Yesterday I saw two things that bothered me more than they probably should have. First, I was driving home from work yesterday and saw a bumper sticker that read GOD DESIRES SPIRITUAL FRUITS, NOT RELIGIOUS NUTS. I had seen this same bumper sticker before and didn't think much of it at the time, but yesterday it caught my attention and made me think for a long time about that word, "religion." Then last night I took my wife out to eat for Mother's Day and saw a guy in a black tee that made me look twice. The only word on the front was RELIGION, which had a circle around it and a line through it. The letters were white; the circle was red. On the black background I suppose it was intended to be an attention-grabber, and indeed it was. I watched the guy for a while, thinking he was probably a Richard Dawkins minion announcing his enlightened-ness to the world, but then he turned around and I saw written on the back of his shirt EMBRACE JESUS. "Oh," I said to my wife. "I see."
We've done a bad thing with this word "religion." There was a time when if you said "I am a religious person," everyone knew what you meant; they understood you to mean that you embraced and practiced a particular system of belief about the world and about God that imposed on you a certain quality of character and action. There were certainly varying degrees of assent to religion and varying degrees of hypocrisy; there were always people who believed and practiced wholeheartedly and people who were less than sincere about it. But everyone knew what "religion" meant.
Lately, though, the use of "religion" has become muddied. There are certain brands of Christianity - particularly Pentecostal denominations and the "non-denominational" denominations - in which this misuse of the word "religion" is very common. They often say things like, "I'm not religious. I'm spiritual." The difference? By "religion," they mean "empty religion" (which to them means liturgical and ritualistic traditions like Catholicism, liturgical Methodism, Lutheranism, etc.). By "spiritual," they mean "true religion," which must not be restricted by structure or ritual. If it isn't random, it isn't open to the Spirit. And so some find themselves saying things like, "Christianity isn't a religion; it's spirituality."
What this ignores or forgets is that the Bible itself refers to Christianity as "religion" and differentiates between empty religion and true religion: "If anyone thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives in his heart, this man's religion is vain. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" (James 1:26-27). For Christianity to be "true religion," it must make a difference in your life and how you behave. If it does not, it is empty.
And there is another reason some are giving up "religion." In the current political and social arena, religion is the great whipping boy on which all the world's problems are blamed. War, racism, slavery, the oppression of women, child abuse, rape, people growing up to have all sorts of psychological problems, and that most heinous and yet hard-to-define crime, "intolerance," are all said to be caused by religion. If we were only rid of religion, we'd be rid of these problems. And so, many Christians have repudiated the word in favor of the chimeric and all-inclusive "spiritual."
They have plucked this word out of the tree of pop-culture, in which it means a vague belief in supernatural forces or beings, a belief in what is called "karma" (which has little to do with the Buddhist and Hindu understanding of karma), and a general sense of "different strokes for different folks." The danger is that the accompanying meaning is going to bleed through into Christianity. Christianity, for "spiritual" people, becomes less and less something that imposes definite responsibilities upon individuals, giving them all the benefits of a spiritual (in the proper sense) life without all the inconvenient requirements religion involves.
The irony is that this is exactly what the secularists who decry the evils of "religion" want. They will have won the battle if they can turn all religion into a vague "spiritualism" that makes no exclusive claims and requires nothing of its adherents except for them to be nice to people. In the effort to shield themselves from the attacks of religion's critics, they essentially raise the white flag and admit defeat.
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4 comments:
Funny, most of those spiritual fruits are religious nuts. Being in denial just worsens the situation.
The problem some Christians hvae with the term "religion" extends beyond these groups. You mention non-denominational types but the real root is in the general evangelical reaction to the watering down of the mainline traditions. In a manner that can be described as either appallingly ignorant or shockingly malicious, they trace the English word "religion" to the Latin word for "binding back", and try to explain that it means to re-enslave someone, primarily to empty ritual.
The truth is that the interpretation would mean to bind one back to God, not to slavery in ritual, but certain details, such as truth, don't matter to certain people.
I should also note that it is this same ignorance (or, in some cases, malice) that causes many evangelicals and traditional Catholics to think that speaking properly to God requires us to use the terms "Thou" and "Thee", just like they did in older, more devout times.
The truth is actually the reverse. "Thou" and "thee" were informal modes of address, while "you" was the formal (like referring to "Dr. So-and-so" instead of one's first name). "You" was a form of respect just as Вы is in Russian, lei is in Italian, usted is in Spanish, sie is in German, and on and on etc. I have read that the Quakers used to offend the British kings by referring to them as "thou" and "thee" whereas everyone else referred to their Majesties as "you". It was considered a sign of disrespect back then, even though one referred to God as "thee" and "thou", the same words one used to refer to one's friends!
The correct translation of how Biblical prayers address God is indeed informal, and that is how they translated it in former, more devout times. (King James, Douay-Rheims) Since we have lost the informal address in English, modern translations of the Bible correctly use "you". Translations in other languages retain the use of the informal to refer to God to this day. Russian Bibles use ты, Italian use tu, and Spanish use tu.
But by God, those Fundamentalists come along to rob us of our religion—thereby ripping us from our relationship with God—and to enslave us in thees and thous, which they consider formal, respectful language for God!
Very interesting. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't know that "thee" and "thou" were informal.
Religion of Soul - Religion of All
Saint Tara Chand Ji Maharaj generally used to say in his discourses– Brahamana (a higher cast in Hindu cast system) is that man who has dissolved himself into Brahamic (cosmic) consciousness. He does not accept donation, but tries to give, whatsoever he has, to the needy, indigent and destitute. Power of Word, the Creator, reveals in his soul which fulfills all his desires. The Lord of imaginations (Kalpavriksha) accepts his offerings of Love and devotion and provides all the treasures of life to him. Saint Charan Das says-
Brahmana is that who identifies Brahman (God) in himself
Becomes introvert and seeks the vision of Lord
His senses cease to travel outward
He nurtures compassion for every creature
He becomes devoid of passions, anger, lust, greed and ego;
Brahmana is that who possesses these virtues.
We are devoid of internal treasures embedded in the deeper layers of our Self because we have not identified the hidden enrichment inside. The actual bliss lies inside but we are groping outside in the gloomy world of passions and grief. We are adopting lopsided approach which create imbalance in our life energies. The outer achievements are dominating over the spirit of rationale and wisdom which has created imbalance between the inner and the outer world. The result is tension, instability, selfishness, individuality, unhealthy competition, nepotism, communalism and terrorism.
The reason of this imbalance is that we have not awakened the spirit of Wisdom seated in the middle of eyes (Third eye); the Lord of which gives all the orders; all the actions originate from this sphere (Ajya Chakra) of actions. Ajya means command, Chakra means sphere. All commands emanate from this sanctioning authority. All the senses respond to the mandate of this housing spirit. But the inner Self of this sanctioning authority has been sleeping in his den for innumerable lives. We have not made efforts to awaken its power which is sleeping encoiled for many past lives. When it awakens, the life force starts dancing which is seen and enjoyed by the devotee, the yogi.
The Hindu scriptures have called this state as the ‘Awakening of Serpentine power’. It is called serpentine power as it opens its vistas of light like the expanding and contracting face of a snake. Sri Aurobindo has called it Psychic being who is the actual representative of Supermind and master of transformation in this phenomenal world of actions and reactions, and cause and effect. It is the immutable spirit which dwells in the mutable spectrum of physical consciousness. It is the glimmering spark of eternity amidst the fort of dark forces of relative existence. Bhagwat Gita has narrated this power as Kshara Purusha; the mutable Spirit of universe which goes on changing upto the time this cosmic play persists. This Kshara Purusha is the Lord of Works and Psychic being remains in its fold as the representative of Supreme Being, the Satpurusha. It coordinates and commands all the activities of this Ksaras Purusha in any individual existence. Upto when this psychic Being is not awakened, its spirit remains liable to mutability and perishability and remains the instrument of the changes of time, space and causation. It follows the principle of cause and effect. Its eternity does not manifest in its self. Its bliss does remain unveiled and disguised. The friability and fragility of its grounded nature becomes slave of lust and passions. Problems, sorrows and grief of the lower nature remain integrated part of its spirit. This state of helplessness and weakness of the spirit is called ‘Jiva’ in Hindu jurisprudence. When this spirit identifies its natal strength of Real nature, Para-prakriti, Para-shakti or Radha, it awakens and the higher nature of imperishable, intangible and immutable Purusha descends into the brittle regime of Ksara Purusha and dismantles the domain of illusion and hallucination. This immutable spirit has been called as Aksara Purusha, Aksara Brahman or Shabd Brahman; the eternal and imperishable power of Supreme Being which manifests through the melody of celestial Song (the Word Power) in the universe.
This Aksara Purusha or Brahman is the Lord of knowledge; the originator of all the streams of mental consciousness from where outflows all the gnosis of visible and invisible spheres of the existence. Discriminative power of mind and wisdom are the results of the outpouring of this Sun of luminous knowledge. Lord of Works draws its vitality from this Sun of gnosis. This Purusha has also been called Savitri-Surya or Gayatri-Surya. This sphere of consciousness is the golden womb, Hirnaygrabha; the womb of universe where lies all the seeds of this universe. The universe takes birth from this womb of Lord of knowledge; the Aksar Purusha.
There is third layer of consciousness which reconciles the opposition of Ksara and Aksara, mutable and immutable, God and non-God, thesis and anti-thesis. All the physical, vital, mental and spiritual forces become satiable in this stratum of consciousness. All works, all knowing and unknowing plunges into the ocean of Bliss of this Purusha (Soami), the Satpurusha or called Purushottama in Gita. Sri Aurobindo calls this state of bliss as the Supramentalisation of the being. This realization of the Self can come through self-giving as it is the inherited legacy of the Lord of love and devotion. The fortified spheres of Ksara and Aksar can only be surmounted and churned through the intense longing of love and devotion for Satpurusha. This realization goes beyond all the boundaries of abysmal lows and sublime highs. All the limitations and perceptions of life, mind, gods, and non-gods, virtues and non-virtues get vanished after taking a sip of the ambrosia, Amrit, of the sanctity of Satpurusha.
The path of self-realization starts with the awakening of sleeping power lying within ourselves. It is called opening of Third eye. Buddha says it Divya Chaksu, supernatural eye of brightness. Mahavir Swami says it Param Jyoti, the supreme Light. Hazrat Muhammad calls it Noor; Light as the embodiment of Allah. Jesus Christ calls this experience as the Light of the world. In this experience, supernatural powers of gods and goddesses of goodness and virtue shower their grace on the yogi. The endowed grandeur of cosmic energy starts flowing unobstructed through the yogi as through a vessel of Supreme Being. But this opening of third eye is the initiation of spiritual realization. It is the opening of consciousness of Ksara Purusha, the Lord of Works or Virat Purusha, from where all the physical and gross form of cosmos originates. It is the starting of celestial or heavenly experience.
Kapil, an Indian sage, calls this state of realization as the attainment of the power of discrimination, Vivekkhyatiprapti, and intuition. Patanjali Rishi narrates it the vision of cloud of Virtue, Dharammegha Samadhi. Sankaracharya, Sri Aurobindo and other seers of reality have called it the experience of Samprajyat Samadhi, a state of trance where all unknown becomes known. Vedic literature says when the Sun of Truth rises, the dark of ignorance vanishes; tat satyam suryam tamsi ksiyantam. This Sun of Gnosis remains refulgent for ever within the soul of yogi; adityavat prakashyati tat param. When this Sun shines inside the Soul of yogi, every kind of knowledge starts flowing towards him; yasmin vijyate sarvam vijyatam.
When yogi surpasses this experience of refulgence, he reveals the truth in the form of superconscient light; not visible even with the supernatural eye of the Being. The fervour and intensity of this light becomes so dense that it is not visible through the celestial eye of gods; the Third eye. This is the experience of Sahasrara; the seat of Param Purusha (Supreme Being). This experience has been known as the realization of Nirvikalpa (beyond all alternatives), Asamprajyat (beyond all knowledge) and Nirbeej (devoid of all the seeds of happiness and sorrows) Samadhi. Christian mystics have called this state as the ‘Dark night of Soul’ or ‘Dark Secret’; the experience of which was engrossed by Prophet Moses on Mount Sinai. In this experience he was enveloped by a cloud of darkness when he approached the abodes of God. It is a blissful experience where the spirits of God and non-God get immerged into the ocean of Bliss of transcendental Eternal. The experience of Sahasrara has been considered just a milestone in Radhasoami Yoga. It is the lower seat of Brahamic (Cosmic) consciousness.
Osho opines that upto when the Ajya Chakra, is not awakened, man cannot break the shackles of slavery. He always remains in bondage of physical, economical, social and religious slavery. A slave of many masters, inner slavery as well as outer; an instrument in the hands of whimsical and unflinching forces of lower nature. Once released from the clutches of one master, he is incarcerated in the prison of another. He can not give command; he is not capable of giving command. He can only accept the orders because his power of Command, Ajya Purusha, is sleeping.
Tantric philosophy says that senses are the food of third eye. This eye is hungry for many lives because it has undergone through the trance of deep sleep thereby losing its sense of intuitive discernment. The gate of its sensibility has been locked. Key is missing. Key which can awaken the serpentine power has been lost. The treasure can only be unearthed with the key of wisdom and the power of true discrimination. This enclosed bud can open its petals of wisdom only through the incense of psychic enlightenment. Once this psychic awakening is realized, the gates of benevolence and magnanimity will open. All the treasures of life and knowledge will become accessible. The adamant and obdurate walls of ego and ignorance will shatter and their consciousness will ultimately transform into the gnosis and bliss of superamental Power. The impressions of grief and hunger will vanish from the mantle of humanity. The sense of self-giving will dominate the sense of wit and the doors of ‘Heaven on Earth’ will be opened to the aspiring humanity.
The sign of true religion is that it makes a man independent and provides redemption. It does not imprison him through the temptation of heaven and fear of hell. God lives within and it can be revealed by self-giving as love and devotion is the soul of supreme Realization.
This realization is complete in all the respects. It fulfills a person in totality. The beauty and outpouring of enlightenment from the Self enriches the depleted consciousness of body, life, mind and psyche.
Darkness is nothing but the depletion of light. Sorrow is nothing but the depletion of joy and bliss. Poverty and hunger is nothing but the depletion of faculty of mind and physique. Anger is nothing but the depletion of love. Vanity is nothing but the depletion of compassion. Greediness is nothing but the depletion of the spirit of self-giving. Communalism is nothing but the depletion of vastness of religion. Terrorism is nothing but the depletion of spiritualism from the core of the heart. Soul, being integral part of bliss, eternal splendor and consciousness, love, compassion, sacrifice and grandeur of the Supreme Being, impregnates all these qualities. All the virtues flow exuberantly and dwell inherently in the religion of Soul and Self-realization.
God governs all because he exceeds all and dwells in all. Hence the religion of Soul is the religion of God and the religion of all. That is why the religion of Soul is capable to replenish all the depleted energies of an individual as well as the whole humanity and the whole existence. It is a converging and enlightened state of all the diverging and combating energies and vital forces of the universe.
Radhasoami
HELLO HUMAN BEINGS "LOVE BY THOUGHT , BY RELATION , BY IMAGINE , BY TALK , BY LOOK ,BY FEEL , BY TOUCH - ALL ARE THE LOVE OF PHYSICAL WORLD & HAS TIME TO END" IT IS KARAM - KANDA .THIS PHYSICAL LOVE CREATE NEW GENERATION TO CONTINUE THE TIME & PHYSICAL WORLD.IN THIS LOVE YOU HAVE TO NEED ANOTHER PHYSICAL PRESENCE .
"THE INTERNAL LOVE BY SOUL(ATMA OR COSMIC ENERGY) TO GOD( PARMATMA OR SUPEREM POWER) IS THE PUREST & HOLY PRINCIPLE OF LOVE" IT HAS NO TIME TO END . IT IS KARAM - YOGA .IN THIS LOVE YOU HAVE NO NEED OF ANOTHER PHYSICAL PRESENCE .THIS PRINCIPLE OF UNIVERSE & MATTER OF AFTER TIME .
" LOVE IS YOGA - LOVE MAKES ONE " WE CAN MAKE OURSELVES IN ONE BY SOUL(ATMA) WITH GOD(PARMATMA). THIS IS THE PRINCIPLE.
"WHEN WE MAKE OURSELVES ONE BY PHYSICALLY - WE MAKE NEW GENERATION TO CONTINUE TIME OF PHYSICAL WORLD "
"YOUR LIFE IS TIME "
"YOUR SOUL IS PRINCIPLE"
"A FRUIT - IF YOU DON'T EAT OR USE IN TIME IT WILL DESTROY .IT IS THE MATTER OF TIME LIKE YOUR PHYSICAL LIFE ."
"BUT SEED OF FRUIT WILL NOT DESTROY - IT BECOME A TREE OR PLANT TO CONTINUE .IT IS NOT THE MATTER OF TIME , IT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF SUPEREM POWER LIKE YOUR SOUL."
"MAN HAS SEED TO FEED IN WOMAN TO CREATE THE PHYSICAL WORLD" WOMAN FULFIL THE NEED & GROW UP THIS SEED , SO WOMAN DO EVERYTHING IN THIS WAY LIKE EARTH . SO EARTH IS CALLED MOTHER OF US . IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY "GOD" IS CALLED "SUPEREM FATHER."
WHEN A MAN STOP THE FLOW HIS OWN SIEMENS(SEED) TO CREATE NEW BIRTH OR ENJOY SEX THEN HIS ENERGETIC POWER OF SIEMENS(SEED) ENLIGHT AS SOUL & THIS LIGHT(SOUL) RETURN TO IT’S SUPEREM CENTRAL GRATIVITY (SEPEREM PRINCIPLE )IN RADHASOAMI YOGA .IN THIS JOURNEY WHEN THIS ENERGY RETURNS TO IT’S PRINCIPLE – THIS PRODUCE A SOUND BY POWER OF SPEED BASED ON LOVE , THIS SOUND IS THE “WORD” .LIKE WHEN HIGH VOLTAGE OF CURRENT GOES INTO THE WIRES , IT ALSO PRODUCE A SOUND .SO LIKE THIS ALL HUMAN BEINGS OF THIS WORLD HAVE FEMALE FORM AS SOUL IN THIS UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE & WE CAN SAY THIS FORM OF SOUL IS NATURE .IN UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE WE CAN SAY THIS NATURE IS WOMAN .
IN THIS JOURNEY OF SOUL(COSMIC ENERGY ) TO GOD HAS 18 SPHEARES :-
1)6 OF PHYSICAL - ( MAN & WOMAN )
2)6 OF SUBTLE - (ATMA & PARMATAMA OR SOUL & IT’S SUPEREM FORM )
3) CAUSAL – RADHA + SOAMI = RADHASOAMI YOGA )
“ PERFECT UNIVERSAL YOGA OF LOVE FOR EVER & EVRYWHERE IN THIS UNLIMITED UNIVERSE “
YOU ALL ARE THE CONSCIOUS PRESENTATION OF GOD IF YOU WANT TO MEET & KNOW ABOUT GOD THEN PLZ ENLIGHTED YOUR ALIVE PART WHO NEVER DIES .YOUR PHYSICAL WORLD HAVE END BUT COSMIC ENRGY WILL ALIVE TILL UNIVERSE IF YOU ENLIGHTED YOUR INTERNAL CONSCIOUSNESS (SOUL) . REMEMBER LIGHT IS THE FASTEST SPEED IN THIS UNIVERSE IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW ABOUT PAST , PRESENT , FUTURE MEANS ABOUT TIME & AFTER THAT ALSO AFTER TIME WHICH IS THE MAIN CENTRAL GRATIVITY . THE ONLY YOUR CONSCIOUS ENERGY CAN CONTACT EVERYTHING IN THIS UNIVERSE YOUR PHYSICAL WORLD HAVE NO RANGE TO REACH THEM .WHEN YOU ENLIGHTED YOUR COSMIC ENERGY ( SOUL ) THEN YOU WILL FIND THAT YOUR ALIVE ENERGY IS THE PART OF UNIVERSAL ENRGY IS EVERY WHERE IN THIS UNIVERSE . THIS KIND OF CONTACT IS THE TRUE & HOLY LOVE OF GOD . WHICH NEVER DIES TILL UNIVERSE "
IT CAN BE START SLOWLY ONLY BY PRINCIPLE OF YOUR PHYSICAL TIME NOT CAN BE DONE BY LESS OR MORE TIME . SO YOU CAN CALL SURAT + SHABAD YOGA , RADHA+SOAMI YOGA .YOU CAN DO IT EASILY & SLOWLY BY ITS' OWN FORMATION IN TIME OR AFTER TIME OF UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE SO YOU CAN ALSO CALL IT "SAHAJYOGA".
“LIFE IS NOT A REHERSAL – IT IS THE FINAL STROKE “
DR . HARIOM , SR . SCIENTIST – AGRONOMY , CCSHAU – HISAR (KURUKSHETRA)TO ASK hariomkvk@gmail.com jasdeep.sindhu@gmail.com& PLZ VISIT TO KNOW MORE www.radhasoamitaradham.com
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