Why Society’s “Spirituality” Isn’t Truly Spiritual

We often turn to gurus, recite Buddhist quotes, or practice meditation, hoping to embody spirituality. But is it working? Despite these efforts, society grows more selfish, greedy, and disconnected far from the compassion we’d expect. Why? True spirituality should ground us, fostering humility and inner peace, not a craving for fame or validation. Yet, many gurus, teachers, and influencers, though not all, parade their wisdom on social media, driven more by a need to be seen than to live the teachings. The bottom line: we read sacred texts and share quotes but rarely grasp their essence. This article explores my journey through the Gita, Buddhist philosophy, neuroscience, and real-world experiences to uncover how these teachings intertwine.

What if the Gita and Buddhism capture brain science and evolution’s intent for us to be spiritual—guiding us to align our minds with deeper truths?

Gita vs. Buddhism: Which Path to Follow?

What guides us to real spirituality—Gita or Buddhism? It’s not about choosing one; it’s about embracing the whole orchestra. The Gita offers life’s broad blueprint in 18 chapters, distilling existence to essentials: do your duty (karma), live in the present, detach from outcomes. Buddhism zooms in, offering thousands of quotes to make these truths relatable hundreds of ways to grasp ‘live in the moment’ through daily life’s lens. For example, the Gita says, “Focus on karma, not its fruits” (Bhagavad Gita). Without understanding why you chase results (ego), it’s just words. Buddhism might illustrate this with a story: a monk sweeps the temple, finding joy in the act, not praise. If you don’t grasp the Gita’s core action – without attachment, Buddhism’s quotes may sound nice but won’t change you. The question isn’t which to follow; it’s which brings you closer to reality. Start with the Gita’s foundation, then let Buddhism’s stories make it personal. Together, they reveal your mind’s truth.

What’s Spirituality, Then?

Spirituality isn’t a destination or a monk’s cave—it’s a journey of living the Gita’s principles in the messy real world. It’s about evolving, not perfecting. The real world teases, tests, and irritates—no one escapes that. We can’t live like monks; instead, aim to embody the Gita’s call to act with purpose, stay present, and do your karma. This is hard nobody said it’s easy but it’s about progress: each day, you align a bit more with your duty, your truth, your internal self. Spirituality means questioning your mind’s patterns, not flaunting quotes. It’s the courage to face inner chaos and choose calm over ego, even when society pushes greed or fame. This journey starts with understanding your mind—how it works, why it resists, and how to guide it.

In my experience, this journey truly lasts a lifetime. Even when you understand the mind, its workings, and try to live by the principles of the Gita, there will still be moments that pull you back to the basics—moments that untune you. At least, such is been my journey.

The Mind: Your Key to Spirituality

Okay, you grasp spirituality but how do you live it? The answer lies in your mind, split into two parts, wired by neuroscience to shape your reality. (A) the conscious mind, is your active thinker—planning, deciding, dreaming. It’s creative but fleeting, like a child with no memory. (B), the subconscious, runs the show—95% of your actions, habits, emotions, and instincts. It’s the storehouse of everything you’ve fed it: fears, joys, or stress. Modern life drowns (A) in cortisol (stress hormone) from constant stimuli via phones, news, work, conflicts unlike our past, when silence and simple work kept dopamine (focus, joy) dominant. As a result, (B) normalizes stress, making us selfish or numb, even if we practice mindfulness. We are changing the hardware with our thinking. We can’t expect the hardware to change with the software (20 minutes of meditation) we load.

The Neuroscience connect

Neuroscience explains: cortisol, triggered by pressure, anxiety, situation, or failure, lingers to protect us, but too much of it suppresses serotonin (calm) and oxytocin (connection). Spirituality: Gita’s karma yoga or Buddhism’s mindfulness rewires (B) by boosting focus hormones (dopamine, norepinephrine) through present-moment action. Practices like breathwork or movement shift (B) from sympathetic (fight-or-flight) to parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) mode, making calm your default. The catch? You must dialogue with (B) to change its programming. It might take time. After all, we have taken years to build this hardware.

Summing It Up: Your Spiritual Journey

Society’s spiritual façade fails because we don’t question (B)’s/subconscious programming—trained for ego, not wisdom. We normally think of it as our true being and say things like – it is what it is! True spirituality is a gritty journey, not a social media post. Use the Gita’s broad truths and Buddhism’s relatable lens to start, but change happens in the mind. Dialogue with (B) daily, like Krishna with Arjuna, to shift stress to calm.

Neuroscience shows how: action and presence rewire (B) for dopamine and serotonin, not cortisol. You don’t need to be a monk—just evolve. Ask (B): “What’s my next step?” Act, persist, repeat. Life’s lows won’t break you if you swing back to the present. Interestingly its in our control.