What is the spirit? Is it a real phenomena or just a religious reference?

Reality has a fundamental layer that pervades and connects all things. The Hindus call it Brahman; the invisible essence that permeates the whole universe. The Chinese call it the Tao. Buddhists call it the Dharma. Scientists call it the quantum field. 

In Eastern tradition, God isn’t a higher being that intervenes in our lives, altering and manipulating them. They believe that God is the spirit, the essence, present in everything around us. To them, God isn’t a personified overlord, with a magical kingdom waiting for us when we die; if we are morally good, it is the universe. It is the energy present in all things, that connects everything. 

This essence of spirit, this eternal life force, is the basis for human consciousness too. In science, there is a biological energy field that is generated by the neurons in our brains. In fact, all life forms have bioelectric fields permeated within them. The heart has its own bioelectric field which emanates outside of the body. The spirit then, may simply be the chemical energy manifest within all living things.

In eastern thought however, the spirit forms our sense of self, and from this we can aspire to achieve our atman; our scared spiritual self which we find through meditation, yoga and by practising compassion, understanding and virtue. By transcending our preoccupation with the self, by getting rid of selfishness, greed, and anger, we can be liberated and released from suffering. This is what the great Eastern mystics taught. Through meditation and deep focus, we can rise above our usual self and become at one with the universe. 

To only search for the spirit as a scientific, measurable entity, misses the greater truth. We have to search for the spirit in how we live, how we navigate the practicalities of daily life and through our relationships with others. In this way, the spirit becomes intrinsic to ourselves and everything around us, and by living graciously we can nourish and sustain it.