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Discussion please
Hi
Forgive me for reposting this article but I was out of town and I couldn't
follow up on the replies. If you would be so kind.
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Is it enough to follow what the prophets or relevant authority of that
particular religion has told us, to reach the Ultimate?
Let me present my question with a view:
A religion is there as a road to an end. Like all roads leading to a place
they are bound to be different. Now, there are two questions which come to
my mind at this point, one being, which road is a better one if there is a
better or worse and secondly if one chooses a road, does he follow it to the
word of the authority that carved and paved that road.
I will try and present a view on the second question here. A set of guidelines
or whatever you may call it is always set in some religious scripture like the
Quran, or Bible, or even the Gita etc. These guidelines are primarily thoughts
which are spoken by a person who is what I would call spiritually conscious
at that time, given that this person did exist and did say what is written.
Now, we or atleast I have seen and done a lot of what I call blind faith.
Where you go to the temple once a day, or fast for a whole month, or impose
restrictions on oneself because it is religiously accepted etc. This kind of
faith is hardly useful to the individual because while the person does this
he/she is constantly fighting with oneself to either keep with the trend or
not break a fast , or not eat beef or pork etc.
Now, critics might say discipline is necessary for the purpose of enlightenment
with which I agree. But what they seem to miss out on is the fact that
discipline does not in any accord equate to sacrifice or more simply put, with
restriction. (To clarify, both sacrifice and restriction here is used to
connote the need to force oneself to against ones own urge or will). I think
that one is ready for something when one understands the need to do it and he
does understand when he feels like he knows enough to understand it, and more
importantly feels absolutely at peace doing that thing.
Let me illustrate and end this discussion. Take for example the need to be
vegetarian, in hinduism or buddhism. To simply force oneself to become a
vegetarian is not what is meant by the need to become a vegetarian in these
religions, but one must understand why the need to do that. Similarly, just
to perform the acts of yoga and meditate is not enough to become enlightened
but its to understand why doing it will help you and I personally don't think
you will understand until and unless it's the time for you to. I hope you
don't misunderstand that as saying just lay back and carry on with life and
one day you will become a vegetarian or feel the need to meditate suddenly, but
on the contraire question and question the truth and the necessity to do
either till you are comfortable with it. And it is at that time one becomes
a vegetarian with out the effor in it.
In peace we shall reach Peace.
Critics are welcome
Pratip
--
(... I, in this oyster shell, forever sing
For a lonely diamond I search on still...)
