Ten Ingredients of a Contemporary Spirituality of Optimal Living

 

By Julius-Kei Kato, SSL, PhD

(version: 2024-12-18)

JK Kato's Website: https://jkato.kingsfaculty.ca/

[Premise 1]  Spirituality  

For our purposes here, spirituality will be understood in the following way: It is the quest to live: not in morally-compromised ways but in integrity, not superficially but deeply, not in a self-centered way but for something bigger than one’s self. We can say, therefore, that spirituality is the effort to live “deeper and bigger” with integrity. In other words, it is a quest for integrity, depth, and transcendence.

Why are we using the term “spirituality”? |  The quest mentioned above leads one to touch the “heart and core” of reality and existence. That core is something that cannot be measured empirically, hence, it belongs properly to the “spiritual” realm.

Some other important things to note about spirituality. First, spirituality (or cultivating your own spirituality) is not something supernatural or super-human, but deeply and fundamentally, a human trait (or a human activity) in the sense that it is what we humans are hardwired to seek and do. Second, its pursuit makes us more fully human. Therefore, spirituality is not optional; rather, it is a necessary human quest.

Finally, spirituality is the heart and core of all religions but, as is common today, it does not have to be, strictly speaking, linked with organized religion in order to be authentic.

[Premise 2] Optimal Living: Showing Up as the Best Version of Yourself in the Here and Now  

The foundation of spirituality as it will be proposed here is this conviction: Human life--every aspect of it--is a spiritual quest, a quest that is nevertheless rooted in ordinary life with all its ups and downs; with all its beautiful, ugly, and neutral factors. There is no need, therefore, to be afraid of "spiritual quests"! (For more on that, go HERE) That means, the spiritual quest is not an elite activity that is beyond the reach of ordinary people like you and me. Rather, simply put, the spiritual quest consists in trying to live an "Optimal Life," which is nothing else than trying our very best to be the best versions of ourselves, in service to something bigger than ourselves, wherever we are in life, from moment to moment. To that let me add the important word "mindfully." Therefore, my fuller description of optimal living is this: While being mindful of where we are and what we face in life, we try to be the best version of ourselves in every moment. (A more detailed blogpost on that can be found HERE)

An important caveat: Optimal living is NOT perfectionism. The former is healthy because it is firmly based on reality and takes account of our different limitations; the latter can be unwholesome because it tends to have unrealistic demands. 

With the above premises in mind, I’d like to propose the following ingredients of a spirituality that, I hope, people today can adopt and put into practice, no matter whether they are religious or not. This kind of spirituality ultimately aims to help people to live fuller and more meaningful lives today (aka, “optimal living”).

Here are simple descriptions of each ingredient with key quotes and suggested basic practices.

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[1] Be Mindful! Be aware of and embrace REALITY here and now 

Keep in mind: the present moment is the only moment that you actually have (to live). The past is already gone; the future is not yet here. It's important then that you live the present moment to the full. Otherwise, you will lose this precious moment forever. If you lose many "present moments," you are, in effect, "not living"! So then, what is the key to live fully here and now? It is Mindfulness! Be mindful then ... of the here and now, of yourself, of the world within you, of others, of the world around you and outside of you.

QUOTES

Mindfulness is the moment to moment non-judgmental awareness and acceptance of ‘what is’ in the here and now. (adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn)

When we are mindful, touching deeply the present moment, in the here and now, we gain more understanding, more acceptance, more forgiveness and love of self and others; our aspiration to relieve suffering grows; and we have more chances to touch joy and peace. We need the energy of mindfulness to recognize and be present with our habit energy so that we may prevent it from dominating us and stop its often destructive course. ~Thich Nhat Hanh in Savor

BASIC PRACTICE

Frequently go back to your "true home" (the "here and now") by mindfully focusing on your breath and what is happening within you and outside of you. This is the most basic mindfulness practice. Mindfulness can be maintained throughout the day and in all activities. Meditation is the concrete and formal practice of devoting a period of time to consciously practice mindfulness and other spiritual exercises to increase one’s spirit of mindfulness.

Arguably the most important way to maintain a mindful awareness in life with lots of other benefits such as inner peace, ability to concentrate, resilience, etc., is having a MEDITATION practice. There are many ways to do this. My suggestion for beginners is B-Re-T-M-A. Short for: Breath—Read or Recall—Think—Meditate—Act. Read about that HERE.

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[2] Constantly Aim for ‘Better’! Move One Step at a Time from ‘Negative’ to ‘Positive’

KEYWORDS: Onward, Avanti, Ippo-Zenshin (一歩前進)

Let’s constantly try to move from - (minus) to + (plus) in our lives. In ingredient #1, we are encouraged to be mindful of and embrace one's reality, fully, without judgment, in the here and now. That is foundational. Now, in ingredient #2, we acknowledge that no one is perfect, that there is always room for improvement. This is why we constantly try to improve. Concretely, that refers to: moving from “minus” factors, such as: morally-compromised, harmful, negative, distracted, superficial frames of mind (those are minus factors) ... to ... "plus" factors, such as: moral/ethical, mindful, deeper, life-affirming (or optimistic) frames of mind. Ingredient #2 is a further step beyond ingredient #1. 

QUOTES

“Habits of thinking need not be forever. One of the most significant findings
in psychology ... is that individuals can choose the way they think.” ~Martin Seligman in Learned Optimism

“But we can change. No one need ever feel resigned and say, 'There is nothing I can do.' There is everything we can do. That is the purpose and the power of that persistent upward force within us: if we turn inward we can remake ourselves completely, modeling ourselves in the image of the loftiest spiritual ideal we can conceive.” ~ Eknath Easwaran in Conquest of Mind

BASIC PRACTICE

Be aware that from moment to moment in our lives, we have a choice: either go forward or step backward. (Brian Johnson in Arete). A move forward can be called a "+1". Then, act on that and increase those +1 choices.

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[3] Know your Purpose!

Do you have a purpose in your life, for your life? Have at least one big, noble purpose that you're passionate about! "Purpose" is a "big idea" about the path you're supposed to be walking on, the big purpose that you feel you're called to be doing in your life (aka, your "vocation" or "calling"), the big thing you're supposed to achieve with the one life that is given you. In short, this is what you're supposed to be focusing the best of your energy and your quality time on.

In many cases, your specific “big purpose” may not yet be clear to you in the present moment, especially if you’re young. It often becomes clearer as you walk the path of life, learning through trial and error. Nevertheless, you can always adopt a general “big purpose” such as the following: Achieving the best version of yourself (optimal state) ... for your own self, for others, for the world!

This is something the ancient Greeks called arete (ἀρετή) or excellence. The Japanese concept of Ikigai (生き甲斐) can also come in handy to understand this. Ikigai is simply “a reason for living.” Explained simply, your ikigai is what makes you get out of bed and start your day with zest.

QUOTE

The ultimate game is: showing up consistently as that best, most heroic version of yourself" ~Brian Johnson in Areté

BASIC PRACTICE

If you have a big, all-consuming passion in life, recall that every single day, regularly and intentionally. Make all your smaller goals align with it (ingredient #4).

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Spiritual Quests & Optimal Living: How They're Intimately Connected

 

Ordinary Human Life as a Spiritual Quest

I've recently renamed my public Facebook page to "JK Kato-Spiritual Quests & Optimal Living." (LINK) Formerly it had a long and clunky name: "JK Kato-Studying the Human Quest for Depth & Transcendence."

Why? The new name reflects my growing conviction that human life--every aspect of it--is a spiritual quest, a quest which is nevertheless rooted in ordinary life with all its ups and downs. That means: Don't be afraid of "spiritual quests"! A spiritual quest is not an elite activity that is beyond the reach of ordinary people like you and me.

Rather, simply put, the spiritual quest actually consists in trying to live an "Optimal Life" (a key expression for me now), which is nothing else than trying our darned best to be the best versions of ourselves in the different situations where we find ourselves. 

In Japanese, one of the most common expressions for encouraging others is the expression "Gambare!" (頑張れ). That basically means "Do your best!" It also includes though this nuance: (Do you best) 'under all the different circumstances where you find yourself'. For me, "optimal living" then, simply put, basically means --what in Japanese is-- gambaru ("doing your best"). Thus, the spirituality of optimal living is simply a Gambaru Seishin (頑張る精神), a spirituality of doing one's best in every given moment.

Another way of putting it would be the following:  Optimal living is "showing up as the best version of yourself" in every moment of life. That is life-coach, optimal living philosopher Brian Johnson's dynamic rendering. To that let me add the important word: "mindfully." Therefore, my fuller description of optimal living is: While being mindful of where we are and what we face, we try to be the best version of ourself in every moment of life.

Now an important caveat: Optimal living is NOT perfectionism. The former is healthy because it is firmly based on reality and takes account of our different limitations; the latter can be unwholesome because it tends to have unrealistic demands. 

So, What's "Spiritual" about All This?

If "optimal living" (that is, "mindfully showing up as your best self at every given moment") is practically what a "spiritual quest" is all about, you may be asking: What is "spiritual" about that? Isn't that just an ordinary "human" goal and endeavor?

Yes, that's a very important question and here are my thoughts about it.

The great spiritual traditions of the world have always reminded us that each one of us, as well as all beings and all things in the whole universe, are part of a BIGGER REALITY. The spiritual traditions have called that Greater Reality by different names: "God", "the Spirit", "Nirvana", "Interconnectedness" (Emptiness-Nothingness), "Brahman", etc. That concept has even been given names in the popular culture of our secular age such as: "the Universe", "the Force", "Destiny", etc. 

What that means is, according to the great spiritual traditions of the world, each one of us is living out our daily existence within a wider and bigger dimension which is not normally perceivable by our ordinary senses. In other words, this bigger dimension is non-material; hence, it is "spiritual". Many spiritual traditions describe this bigger dimension as having a personal character. It is therefore thought of as a gracious, and compassionate personal Being (as in Christianity's assertion, "God is Love").

Remember then: According to the spiritual traditions, your actions, your thoughts, your very existence ... those are not only your own. You and whatever you do -- all of that is closely interconnected to everyone and everything else. You're playing out your life and your particular role on a bigger stage, and each and every action of yours, whether good, bad, or neutral, has consequences not only for yourself but for others and the whole universe. 

All of that leads to this conclusion: To live fully as a human being, it's certainly better to be attuned to this bigger, wider, and deeper, non-material/spiritual dimension of reality. Without it, life will be shallow and lacking in meaning. This is why it is often said, "You've got to live for something bigger than yourself."

That, in short, is why we are all spiritual beings. That's why we have to undertake the spiritual quest. That's why it's good to be "spiritually literate." It's in our nature as humans to be aware of and to actually "touch" in some way this spiritual (non-material, bigger, and deeper) dimension of life.
Furthermore, you don't have to attach "God" to this spiritual quest, although many of us still do so and that's fine as well. What is necessary though is to be aware and mindful of this "greater dimension." Whether you call it by a name (like "God") is secondary.

In our secular age, many people prefer to stress the mystery-dimension of this bigger realm and not explicity name it. This is a modern development that is somehow different from the practice of our past ancestors who liked to name this greater reality with titles such as "God", "YHWH", "Jesus", "Allah", etc. 

The Spiritual Quest is Primarily about This Life Here and Now

For all the complaints that religious believers have about our present "secularized" age, I think that the secular age has a valuable contribution to our sense of spirituality. Nowadays, it is emphasized that things are primarily played out in this life, in the here and now. Therefore, we have to give this life our all, without being overly concerned with the afterlife, contrary to what many traditional religions have advocated in the past. To give a concrete example, this means  that we cannot resign ourselves and sort of just passively accept the evils and oppressions of this time because we hope for a better existence in the afterlife. That is an instance of religion being an "opium of the people," to use Karl Marx's famous critique of religion. Rather, we struggle against and resist the many wrongs in this world; we try to live our lives now to the full, precisely as the best way of responding to the precious gift of life.

It is clear that we cannot conclusively prove that there is an afterlife or even that there is a non-material-spiritual dimension. Nevertheless, living our one life well and to the full, as the best version of ourselves, will bring us to--what Abraham Maslow pointed out is--the highest level of fulfillment: Self-Transcendence, a fully alive level of existence in which someone trusts that there is a greater reality, lives for a bigger cause and, at the same time, is authentically happy and fulfilled. Almost as an afterthought, if there be indeed an afterlife, living our life now to the full will be our best preparation for it!

If we somehow experience some self-transcendence, we will actually touch everyone and everything else in a deep and moving way. This has been shown by the spiritual mystics of all spiritual traditions. We will also somehow get a glimpse of and touch in some way the Greater Dimension itself or, if you will, the Greater Being, the one that some spiritual traditions have called "God", "the Spirit", "the Force", "the Universe". 

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