Dr. Julius-Kei Kato

Seven Practices of Essential Spirituality

Essential Spirituality by Roger Walsh 

The Seven Fundamental Practices to Awaken Mind & Heart

Spiritual Wisdom teacher Roger Walsh, M.D., PH.D. was trained in medicine and psychology. At a certain point in his psychotherapeutic training, he was astounded to discover that there was a fascinating and vast interior world within himself and everyone else, something he had not been much aware of before. This lack of awareness is common in our contemporary, often distracted, and superficial world. In Walsh’s case, the discovery of this vast inner world intrigued him and prompted him to explore the world’s spiritual-wisdom traditions (the world religions) because they are the primary communities that have preserved and offered the world time-tested methods to deal with this important interior dimension.

As a result of his research, he published a book called Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind (Wiley, 1999). There he distills the practical wisdom (offered by various spiritual-wisdom traditions to live life fully and realize our full human nature) into seven central practices. The book explains these practices extensively in its different chapters with various helpful and practical suggestions to apply each practice more concretely into daily life in the form of “exercises.”  

(special thanks to my Research Assistant Madeline Bickley who helped me to outline these spiritual practices-2023)

Overview of the Seven Practices:

  1. Motivation |  Transform your motivation: Reduce craving and find your soul's desire;
  2. Emotional Wisdom |  Cultivate emotional wisdom: Heal your heart and learn to love;
  3. Ethics |  Live ethically: Feel (genuinely) good by doing good;
  4. Mindfulness |  Concentrate and calm your mind;
  5. Awakening |  Awaken your spiritual vision: See clearly and recognize the sacred in all things;
  6. Wisdom |  Cultivate spiritual intelligence: Develop wisdom and understand life;
  7. Service |  Express spirit in action: Embrace generosity and the joy of service.

All references are to: Roger Walsh, Essential Spirituality [ES] (Wiley, 1999).

See also my blogpost about these Seven Essential Practices.

 

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