Somehow, if we try, we feel like it still “counts” as a spiritual moment although I rarely actually feel the spirit at the end of home teaching visits (either on the receiving or giving end; I’m picking on home teaching because it’s what came to mind first, but it is not alone in the pool of awkward testimony sharing / spirituality moments). It’s not meant to be manufactured so easily, but yet, our Church does a pretty good job of making us feel like it’s supposed to be this way somehow. I’m not sure where I’m going with this… just that I share the same sentiment that you do but with little experience in other methods of spirituality. I’m always glad when I hear you’ve discovered more for yourself on how to be in tune with the spirit.

With regards to the practical significance of having a spirit it more relates to our living in a pre-mortal life and living between death and the resurrection. Those two doctrines are important for letting us know we chose to be here, that we had a goal in mind, as well as expanding our view of existence as beyond this life. That provides a larger context which can (and should) definitely affect our actions, desires and aims. The doctrine of a spirit world is important to give hope towards those who die without the gospel. It enables one to believe in Mormonism despite the limited exposure people have to it here in this life.

With regards to meditation explaining the connection between spirit and body, I confess I’m not sure what you mean. I’ve done Japanese Zazen meditation and find it quite helpful. But it is more about harmonizing myself with my environment. I don’t see it having much by way of metaphysics.

I think, however the biggest issue we face is harmonizing ourselves with the Spirit (big S). While I suppose Buddhist practice can help us with the general habit of harmonizing, it can’t help too much in terms of providing that connection to the Spirit in the way we ultimately need. Indeed, depending upon how one approaches it, it can cause us to miss it. (Although I hasten to add it need not do that in the least – but we certainly can look beyond the mark)

As to what Mormon spirituality consists of, I think it is actually somewhat similar to Buddhist teaching. It is being in harmony with God. Of course Buddhists don’t put it that way. But it means we have to feel and recognize the Spirit and then act in harmony with it. Harmony is but a third of that.

Clark, it surprizes me for you to say that you don’t think feeling the Spirit and having spirits are “necessarily related.” I guess I don’t need to hold on to that position to make my point, though, so I won’t spend too much time on that. But I will say that I call my “spirit” that aspect of myself that senses things spiritually. If it’s just coincidence that we have the same name for our pre-Earth life existences, fine. But that’s what I mean: our spiritual sensitivity.

I don’t want to get too deep into Buddhist doctrine here, either. I do feel like I’ve read a lot of it, had some good teachers in it, and have experienced much of it firsthand, but I certainly make no claim to be an expert. That said, however, in Zazen meditation, the first “harmony” (as you call it) is between your mind and your body. Much effort is spent becoming aware of our body as well as our thoughts, emotions, and feelings. By bringing awareness of our body and mind together we can be at peace and receive powerful insights. I admit that what follows is my own interpretation: but I consider this to precisely reference the same concept as body + spirit = soul. Our true nature of awareness, or harmony, can most fully be experienced only by bringing our body and mind together as one. It’s remarkable the clarity — and what I perceive to be the ability to feel the Holy Ghost if that’s what you’re looking for — that comes when this is done.

That’s the nutshell version of how Buddhist practices have helped my spirituality. But I’m more interested in your (and everyone’s) take on Mormon spirituality. You say things like, “harmonizing ourselves with the Spirit”, and “. . . that connection to the Spirit in the way we ultimately need.” Sorry to be difficult (and please correct me if I’m wrong), but those seem like only slightly more sophisticated reiterations of the same meaningless cliches we always hear. What does “harmonization” mean in the context of your description (you said you think the Buddhist way of thinking about it may not be the best one) and how do we achieve it? How do we “feel and recognize the Spirit and then act in harmony with it”? What is the “connection that we ultimately need”? These are the questions I haven’t heard answered in a very practical way in the Church. I’m not necessarily trying to have a philosophical discussion regarding what feeling the Spirit is, although I’m sure some of that’s highly relevant and necessary to my point. I’m more interested in the specific, meaningful, and/or practical ways the Church teaches about it.

Of course, that places a responsibility upon us to lay the foundation for this new vocabulary. I wonder if our leaders are conscious of this duty.

I think one of the greatest problems with spirituality or ‘feeling the spirit’ is that it is a lot like our testimonies. We cannot be given our own testimony. We can strengthen ours by sharing it and by listening to others’ but as the phrasology goes we cannot inherrit our testimony from our parents.

Spirituality is very much the same thing. It is a very internal thing. We can teach people some of the symptoms of the spirit speaking but unlike modern language there is no translation guide for all the details. Learning how the spirit speaks is very internal.

I for one applaud you on your use of yoga and Buddhism. I studied Eastern philosophy for a long time before joining the church and found in it a great teacher in those schools of thoughts to better understanding the spirit.

I’ve used it in several of my EQ classes to better understand the nature of the spirit, prayer and so forth.

Another problem you mention is pedagogical, how people are taught in the church to have spiritual experiences, or not. It’s true we don’t have a tradition of spiritual exercises that lead to inspiration, but rather a list of actions that might prepare us to receive inspiration (fast, pray, read the scriptures, and all the rest). This corresponds reasonably well with my most important spiritual experiences, which have been unexpected, surprising, even shocking. Fasting and prayer help me feel like I’ve done what I’m supposed to for the day, but for me they have rarely functioned as triggers for inspiration. The absence of codified spiritual exercises from my religious experience is one reason I’ve found Grant von Harrison’s books so alien.

There is, on the other hand, a lot of implicit instruction in church in feeling the spirit. Since the most important modelling of inspiration comes in testimony meeting, which is supposed to be spontaneous, perhaps it’s not too surprising that Mormon spirituality seems unsystematic.