Essentially, prayer is attentiveness to God, and this has various degrees, from weak or faltering to total. This attentive attitude is itself the fruit of love; God's love becomes the dominant commitment of the will. The person has achieved purity of heart and spiritual wholeness. Joy takes hold of the heart, transmuting every moment into the irresistible attraction and power of divine love.
The fundamental problem, I believe, is that at every level we are giving too much
attention to the external, material aspects of life while neglecting moral ethics and
inner values...I call for each of us to come to our own understanding of the
importance of inner values. For it is these inner values which are the source of both an ethically harmonious world and the individual peace of mind, confidence, and happiness we all seek. Of course, all the world's major religions, with their
emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness, can and do
promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I believe the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics that is beyond religion.
~ from BEYOND RELIGION: ETHICS FOR A WHOLE WORLD by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Speaking of spirituality, a Sufi master once said, "A river passes through many countries, and each claims it for its own. But there is only one river."
~from BEYOND RELIGION: 8 ALTERNATIVE PATHS TO THE SACRED by David N. Elkins
