I have been in the pursuit of enlightenment and consciousness as spoken about in Zen Buddhism since 1972. I have studied the basics of Buddhas life and writings about him, The Dhammapada, The Tao tse Ching, Jetsun Milarepa, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, The Iching and a whole host of other related teachings and philosophies and eventually Gurdjieff and Ouspensky.. In all of these writings, the term "spirituality" never comes up. It might talk of your deeper inner spirit, but not spirituality as though it was a state of mind, something you could achieve or anything else for that matter. The term spirituality has only recently actively come up since the 80's and has been the most misdirecting term for people who are legitimately seeking consciousness and eventually enlightenment. It is really a way that belief systems, mainly Christianity has been replaced with a way to attract people to believing things and not questioning things all over again.
Here is why I say this:
First of all, how do you define Spirituality? What is really Spirituality? This has nothing to do with consciousness, which is what personal evolution is about. The essence of Buddhism is not to believe and accept, but observe and question. It is actually very scientific and not a belief as in a traditional religious sense. That doesn't mean that there aren't so called Buddhist monasteries scattered about that dupe people into worshiping Buddha as a deity and eliciting a religious posture of belief, because there are and they are rampant. But that is not what Buddha taught.
Buddha taught: Here is what I went through to become enlightened, but you need to find your own way. "Don't look at my finger look at where it is pointing."
So this notion of spirituality has nothing to do with evolution and actual self development, because self development is about conscious, mindful and deliberate action and understanding and not some mysterious voodoo like magical gift that comes from praying, worshiping, being a good person, eating vegan, doing yoga and watching PBS.
If someone pushes you in to a lake and you didn't learn how to swim, all of those so call spiritual things you have done, will not save you. Besides, even if someone comes along at just the right time and pulls you out, is that still something you want to depend on throughout your whole life?
How about just learning how to fricken swim?
And, who are we to begin with, that is trying to be this imaginary undefinable term, spiritual? What we really are is a walking bag of discombobulated thoughts and desires, that contradict ourselves all the time and rarely even remember what we have just contradicted ourselves over to begin with. Yet we walk around like we have our act together and people buy into it simply because if they were unable to actually see your thoughts. If they did, they would see your head looking like a lottery drawing rolling cylinder drum of terms and ideas, not knowing what is going to come shooting out of your mouth until it does.
And then there is the idea of a spiritual being that is going to help you, when the evidence of that is as likely as winning a big jackpot in Las Vegas. Yes, some people do win, but it is simply the odds, most people lose and again you are depending on something you have no control over.
Now this might be great if you are content with believing, but it has nothing at all to do with becoming an enlightened being. And for sure these Charlatans that preach "Come to our organization, workshop or anything else that they mostly are charging for," are not going to get you where you want to go, if consciousness and enlightenment are your true concern.
The term spirituality is just simply a catchall term that anyone can use and abuse to make up any kind of B.S. they wish.
Like Douglas Adams in his books, The Hitchhikers guide to the Universe. so eloquently said:
"The Universe is a Whole Sort Of General Mish Mash (WSOGMM), that makes no sense, has no meaning and can take any form it wishes. But you can slice this WSOGMM anyway you like and someone will call it home."
