In spirituality as well as in Buddhism in general, we often find a strong emphasis on the present moment. Statements such as “The present moment is the only thing real” or “The past is but a memory. The future an illusion.” are quite common in spiritual and Buddhist circles. But have you ever wondered why, by contrast, in most religions—as well as in the Buddhism of the scriptures—this idea is far less emphasized?
The reason is that people often become spiritual as a result of some life-changing experience that makes them want to break away from the past—and from the future that would have naturally grown out of that past.
But religion is different. A shift from spirituality to religion (yes, that is something that sometimes happens) is, in a sense, a desire to connect with a greater past and a greater future. It is a shift from a personal past and a personal future to a past that connects the individual with all the like-minded people who have come before, as well as an aspiration toward a future that has been shown as a possibility by those who have walked further on the path of spiritual evolution.
Sometimes on the path of religion (whether formal or personal), things go wrong. A person may begin to no longer identify with those beings of the past that made the religion great, but rather with those who began to compromise—declaring, “The path is long and toilsome; let us take a break and march on in a future life.” In becoming connected with an unpromising past, they become equally connected with an unpromising future.
For them someday the present again will become the gateway to a greater life, and they will transition from religion back to spirituality.
However, let us not forget that spirituality and religion are not entirely two separate things.
Spirituality is the life, and religion is the body. Life enters the body to learn—not to learn carnality, but to learn from the past, and to strive toward a life that is greater than the present.
Only when past, present, and future are seen as one, and nothing remains to be learned from any of them, will we reach beyond the sphere of time and permanently attain the deathless.
