There were no religions when rishis proclaimed these Truths: 'Tat Tvam Asi' , 'Aham Brahmasmi', 'Prajna-nam Brahman' and 'Ayam Atman Brahman'

[Guest guest]

The Wheel of Religion

Looking Beyond the Tragedy

 

Religion percolates from above downwards - from a Seer (Incarnation,

Prophet, Saint, Man of God or the Founder) to ordinary masses. While

the Seer speaks from the transcendental standpoint (the state He has

experienced in his life) the masses, who receive his message and

teachings, are immersed in ordinary human consciousness. Thus, the

original knowledge and teachings get diluted, and even distorted, in

flow of time for want of requisite qualifications in the receivers.

While experiences of the Seer are at superconscious plane, his words

are at ordinary life consciousness.

 

The second important problem relates to the disciples and followers

of such a Seer who erroneously think they have fully understood and

acquired the knowledge from their Teacher. An occasional disciple

might have had attained to such exalted state as his preceptor had,

agreed, but such disciples are exceptions rather than the rule. The

Seer has not one or ten, but thousands of followers and devotees.

All these people, out of faith and devotion, claim to have

understood the principles of religion. But is it really so?

 

Here comes the main difficulty. The Seer is like the ocean, and his

followers come to the shore of this ocean to take away whatever

little knowledge they can carry in their small vessels. Thus,

everyone gains at least something, but at the same time leaves a

large portion behind! Knowledge gained by the followers remains

incomplete. Over a period of time, the decreasing stores of

knowledge trickles down from one disciple to a group, getting

further diminished at every stage.

 

Ultimately what remains is a caricature of original religious

truths. Decline in religion (Dharma Glani) manifests as ritualistic

monotony, crass materialism, and excessive engagement in sense

pleasures with resultant lack of discrimination and renunciation.

Values of kindness and generosity, forbearance and simplicity take

backseat, contracting to the narrowness of nationalism and

sectarianism. Selfishness replaces altruism, and religious

fanaticism erupts as a legitimate weapon to spread the 'true

religion' and destroy the 'false beliefs'. The priests and the

rulers, the rich and powerful with vested interests become

custodians of religious truths!

 

In such a hapless state of decline of righteousness, a Man of God

comes on the scene to destroy wickedness and reestablish the path of

dignified truth. These great seers and teachers come to 'set in

motion the wheel of dharma' as did Lord Buddha 2500 years back. Such

incarnations come from time to time, in every era, in every land and

help revive the noble path of transcendental realization as the

source and proof of Knowledge and Truth. They give the sagging wheel

of spirituality a powerful push to move it again in right direction.

Today the world faces such a situation.

 

Looking Beyond

 

Recent events in USA and all over the globe point to one fact:

Unless we accept the truth of every religion (and faith) in the

world, we stand to lose peace. The clashes would increase and

untoward incidences would continue to plague humanity till we

understand and accept 'harmony and co-existence of religions,' a

phrase coined and used by Swami Vivekananda in the World Parliament

of Religions one hundred and eight years back. Those words were not

mere rhetoric, not mere a concept; those words were proved in the

life of his master, Sri Ramakrishna as truths borne out of unusual

sadhanas including those of Muslim and Christian faiths.

 

Subsequently, great scholars, peacemakers, and preachers insisted

(and are still insisting) upon such necessity, but unfortunately had

negligible audience. Why does this happen? Why are people not ready

or interested in listening to the wise words of truth and sanity!

Why such an apparently simple but true concept of 'harmony of

religions' meets with resistance and blind eye and deaf ears? One

should try to find answer to these questions.

 

I feel the reason lies in the foundations on which the religions

base their principles. For instance, most religions are dualistic in

their convictions. They proclaim separateness of individual being

and Supreme Being: God. The name of Divine Being varies from one

religion to the other, but important point to note is that every

such named Supreme Being differs from the Supreme Being of the other

religion! The statement of supreme truth that 'I am Brahman'

and 'Truth is One, but sages call it by various names' are relegated

to background of casual forgetfulness. Some religions even call such

statements to be blasphemous, leading to further problems in

accepting 'unity in diversity'. Some other religions are silent

about the highest unitary principle that their founder saint has had

alluded to, and are happy to adhere to dualistic teachings only.

They are happy to accept 'The Father in Heaven', but reluctant to

lend serious ear to 'My Father and I are One'.

 

Such dualistic approach posits one Supreme Being for each religion;

and it follows that no one would like his or her 'Supreme Being' to

be called inferior to other. Thus, unnecessary ideological clash

sets in and the truth takes backseat in the quarrel over

superficialities. In fact, what is not true is projected as truth.

And it follows that a strong desire sets in the minds of such

believers to convert others to their faith, which they believe to be

the only true faith. The world gets divided into religious

compartments, when there should have been none. Economic, military,

and cultural factors add to the discomfort in such waywardness and

erroneous analysis.

 

Advaita philosophy can solve the problem to some extent; I say to

some extent because howsoever one may hammer the truthfulness of

this philosophy the humanity is not yet ready to accept it, for it

has not reached the state of full comprehension. This Advaita is not

the property of Indian thought; it is the basis of every religion,

whether one is ready and mature enough to see or feel it or not.

This caveat should allay all doubts and fear about 'Hindu

Superiority' etc.

 

What is this Advaita Principle?

 

Advaita says and maintains that 'each soul is potentially divine;

religion is to manifest this divinity within. Do it by work or

worship, by philosophy or psychic control (either singly or by any

combination of these four paths) and be free.' This neo-Brahma-sutra

of Swami Vivekananda is not a figment of imaginative brain; it is a

spiritual fact visualized by ancient Rishis when no religion was

born! There was no Hinduism, no Islam, no Christianity, no Judaism,

no Sikhism, no Buddhism, no Jainism, when the Rishis of ancient

Upanishadic period proclaimed these Truths: 'Tat Tvam Asi' - Thou

Art That; 'Aham Brahmasmi' - I am that Supreme Being; 'Prajna-nam

Brahman' - Knowledge is Brahman, and 'Ayam Atman Brahman' - this

Atman in individual self and Brahman as the Supreme Self are one.

 

Conclusion

 

Sincere emphasis to decipher such meanings hidden in the Teachings

and Books of one's religion is the need of the hour. Let us give a

boost to religious unity by firing the rocket of knowledge to get

established in the higher orbit of spirituality. Then there is a

chance to get rid of some of the problems posed by religious

fanaticism. Why should I love and serve others? Every religion calls

for compassion, service, kindness, and help, but none can give

reason why should one do so or be so. Only Advaita gives us the

reason for all such noble gestures. Because you and I are one!

Because everything is divine, because everybody is one God!

*

c s shah

 

 

----------------------

 

Dear All,

 

i regard the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad's narration of the nature of

The Indweller (Antharayamin) to be a most important revelation and

realization. After years i have finally found the most lucid and

intelligible explanation the holy scriptures have come to confirming

and identifying The Indweller (Antharayamin). It is the very proof i

needed to vindicate that a most profound reality Kash, Arwinder and

Lalita have been experiencing for years is the flawless witnessing

of The Indweller (Antharyamin).

 

> Esa ta atma: In short, this is the Atman. What we call the

> Antaryamin, or the Immanent Reality, is the Atman, the Self. When

> we say it is the Self, we mean it is Consciousness. We mean both

> things in the same, sense. It is an awareness which cannot be the

> object of another awareness. Therefore, it is not capable of being

> seen. Adrsto drasta: This Reality is the unseen Seer of all

> beings. You cannot see it, but it sees you. It sees everyone, but

> no one can see it - adrsto drasta. Asrutah srota: It can hear

> everything, but no one can hear it. Amato manta: You cannot think

> it, but it can think you. Avijnato vijnata: You cannot understand

> it, but it can understand you. Nanyo'to'sti drasta: There is no

> other Seer but that. Nanyo'to'sti srota: There is no hearer other

> than that. Nanyo'to'sti manta. There is no thinker but that.

> Nanyo'to'sti vijnata: There is no understander but that. So, if

> anyone thinks, it is that which thinks; if anyone hears, it is

> that which hears; if anyone sees, it is that which sees. If anyone

> understands anything, it is not you or I that understand, it is

> that which understands. If anyone does anything, it is that which

> does.

>

> Esa ta atmantaryamy amrtah: " This is the Self; this is the internal

> Ruler; this is the Reality. This is immortal, O' Uddalaka.

> Everything else is useless. Other than this, nothing has any sense

> or meaning - ato nyad artam. This is the only Being that is

> worthwhile considering and approaching and realizing. "

>

> /message/6662

>

 

Today it has become clear and lucid to me that all their spiritual

journeys within themselves were that of their individual souls

meeting, meditating and merging with the Universal Soul. What they

have experienced as Truth and provided evidence is no different from

that of ancient rishis:

 

'Tat Tvam Asi' - Thou Art That;

'Aham Brahmasmi' - I am that Supreme Being;

'Prajna-nam Brahman' - Knowledge is Brahman, and

'Ayam Atman Brahman' - this Atman in individual self and Brahman as

the Supreme Self are one.

 

To realize the same you must advance beyond all rival religions and

their petty, exclusive dogma that cause so much contradiction,

confusion and conflict. The four Truths of the above paragraph are

the most profound secrets of Self-knowledge and Self-realization.

Having known this you will be freed from the miseries of worldly

existence and, breaking the ceaseless cycle of rebirths, attain the

immortal afterlife ........ free to take a human birth again if ever

the need or desire arises.

 

Jai Shri Ganapathi,

 

jagbir

[Guest guest]

, " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org wrote:

 

" Over a period of time, the decreasing stores of knowledge trickles

down from one disciple to a group, getting further diminished at every

stage. "

 

This observation reminds me of the river fanning out over the plain

until it becomes little triclking brooks in a dry land. How different

it is when the little brooklets flow into the streams and the rivers

and then into the sea.

 

Henry Hills

www.defyingdestiny.com