No, no church, organized religion or any of that.

Meditation and nature is the real thing. I am with human spirit on this one.

places like these:

Isn't it interesting how we associate something spiritual, holy or godlike with music or a beautiful image of nature,and not with the image of some person.

That's what EXISTENCE means to the Eastern, that we are part of everything.
The temple or church is ourselves.

www.pdscompasspoint.com/leopards-break-into-the-temple





Leopards break into the temple and drink the sacrificial chalices dry; this occurs repeatedly, again and again: finally it can be reckoned upon beforehand and becomes part of the ceremony.*

humanspirit wrote:
As much as I love hills and valleys, and as much as I respect you, that for me is blatantly false.

The architecture, sculpture, carvings, paintings, craft and music that make up the places of worship are more wonderful than what you describe.

all times i have been to church i have felt like i was just some head in a crowd but in nature i feel freedom.
and old people smell.

batou wrote:

Thinking in terms of who you are and what you mean to other people is perhaps leading you away from reflecting on yourself. I grant you that it is often easier in the natural world by oneself than surrounded by bustling strangers in an unfamiliar and rather intrusive enviroment like a busy church.

I often visit churches when they are empty or almost empty.

I am reminded of a poem by Philip Larkin called Church Going that begins:

"Once I am sure there's nothing going on
I step inside, "

mikey mikey wrote:
Cold stone buildings with no life,reinforcing the Pyramid/class system IMHO and all about show.

Say for instance you visit a large cathedral,you are marveling at mans work in the architecture and art where as visiting nature you are marveling at the creative force at work,god if you like.

humanspirit wrote:
Personally I find many churches and monasteries to be examples of the greatest architecture of Europe,

It was a terrible loss when the Abbeys and Monasteries were looted and destroyed by Henry VIII.

if you want to talk about buildings with no life, let's discuss shopping malls, office blocks, housing estates and multi storey car parks.

It's the atmosphere of them I find off -kilter. (Not knocking anyone else's appreciation of them though).

As you say, some of the architecture is spectacular. And I do find stained glass windows beautiful.

humanspirit wrote:
What about stone circles? Built on significant spots of nature, yet still 'built'.

oioioi wrote:
I must admit i have visited a few stone circles in the UK and other important ancient sites and found it to be more an inspiring/spiritual/peaceful experience than visiting a cathedral/church.

Stone circles have not really had any appeal for me, but then again I feel that I have become very tired of people bashing spirituality unless it is couched in pagan/wiccan/new age terminology.

mikey mikey wrote:
It's not the stone circle that is important to me it's where they are placed

Each to their own.

humanspirit wrote:
Indeed.

Earth
Holy_Trinity,_Agia_Triada_monastery,_MetéoraPhoto: Charalampos Konstantinidis
Agia_Triada_Greece_landscape_This_monastery_is_on_top_of_the_cliffsMeteora_Rousano_monastery_(Moni_Rousanou)Taktshang_Monastery,_Bhutan
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All religion might be said to teeter on the edge of an abyss. For those whom the word means something more than a catch-me-if-I-fall donation to a toll-free number, faith is a dizzying business. "The rocks beneath one’s feet are ever liable to crumble into the void, but that’s the test faith demands – and we shall be protected,” the crazies who built the perilously placed monasteries featured here seem to have been saying – unless they simply dug free rock climbing, that most ancient of extreme sports.
Written by: Karl Fabricius
Read more at www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/m...#SVirI4VlZoGioQ82.99


Wow!, look at this. Going up an down. Wonder if they lived up there.

Buddhist Temple in The Himalayas




Temple in Pakistan

Kalyazin Bell Tower

The belfry of famous church, 2/3 submerged underwater in Volga pond in period of 1930s.

chandrakavi wrote:
That looks like quite a building. I wonder if they thought about moving it before that happened?

I'm a bit of an architecture buff, actually. I just don't equate spirituality with anything man-made, for some reason. Many religious buildings are very beautiful to look at, but while I'm there, spirituality is probably the last thing on my mind.

chandrakavi wrote:
+1