Three Stages on the path of Neo-humanism

Neo-Humanism has three stages: 

1.	Spirituality as Practice or Cult
2.	Spirituality as Principle
3.	Spirituality as Mission. 

It is not difficult to understand Spirituality as Practice. Here it means actual practice - those spiritual practices that are found in a culture for the development of that culture.  Hence, it is also in classic literature referred to as spiritual cult.  

On the other hand, Spirituality as Principle (Spirituality in Essence), is a bit harder to comprehend. 

Regarding Spirituality as Mission mostly people just describe Spirituality as Mission in terms of some sort of oath or determination.  But that reduces Spirituality as Mission to the level of Spirituality as Practice. 

What needs to be seen, and they way it is explained conceptually as a whole, in the various elements is progression in the three stages so as to achieve the pinnacle of human existence.

All the existential phenomena are emanating from the Existential Nucleus. The existential nucleus of a single individual is directly linked to the controlling point of the Cosmic Nucleus or the cosmological order. According to Neo-Humanism, the final and Supreme Goal is to make one's individual existential nucleus coincide with he Cosmic Existential Nucleus. As a result, the individual's entire existence becomes one with the controlling nucleus of the cosmological order, and that will be the highest expression of Neo-Humanism.

So first there is "spirituality as a cult", secondly, "spiritual in essence" and thirdly, "spirituality as a mission". 

When your spiritual practice reaches its final fruition - when you merge your individual existential nucleus in the Cosmic Existential Nucleus - then you become an extension of, unified with, Parama Purusa (Cosmic Consciousness).  Your life becomes Neo-Humanistic.

Now, as a result of spiritual practice/cult, you get established in proto-spiritual mentality. Proto-spiritual mentality is a dynamic force of benevolent thinking and action that is out in front or ahead to promote well-being.  

Proto-spirituality:

- movement towards the Supreme Entity;
- devotion as a practice is transformed into devotion as a principle;
- devotion is of the nature of selfless love.

In this way spirituality or devotion gets elevated to the status of "essence". By this means your every action in the world is in harmony with the principle of social equality. By your example and with the powerful impact of your mind on the collective social mind, the thinking of humanity as a whole gets elevated.  You can then proceed in your life in a way so that spirituality is as a mission.

Spirituality as a mission refers to merging  ones existence with the Cosmic Nucleus - that is, one's individual ego is surrendered completely to the Cosmic Will. One becomes totally an instrument for Parama Purusa (Cosmic Consciousness).  Those who reach a stage in their spiritual  development where they can completely surrender to the Cosmic Will, so that they can became an instrument for such a mission through them, have attained spirituality as a mission.

Caetanya Mahaprabhu comes to mind as an example of one who has attained 'spirituality as a mission".

Such persons can have tremendous benevolent impact on the society.

The question is: Whose Neo-Humanistic Mission? If we say, "I have a mission", this suggests ego. If we say, "I am here on someone else's mission", that also suggests ego. Ego only disappears when the duality between I and Thou disappears.

There is an interesting derivation of the word "mission" in the 10th edition of the Oxford Dictionary. Perhaps this gives some insight into use of the word "mission". It reads:

ORIGIN C16 (denoting the sending of the Holy Spirit into the world): from L. missio (n.), from mittere 'send'.

Regarding stage 2, Spirituality in Essence and stage 3, Spirituality as Mission, these stages are dynamic and ongoing. Stage 2 has its own innate significance. Having attained stage 3 does not mean that you do not discontinue stage 2. Having attained stage 2 does not mean that you discontinue stage 1.