Article sent from The Hindu on indiaserver.com

[Guest guest]

=============================================================

This article is emailed to you by Ram Chandran ( rchandran )

=============================================================

Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Truth, universal in nature

 

CHENNAI, DEC. 13. World peace has to be promoted all the time and

religious leaders have the primary role in initiating this

process. While most of the world religions are well-organised,

the Vedic tradition is not so as according to this tradition

truth cannot be organised, but there are many philosophical

systems within this fold. This faith is practised personally by

every one of its followers and it must be mentioned that many may

be practising it unknowingly.

 

Even when a lay person belonging to this religion is asked

``Where is God?'' he will reply that He is everywhere. It is in

this universal knowledge lies the greatness of the Vedic

religion. Its catholicity makes it very accommodative. This

unique feature accounts also for its resilience. When one

religion tries to prevail over another conflicts arise. To have

peace in the world religious leaders must first have peace within

their denominations. By sowing seeds of dissension only conflicts

can be reaped.

 

In his benedictory address, Swami Dayananda Saraswathi said that

finding peace was a journey, an enquiry within. Society needs

leadership especially those who can advocate peace after finding

it themselves. The Bhagavad Gita says, ``Whatever a great man

does that very thing other men also do; whatever standard he sets

up, the generality of men follow the same.''

 

At the individual level all are leaders in their own right, as

for instance, within the family a parent has a leadership role.

At the societal level religious leaders have a definite role to

play. Those who assume leadership have to first look within

themselves and discover the truth. It is a process which must see

the abstract in the particular.

 

An example is the act of touching a piece of furniture while

saying, ``Touch wood.'' Actually the person touches a chair but

in the act he acknowledges only the universal - that all

furniture are made of wood. Even physicists say that matter at

the fundamental level exists only as probabilities. So the very

act of seeing makes a lot of difference as one sees only what one

seeks. In the complex life process and forms in the world one can

discover the divine within.

 

Religions have to be accommodative in the interest of world

peace. All religions speak of the universal truth and hence it is

imperative that the scriptures of the various religions must be

read with this perspective. No human heart is bereft of empathy

and to even think ill of another person is violence. There will

not be peace even if one individual entertains such ill feelings.

It is possible to develop empathy with everyone.

 

Copyrights: 2000 The Hindu & Tribeca Internet Initiatives Inc.

 

Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly

prohibited without the consent of The Hindu & Tribeca Internet Initiatives Inc.