Editing Spirituality (section)

=====Four paths=====
{{Main|Hinduism}}
{{multiple image
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 | footer= Three of four paths of spirituality in Hinduism
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 | alt1= Jñāna marga
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 | alt2= Bhakti marga
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 | alt3= Rāja marga
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Traditionally, Hinduism identifies three ''mārga'' (ways)<ref>John Lochtefeld (2002), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Rosen Publishing New York, {{ISBN|0-8239-2287-1}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|See also [[Bhagavad Gita]] (The Celestial Song), Chapters 2:56–57, 12, 13:1–28}} of spiritual practice,<ref>D. Bhawuk (2011), Spirituality and Cultural Psychology, in Anthony Marsella (Series Editor), International and Cultural Psychology, Springer New York, {{ISBN|978-1-4419-8109-7}}, pp. 93–140</ref> namely [[Jnana|Jñāna]] (ज्ञान), the way of knowledge; [[Bhakti]], the way of devotion; and [[Karma yoga]], the way of selfless action. In the 19th century [[Vivekananda]], in his [[neo-Vedanta]] synthesis of Hinduism, added [[Rāja yoga]], the way of contemplation and meditation, as a fourth way, calling all of them "yoga".<ref>{{cite book | last=De Michelis | first=Elizabeth | author-link=Elizabeth De Michelis | year=2005 | title=A History of Modern Yoga: Patanjali and Western Esotericism | publisher=Continuum | isbn=978-0-8264-8772-8}}{{page needed|date=January 2022}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|[[Georg Feuerstein]]: "Yoga is not easy to define. In most general terms, the Sanskrit word yoga stands for spiritual discipline in Hinduism, Jainism, and certain schools of Buddhism. (...). Yoga is the equivalent of Christian mysticism, Moslem Sufism, or the Jewish Kabbalah. A spiritual practitioner is known as a yogin (if male) or a yogini (if female)."{{sfn|Feuerstein|2003|p=3}}}}

Jñāna marga is a path often assisted by a ''guru'' (teacher) in one's spiritual practice.{{sfn|Feuerstein|2003|loc="Chapter 55"}} Bhakti marga is a path of faith and devotion to deity or deities; the spiritual practice often includes chanting, singing and music – such as in ''[[kirtan]]s'' – in front of idols, or images of one or more deity, or a devotional symbol of the holy.<ref>Jean Varenne (1976), Yoga and the Hindu Tradition, University of Chicago Press, {{ISBN|0-226-85116-8}}, pp. 97–130</ref> Karma marga is the path of one's work, where diligent practical work or ''vartta'' ({{Langx|sa|वार्त्ता}}, profession) becomes in itself a spiritual practice, and work in daily life is perfected as a form of spiritual liberation and not for its material rewards.<ref>See discussion of Hinduism and karma yoga in two different professions in these journal articles:
* {{cite journal|ref=none |last1=McCormick |first1=Donald W. |year=1994 |title=Spirituality and Management |journal=Journal of Managerial Psychology |volume=9 |issue=6| pages=5–8 |doi=10.1108/02683949410070142}};
* {{cite journal|ref=none |last1=Macrae |first1=Janet |year=1995 |title=Nightingale's spiritual philosophy and its significance for modern nursing |journal=Journal of Nursing Scholarship |volume=27 |issue=1| pages=8–10 |doi=10.1111/j.1547-5069.1995.tb00806.x| pmid=7721325}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|
[[Klaus Klostermaier]] discusses examples from Bhagavata Purana, another ancient Hindu scripture, where a forest worker discovers observing mother nature is a spiritual practice, to wisdom and liberating knowledge. The Purana suggests that "true knowledge of nature" leads to "true knowledge of Self and God." It illustrates 24 gurus that nature provides. For example, earth teaches steadfastness and the wisdom that all things while pursuing their own activities, do nothing but follow the divine laws that are universally established; another wisdom from earth is her example of accepting the good and bad from everyone. Another guru, the honeybee teaches that one must make effort to gain knowledge, a willingness and flexibility to examine, pick and collect essence from different scriptures and sources. And so on. Nature is a mirror image of spirit, perceptive awareness of nature can be spirituality.<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Klaus Klostermaier]] |chapter=Spirituality and Nature |title=Hindu Spirituality |editor=Ewert Cousins |year=1989 |isbn=0-8245-0755-X |publisher=Crossroads Publishing |place=New York |pages=319–337}}</ref>}} Rāja marga is the path of cultivating necessary virtues, self-discipline, ''[[Tapas (Sanskrit)|tapas]]'' (meditation), contemplation and self-reflection sometimes with isolation and renunciation of the world, to a pinnacle state called ''[[samadhi|samādhi]]''.<ref>Vivekananda, S. (1980), Raja Yoga, Ramakrishna Vivekanada Center, {{ISBN|978-0-911206-23-4}}</ref><ref>Richard King (1999), Indian philosophy: An introduction to Hindu and Buddhist thought, Edinburgh University Press, {{ISBN|0-7486-0954-7}}, pp. 69–71</ref> This state of ''samādhi'' has been compared to peak experience.<ref>See:
* {{cite journal|ref=none |last1=Harung |first1=Harald |year=2012 |title=Illustrations of Peak Experiences during Optimal Performance in World-class Performers Integrating Eastern and Western Insights |journal=Journal of Human Values |volume=18 |issue=1| pages=33–52 |doi=10.1177/097168581101800104| s2cid=143106405}}
* {{cite journal|ref=none |last1=Levin |first1=Jeff |year=2010 |title=Religion and mental health: Theory and research |journal=International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies |volume=7 |issue=2| pages=102–15|doi=10.1002/aps.240 }};
* {{cite journal|ref=none |last1=Meyer-Dinkgräfe |first1=Daniel |year=2011 |title=Opera and spirituality |journal=Performance and Spirituality |volume=2 |issue=1| pages=38–59}}</ref>

There is a rigorous debate in Indian literature on relative merits of these theoretical spiritual practices. For example, [[Chandogya Upanishad|Chandogyopanishad]] suggests that those who engage in ritualistic offerings to gods and priests will fail in their spiritual practice, while those who engage in ''tapas'' will succeed; [[Shvetashvatara Upanishad]] suggests that a successful spiritual practice requires a longing for truth, but warns of becoming 'false ascetic' who go through the mechanics of spiritual practice without meditating on the nature of Self and universal Truths.<ref name=crp>See:
* CR Prasad, Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Editor: Knut Jacobsen (2010), Volume II, Brill, {{ISBN|978-90-04-17893-9}}, see Article on ''Brahman'', pp. 724–29
* David Carpenter, Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Editor: Knut Jacobsen (2010), Volume II, Brill, {{ISBN|978-90-04-17893-9}}, see Article on ''Tapas'', pp. 865–69</ref> In the practice of Hinduism, suggest modern era scholars such as [[Vivekananda]], the choice between the paths is up to the individual and a person's proclivities.<ref name=gf/><ref>Klaus Klostermaier (2007), A Survey of Hinduism, 3rd Edition, SUNY Press, {{ISBN|978-0-7914-7081-7}}, pp. 119–260</ref> Other scholars<ref>[[Mikel Burley]] (2000), Hatha-Yoga: Its context, theory and practice, Motilal Banarsidass Publications, {{ISBN|81-208-1706-0}}, pp. 97–98; Quote: "When, for example, in the Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krsna speaks of jnana-, bhakti- and karma-yoga, he is not talking about three entirely separate ways of carrying out one's spiritual practice, but, rather, about three aspects of the ideal life".</ref> suggest that these Hindu spiritual practices are not mutually exclusive, but overlapping. These four paths of spirituality are also known in Hinduism outside India, such as in [[Balinese Hinduism]], where it is called ''Chatur Marga'' (literally: four paths).<ref>Murdana, I. Ketut (2008), Balinese Arts and Culture: A flash understanding of Concept and Behavior, Mudra – Jurnal Seni Budaya, Indonesia; Volume 22, p. 5</ref>