Guest guest Posted January 26, 2002 Report Share Posted January 26, 2002 Greetings: Ananta shared with us the following quote from Swamiji: <Gradually these nations are joining, and I am sure the day will come when separation will vanish and that Oneness to which we are all going will become manifest.> This understanding, I believe, is what our planet is most in need of. The simple, spiritual understanding that what we all have in common is much greater, stronger and infinitely more Real than what appears to separate us: Our genes, our body, our family, our ancestry, our religion and our nation. Our common denominator, of course, is our Creator, Who made us all in His image and Who binds our many souls together within His One Soul. How could it be any different - how could our genes, our bodies, our families, our ancestry, our religion or our nation cause us to be separate, different, inferior or superior to one another? How could these temporal and material attributes possibly undo or overcome Divine Reality? What could possibly exist in our universe that is not created, sustained, governed and loved by God? Why is this simple Truth so hard to realize? Previously, others on this List have said that Vedanta is the one, true hope of mankind - and I feel they may be right. As Sri Ramakrishna has embodied in his life and teachings, Vedanta teaches us the Truth of, " As many faiths, so many paths. " Unfortunately, most other faiths, and denominations within faiths, teach the separation and the differentiation of souls, whether in this life or in the Hereafter. As long as this belief is held (i.e., " My religion is true, yours is false " and " My religion will lead me to Heaven, your religion will lead you to Hell. " ) - how can we rise above war and hatred, and learn to live our lives in the pursuit of Truth, Harmony and Self Realization? It is ironic and sad that the mother of Vedanta, herself, has lost her great heritage - by this I mean India. From my perspective in America, I see the same religious and nationalistic illusions guiding her peoples and foreign policies, as they do all other nations. On the other hand, it is also encouraging to see, what I would call, the flowering (or, at least, the pollination) of Vedantic principles in the establishment of the European Commission and the implementation of the Euro. (Common Britain, what's so special about the pound?) I see this grand experiment as celebrating cultural and religious differences, while uniting in order to take advantage of " economies of scale " in democratic governance and laissez faire economic policy. May this be just the second (with the USA being the first) in a series of diverse peoples coming together in " oneness, " under the guiding principles of democracy, freedom of religion and the pursuit of happiness! I pray the next paradigm to be crossed will be the understanding that the primary purpose of economic policy is to ensure the basic needs of all citizens are met - including Sannyasins, who must primarily live off the toil and largesse of others. God Bless, Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2002 Report Share Posted January 28, 2002 Namaste, Here is one attempt! Both the words, Belief and Faith, refer to an attitude of mind, a conviction towards phenomena that cannot be 'proven' in a tangible manner - within the purview of the senses or reason. Sometimes the use is interchangeable. Belief would appear to have more of the 'rajasic' quality, the individual trying to justify it intellectually. Faith seems to have a more 'satvik' quality, the individual having experienced first-hand something that is hard to dispute by someone else. Both may at times complement each other, or Belief may mature into Faith! Belief in a 'flat earth' was displaced by Faith in 'science'! Will Faith in science mature into 'shraddhaa' in Divinity?! In spiritual life Faith may be said to be more advanced than Belief. The word 'shraddhaa' [Ref. Gita Ch. 17] implies even further maturation of Faith Regards, Sunder Ramakrishna, " J_ R " <j1958r@h...> wrote: > > > I enjoyed the discussion on how we should define Truth. I was perplexed by > one other question within my own mind > > What is Faith? Is it that we need to deny our rationale if we have Faith? > And what is the difference between Belief and Faith? Is the former more > 'rationalistic' and the other more of the Uncertain? > > WOuld appreciate the thoughts and viewpoints of all > > > > _______________ > Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2002 Report Share Posted January 30, 2002 How about this: Belief= He is Faith = He is with me Sam In Ramakrishna, " sunderh " <sunderh@h...> wrote: > Namaste, > > Here is one attempt! > > Both the words, Belief and Faith, refer to an attitude of > mind, a conviction towards phenomena that cannot be 'proven' in a > tangible manner - within the purview of the senses or reason. > Sometimes the use is interchangeable. > Belief would appear to have more of the 'rajasic' > quality, the individual trying to justify it intellectually. Faith > seems to have a more 'satvik' quality, the individual having > experienced first-hand something that is hard to dispute by > someone else. > Both may at times complement each other, or Belief may > mature into Faith! Belief in a 'flat earth' was displaced by Faith > in 'science'! Will Faith in science mature into 'shraddhaa' in > Divinity?! > In spiritual life Faith may be said to be more advanced > than Belief. > > The word 'shraddhaa' [Ref. Gita Ch. 17] implies even further > maturation of Faith > > Regards, > > Sunder > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Ramakrishna, " J_ R " <j1958r@h...> wrote: > > > > > > I enjoyed the discussion on how we should define Truth. I was > perplexed by > > one other question within my own mind > > > > What is Faith? Is it that we need to deny our rationale if we have > Faith? > > And what is the difference between Belief and Faith? Is the former > more > > 'rationalistic' and the other more of the Uncertain? > > > > WOuld appreciate the thoughts and viewpoints of all > > > > > > > > _______________ > > Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: > http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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