Nontheist spirituality doesn’t neatly fit into the “religion” or “philosophy” box—it lives somewhere between the two. Drawing on Eastern traditions like Buddhism, Taoism and Advaita Vedanta, it focuses on practices such as meditation, mindfulness and ethical living, rather than worship of a supernatural being. Think of it as a toolkit for inner transformation: there’s ritual and community, yet no dogma about gods or an afterlife.

In many parts of the world, it’s evolving into a kind of spiritual wellness movement. Companies sprinkle mindfulness sessions into their Monday-morning meetings, schools usher in “quiet time,” and apps like Headspace and Calm rack up millions of downloads. That doesn’t automatically make it a religion—legal scholars often classify these secular mindfulness programs as philosophy or self-help. Still, a sense of shared purpose, ethical guidelines and occasional ceremony give it a distinctly religious flavor.

On the flip side, its emphasis on reason, inquiry and personal experience resonates more with a philosophical approach. There’s no creed to recite, no holy book demanding blind faith. Instead, participants are encouraged to investigate their own minds. At Princeton or Kyoto University, courses on Buddhist philosophy sit alongside seminars on Western ethics. In that academic setting, nontheist spirituality is frequently taught as a living philosophy.

So, it’s a bit of both: religion in its communal rituals and moral compass, philosophy in its reliance on logic and self-inquiry. In today’s fast-paced world—where headlines about AI ethics or climate despair can leave anyone searching for calm—this hybrid approach feels like a breath of fresh air.