The World of Religions No. 57 – January/February 2013 –
Is the idea that each individual can "find their spiritual path" eminently modern? Yes and no. In the East, at the time of the Buddha, there were many seekers of the Absolute who were in search of a personal path to liberation. In ancient Greece and Rome, mystery cults and numerous philosophical schools—from the Pythagoreans to the Neoplatonists, including the Stoics and Epicureans—offered numerous paths of initiation and wisdom to individuals seeking a good life. The subsequent development of major areas of civilization, each founded on a religion giving meaning to individual and collective life, would limit the spiritual offerings. Nevertheless, within each major tradition, one will always find diverse spiritual currents, responding to a certain diversity of individual expectations. Thus, in Christianity, the many religious orders offer a fairly wide variety of spiritual sensibilities: from the most contemplative, such as the Carthusians or the Carmelites, to the most intellectual, such as the Dominicans or the Jesuits, or even those emphasizing poverty (Franciscans), the balance between work and prayer (Benedictines) or charitable action (Brothers and Sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul, Missionaries of Charity).
Beyond those involved in religious life, from the end of the Middle Ages onwards, we saw the development of lay associations, most often living within the influence of the great orders, even if these were not always well received by the institution, as shown by the persecution suffered by the Beguines. We find the same phenomenon in Islam with the development of numerous Sufi brotherhoods, some of which were also persecuted. Jewish mystical sensitivity was expressed through the birth of the Kabbalist movement, and we will continue to find in Asia a great diversity of schools and spiritual movements. Modernity will bring two new elements: the departure from collective religion and the mixing of cultures. We will thus witness new spiritual syncretisms linked to the personal aspirations of each individual in search of meaning and see the development of a secular spirituality that is expressed outside of any religious belief and practice. This situation is not entirely unprecedented, as it is reminiscent of that of Roman Antiquity, but the mixture of cultures is much more intense there (everyone today has access to the entire spiritual heritage of humanity), and we are also witnessing a true democratization of the spiritual quest which no longer simply concerns a social elite.
But through all these metamorphoses, one essential question remains: should each individual seek and can they find the spiritual path that allows them to achieve their best possible fulfillment? I answer assuredly: yes. Yesterday as today, the spiritual path is the fruit of a personal approach, and this has a better chance of succeeding if each person seeks a path that is adapted to their sensitivity, their possibilities, their ambition, their desire, their questioning. Of course, some individuals find themselves lost in the face of such a wide choice of paths offered to us today. "What is the best spiritual path?" the Dalai Lama was once asked. The Tibetan leader's response: "The one that makes you better." This is undoubtedly an excellent criterion for discernment.
http://www.lemondedesreligions.fr/mensuel/2013/57/