of peace that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war.” – Albert Einstein