My Religion (Part 2)

The problem with the conventional scheme of things is the expectation from the "almighty". If you pray, he will listen...If you do good things, good things will happen to you...He will take avatar to save us all and the world and reestablish dharm - There are just too many things I find us all wanting and asking while looking up in the sky. We can't explain a lot of things in life, and so we attribute it to some sins committed in previous janm. We accept everything as "happening for good", because god does it. We meekly submit to an unknown, unseen authority because (a) we feel powerless in front of too many circumstances in human life and in front of nature and (b) we feel the need to justify so many unjustified things around us.

And what have we achieved with this? complicated philosophies and explanations, confusing claims of knowledge/realization/divinity, concocted beliefs, a plethora of useless customs and rituals...and still no peace of mind!

I feel these are some of the myths we hold -

a) Do good things and good things will happen to you - Which effectively tells you to do good things in anticipation of a reward, like bribing a child with a lollypop to keep him quiet.

b) Praayashchit - We feel that repentance will cure us of our sins. So will confessions, special poojas/havans, holy dips in ganga etc etc.

c) God is all-forgiving, kindest and most compassionate - We exhalt the "almighty" to be everything we are not, maybe because we find ourselves incapable of achieving that level.


All of it is nonsense!


Truth is that the people who do good in this world suffer the most, truth is that repentance does not wash away anything (should be done nonetheless), truth is that "almighty" is the meanest and most incosiderate in his doings.

Its very simple - Noone knows what relation Karm has with Phal. Whether you have done good things or committed sins, whether you have repented or not...it does not matter. There will always be good and bad circumstances in your life, and it is upto you how you take them. Do not think for a second that good will fetch anything - it is bad which makes the most in this world. Look at history, look at the situation around us, and you will understand what I'm saying. A person with greed, ambition and selfishness gets all the good things; and the honest, selfless person is harassed the most.

3 logics are used to justify this -

1) Rebirth - The most convenient one. Explains the source of all your miseries and exonerates the "almighty" of all his injustice.

2) This is fleeting happiness -All the good things that being bad fetches is temporary. Bad conduct will be punished, either in this life or the next, either directly or through some indirect way such as constant tension and stress. In any case, it's not worth having material happiness - all you need is spiritual upliftment.

3) THIS is what he wants! - That suffering is what we need to go through to achieve him. When god loves you and wants you to achieve salvation, he takes away all your material happiness to make you remember him...thus bringing you closer to him. It's all part of a grand scheme!

...and yes, all the unfair things going on in the world are supposed to make you turn to him even more, and pray harder and devote stronger, so that he comes down to set things right. It's all a test about whether you remember him or not.


What it shows is that we will go to any lengths to justify "almighty's doings"!


The truth is if there indeed is an almighty, he does not care whether you are good or bad. He is unfair, unjust, unkind and unreliable. How fair is it to punish someone for some sins he/she committed in previous janm, of which he/she has no memory? How is rewarding bad conduct and punishing good conduct justified? In any case, if god wants good people to come to him, he should reward their good behaviour to encourage them, not discourage them the way he does! And why is material happiness frowned upon, if it is utilized in a good way and does not mislead the person receiving it?

The only good thing this "almighty institution" has brought us is a fear which leads most of us to do good things. Of course that, in a way, is a testament to the failure of our race - we cannot even stay good on our own...we need a fear of punishment or retribution to prevent us from being bad!

Gautam Buddha had discovered life's great truth - Desire is the root cause of all suffering. True, it is. But my enquiry goes beyond that - Why does goodness invite more suffering than badness in this world? Is it any use being good? And what should one do given the state of things in the world?

And the answer, in my opinion, lies in the religion of self...

My Religion (Part 1)

Over the years, I have seen the various forms of faith - worship, knowledge, devotion...I grew up in an environment of intense spirituality and unwavering devotion to god, firm belief in the samskaars of a normal Hindu household, numerous festivals and enthusiastic celebrations. I had heard the stories of Ramayan & Mahabharat, read Vivekanand, discussed Vedant with my father, read up on philosophies from around the world, and I thought that I had sorted out what I believed in and what I don't...

I was proved wrong...

Some things haven't changed from back then. I still believe in the virtuous life - Truth, Honesty, Courage, Commitment, Determination, Perseverance, Spreading happiness around, Live-and-let-live...and Fearlessness. But as for my belief in god, my experiences have led me to conclude something very different from what I believed in.

The 2 most important things I believed in (and still do) are:

a) Death is the ultimate reality of Life - This keeps ego and ambition in check, 2 things which lead to a plethora of problems like greed, possessiveness, an inflated sense of self and so many more.

b) Karmanyevaadhikaaraste - You only have right/control over your actions. In life, do not expect anything else, and from anyone else other than yourself.

But the thing that has changed is how I perceive god. As many others, I used to have this image of one omnipotent, omnipresent, all-knowing almighty being, who controlled this world and the worlds beyond it. After some growing up, I thought that God is more like a force, an energy that drives this universe. And now, I think God is nothing but the manifestation of the highest order of realization of your self. That's right, your own self...

What is God? An ideal, an epitome...the highest degree of perfection. The idea of perfection, of an all-powerful being, has always existed in man's mind. He worshipped this ideal, and that is what led to the first religions. An example is that of Lord Ram - an idea of a perfect family man and a perfect king. But along the way, the imperfect man forgot what was important - that he had to realize this perfection within himself...and that has led to his downfall, to the formalities of religion and to so many unnecessary complications.

And so after intense thinking, sorting out and analyzing, I have found my own religion (quite literally!)...and it is the religion of self. My quest in life is not to attain moksh or nirvaan; but to realize a perfection in myself, to raise my self to live upto the highest ideals imagined by man...and in doing that, attaining perfection for my motherland.

This is my new philosophy, and this is my new religion...

Revival..

Why have I revived this blog? Because I feel I have too many things to say, too many things to share, too many experiences and resultant philosophies to put out there...and I hope my words are able to do justice to my thoughts and feelings...

One thing I've realized over the past few years is that while everyone's life is extraordinary, my life has been a little more extraordinary than others, marked by the sharpness in the ups-and-downs, and in the manner in which the events of the past 25 years of my life have unfolded. I may be arrogant in assuming this extraordinariness, but I feel it is the simple truth.

So, on my 25th birthday, as I embark upon the second stage of my life, I revive this blog to share the glimpses of the first stage, and to share the course i've set for the rest of my life. Some milestones i've set are old and everlasting, some others are new additions....but each and everyone of them are now integral to the idea of "me"...