Digest Number 1818

[Guest guest]

The following from Suresh seems to be several questions at once, and perhaps my

answer will be too long for this list, but will make a few comments below the

paragraphs in question.

Edith

 

>

> Hinduism is surely one of the greatest religions. It has great depth and

> breadth. Perhaps that itself is its strength and alas, weakness, too! A

> religion which accepts anything and everything loses the grit. A religion

> has to have certain accepted common dogmas and beliefs. I have been

> studying Islam and Christianity and from my (incomplete) study, I have

> certain views which I now share here with you.

 

Swami Vivekananda himself said, " Religion is being and becoming " -- not dogmas

and doctrines. God can be reached from any point of the circumference, as long

as one travels the path to the center.

 

>

> Spiritual experience: How far it is true?

> Hinduism accepts spiritual experiences and holds them to be the source of

> all Godly knowledge. So it is possible to not only know God, but also to

> see Him and talk to Him also.

 

Maharaj, Swami Brahmananda, told his disciple, Swami Prabhavananda, that he

indeed did see God and talk to Him. He made no decisions without His advice.

 

> If we enquire, there

> are very few people who had real spiritual experience. Even in this, there

> are often many contradictory visions, etc. and the people who experience it

> are not convinced themselves. So how others will get convinced?

 

Swami Prabhavananda said that true spiritual experience tallies with what the

scriptures, accepted sages, have experienced.

 

> Considering all this, the percentage of people who had real spiritual

> experience is very low and it has to be accepted as a minority phenomenon.

> May be one in 1000 has got it; even this seems unlikely. May be one in

> 100,000, perhaps.

 

But how many of the 100,000 you mention have even tried? People are interested

in the magician's tricks, and not the magician himself.

 

>

> Compare this with the Islamic doctrine: They hold that God being Infinite,

> is unknowable to human mind and no spiritual practices to the aim are

> acceptable.

 

Hinduism holds the same, but says that spiritual practices purify the mind,

wash away the dirt (ignorance) so that the Truth remains.