Tag: decoding religion

The religion of GOD.

~ PA ~ Leave a comment

Before you jump to any conclusion, no this is not about taking a stand on any religious ideas or faith systems, this is not about creating an opinion or directing the reader to move in a planned manner to any inference. This article is about reflecting what we see around us, possibly make some sense of what we see, or rather should I say, perceive what a religion is and If it is indeed what it is then, what is or what could be the religion of GOD? Join me here as we take this sneak peek into an area that touches our lives, irrespective of what faith system or belief system we choose to follow or not!

Religion-Faith- Belief system- Value system- you could come up with a hundred more similar words and all of them would eventually come to one final reality that religion has been, is and will always remain to be a defined pathway to reach, seek, sense and surrender to the supreme power- the universal energy- the almighty- again known by different names as defined by the religious pathways, but all coming to the final reality and recognition that there is nothing above or beyond that supreme manifestation. This is the essence of all the religions of the world and all the pathways that humanity has ever been aligned to for retaining our sanity and virtuosity! So the question why does GOD need so many multiple pathways and systems of eventually there is singularity of the supreme manifestation? As someone said, GOD never created any religion, it is Humanity that has created the pathways that we know today as religions, faiths and belief systems and this is at the very root of everything! Then why does everything that is divine and serene at times gets lost into the muddy waters and frightening darkness that human societies end up presenting themselves with every now or then! So where did all this possibly begin?

Sure enough, I am not making any tall claims to be an expert on Theology or the world of spirituality, this is a blog and keeping it that way, a thought starter so that you people- get your grey cells working to seek the truth that makes peace with you- any which way as humans we aren’t going to be around forever, so the truths that you and I hold with us so dearly, at the most will live for another 100 years (that too if you are lucky and have done that much of quality work for the society that you move around in! Else – you know the rows and rows of unnamed graves and tombstones which are perhaps never even visited- forget about people imbibing their value systems and belief systems!

As we race back into human history we come across the richness and vastness of establishment of religious systems, belief systems and values where there is a mention of reverence to a singular super power- a supreme manifestation which is formless and omnipresent- which has the power to provide divine grace and unleash unthinkable fury with equal ease, provide or take away what has been given in a moment- so on and so forth- access any holy book that faithfuls follows across any religion that you choose, these singularities of ideas are all the same. People often lead others into arguing to create contradicting narratives; and more then ever before, the times that we live in are ripe with this kind of social behaviour- which is not only unnecessary but out rightly stupid and dumb! To know what is the religion of GOD , we must know what GOD is, isn’t it? So here we go!

As a student of science and being realistically rational, every belief system, value system that I ever came across, had to pass questions like, the test of science, does it serve the greater good, does it makes sense, is that reproducible, can it be tamed, so on and so forth! What I share with you here are my personal reflections and experiences in this area and as I said earlier, each one of us has a different truth, bound by the contextual settings that we are confined to, all may be right, all may be wrong, few may be right, few may be wrong, eventually it all boils down to the belief of the individual for that is what leads that individual to their final resting place!

If you want to understand and want to know GOD, the only accepted way is following what is written down in the holy texts of various belief systems. Surely a right thing to do, because they have been pretty much written at a time when human societies were forming and gaining critical mass and as they expanded rapidly and shared the richness, it became more than necessary that alongside the allegiance to the rulers, there had to be a central binding force and that force was realized through these valuable texts which personified the divine engagement and that till day is a cornerstone of human society! As long as this power was harnessed for the greater good and to serve fellow humans it always rewarded by enriching the society and to this day the same is visible- where societies are anchored to the true belief systems of the faith that they choose- you will see a reflection of that among the members of the society- their approach, attitude and behavior unto others! This is where the real strength of GOD really is! But what about GOD?

Well the thought of GOD across the belief systems almost always speaks about super human abilities and an omnipresent stance. One needs to understand that these texts which recorded, documented and created the rule book for various path ways were- eventually written by some human being and then that is where we have the writer’s error that can creep in (error as in not a mistake- but error as in the inability to comprehend the vastness and the power in the absolute context of it!). Let me explain, say you are a nerd and I ask you to write an essay about the world’s fastest super computer- sure enough you will throw your knowledge into it and have a paper with intricate details about that fabulous machine, now if I were to ask an Arts student or a language student to do the same, sure enough they will research and they too will come up with the same article, but their approach and treatment will be different and this is where GOD becomes more mystical, magical, and universal! So if the recording gets tweaked a bit, needless to say that tweaking can get amplified by the people who listen, reproduce and present and so the classical communicative gaps play their role and then we have amplification at crazy proportions- not every thing is fiction, but neither everything then is a fact too! So finally human societies arrive at this middle ground agreed upon by all the pathways or belief systems- where you agree to things and principles to a particular point of mass consensus and beyond that it becomes voluntary and then there is that tiny little space where you are never allowed to enter- by questioning or challenging – for that will invoke the wrath of the those who would want to keep what is the way it is as that serves humanity in a more meaningful manner!

Irrespective which system you choose, the singularity of power, formlessness and omnipresence with a veto on everything and everyone that your cognitive mind can connects with, is all but the domain of the supreme manifestation defined as GOD- so if you see GOD being universal and being the way as described by the different pathways- by itself is above and beyond any religious bondage! The religious pathways or approaches have largely been a result of the ups and downs that societies have seen as they evolved through the last 10,000 years! Now, if you ask, if GOD doesn’t have a religion as a supreme universal formless force- why do humans follow and why do they lead to friction at times?

Here again, you need to understand that the social settings are critical and as long as societies are steady, you will always find examples of multiple faiths co-existing and thriving with none intruding into the others space! The need to compete or intrude arises when the interpretation of the pathways get altered & a few select individuals (for whatever their motive would be) go ahead and distort the established facts with modern day fiction, giving a complete twist to the whole definition of that particular religion or pathway and thereby as one does it so does the other and in no time, there is literally no GOD left in what humans begin to follow- because what they really end up following are not those holy ancient texts of divine grace and bliss, but rather altered, twisted and moderated modern day interpretations by so called “gurus” who rant off what they feel like to achieve what they personally have set out to achieve at the cost of the gullible masses who actually look upto them with complete faith in their hearts!

It is when societies deviate from the true essence of what the universality of GOD is and what the real manifestations of the supreme and omnipresent can be, is when problems begin- then the whole show of spiritual and religious upmanship begins!– One pathway suddenly becomes the star (or rather is made the star) for some time, then the other, then the next and that cycle goes on, seemingly forever! But the fact remains that unless you really connect as an individual to the GOD that is – the Universal Energy, Supreme manifestation the way you ought to- by walking on the original pathways or religious teachings of compassion, love, sharing , collaboration, discipline, equality and brotherhood, everything else is but a conveniently altered version of the original hence, we may have thousands and thousands of places of worship across the religious pathways that we choose to follow; but then the worshiped may never be really residing in there! This happens because humanity as come to the point where it has forgotten the most fundamental truth that GOD resides not at a place or point- rather being omnipresent resides in every speck that you can think of and have ever thought of! This is not what I say, this is what all the great religions and pathways of the world say and this is the singularity of the essence of GOD!

GOD, doesn’t need, neither ever had nor will ever have a religion or a pathway, for the simple reason GOD is the destination and not the pathway! The universal omnipresent force is beyond and above all human possibilities and that’s why the authentic texts, and religious books, irrespective of the faith system you choose all begin with a salute and bowing down to the magnificence of GOD! So why did humans create multiple pathways and why do they cut across?

As I said earlier, societies, their sociological construct, belief system largely reflected how the ancient rulers shaped the unit and that’s how it is to this day, with a few changes here and there! It serves a few who rule the many and that is almost with every other vocation that humans do and this is how it has been since the dawn of the civilization and the rise and fall of every civilization has been a factor of this dissonance and allied reasons! The pathways even as different as they could be, the fact is they never competed nor did they ever cut each others path, they evolved to different societies at different times and served different purposes and aligned those societies to serve the greater good and made them human unlike ever before! It has largely been the curse of modern history when so-called politicians and rulers, and people who could use their influence to alter the narrative did so and that has been the unwarranted price that societies have ended up paying almost across the globe!

So you, see neither GOD was ever a point of debate, neither were the pathways, the religions or the belief systems, it has been the directed, sabotaging and unwarranted human creation which created a smokescreen- a fog of illusion- which has left modern societies divisive and more chaotic then ever, it doesn’t help GOD neither does it help the few who are aligned to HIM, but it serves the ones’ who want to be intoxicated in the arrogant belief that they are powerful enough to create chaos and rule and direct societies to the direction that they want- the truth is that nothing could be more fictitious then this hallucination which ultimately leads to societies rising up against these megalomaniac few and a new order is re-established when the time for the same arrives!

My final few words before I wrap this blog, If you ask me, I think GOD has no religion and I also think no religion or faith is a problem, all of them did co-exist and do and will always do! The challenges for modern day societies is to stall the societal sabotage that happens around us lead by the few who want to do anything that they want to just to ensure that they do not loose control on the many and these few are the real danger to humanity!

But rest assured, I will ask GOD his religion when that meeting happens, not sure though if I will be able to relay that message back, not sure if laptops work there!

I will leave you here for now, urging you to think and reflect! No matter what your belief system, no matter what your religion is, as long as you are anchored to the truth (that is the real truth) of singularity of a supreme energy and the thought of severing everyone around so that the greater good is always realized- you are fine and you will find GOD around in everything and everyone and most importantly within you! Remember GOD is more important than religion, just as the destination is always more important than the route taken!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another article!

The simple truth about religion!

~ PA ~ Leave a comment

Among the few eternal questions that humankind has been asking through recorded history; one of the most important one has been “What is religion?” and “Who has given it to whom?” Well before you begin to jump to conclusion- well no, I am certainly not claiming to be an authority- or providing you a definitive answer to all your religion driven pain- this is about sharing a few observations, thoughts – to the limitation of this being a blog (which I am sure many of you would have also experienced) and trying to make sense within the fog of uncertainty and ambiguity!

No matter which belief system you decide to choose and follow, the beginnings are all mysterious- with some answers being found- while others still shrouded in a cloak of the unexplained! Few belief systems have symbolism, while few do not have. Some believe in the practicing to the written down guidelines by the rule- yet others offer relaxation to ensure the that the belief system is amicable to the individual and is something that becomes a natural part of the self.

But the topic is not this, the question is what happens when we have a belief system or a religion? Well one way of looking towards it through human evolution through the eons- Religions or Belief systems- have over a period of time developed and evolved to ensure that the evolving human intellect is harnessed for the larger and greater good of the individual and the community around! As human beings made progress from being hunters, nomads and civilizations came into being (at times with large kingdoms and empires that stretched far and wide), belief systems set rituals, beliefs and practices that brought in a common thread to ensure a common identity of conformity. A conformity towards expected behaviors, values and ideologies!

As long as these laid down belief systems were practiced within the confines of the kingdoms and empires and left untouched virtually for long periods of time they have flourished and become richer in expression in the form of hymns, verses, texts, manuscripts, theological masterpieces and philosophical renderings. These have in many cases added value to the religious belief systems and in few cases- has added to regressive mentions which tried to confine communities into sub-divisions using one or the other aspects of the societal structures of those times!

Everything is fine till this point; however as societies became more permanent in nature and as instances of expansionist greed and hunger for power and control began sometimes through invasion of gypsy warriors and at times by planned expansion (which could have been for some forceful need to migrate from original lands- read fearing persecution) the fabric of faith and the followers of faith began to undergo a metamorphosis and a change that worked for and against each faith and belief system across the world!

The real challenge studying Human beings is that – As humans, we are perhaps the most logic driven yet one of the most irrational beings at the same time! I mean you will never see a wild animal attack it prey if its not hungry! You will never see any animal for that matter attack (unless it feel provoked and threatened or gets confused about Your intentions!) The reason for this logic and irrational paradox within our personalities resides and rides upon our higher evolved emotional attributes – read- pride, ego, jealousy and fear! Ignorance when added to any of these attributes casts a spell that only swells with time and ultimately blinds out all rational thinking and creates a mind which has its own thinking like a runaway carriage and goes on into a self-destruct mode- not ever realizing what it is unleashing in the ensuing journey and at what cost- whatever that is being pursued is being achieved!

Over eons as faiths evolved and belief systems evolved- they have not been handed down from one generation to the next- the way they should have- that is without any flavoring of what the previous generation though and how they adapted it to suit their needs of the bygone times! In certain cases this evolution of faith and belief systems has worked well- because it has simplified understanding and follower-ship in the present times. However in some cases additional layers of ambiguity and thoughts which create animosity and rift have got planted (which at some point in time in history would have been appropriate for safeguarding the follower-ship of a particular faith in a geographical region under prevailing political scenarios then) but as these did not get dropped off – they tend to raise their ugly heads and whip a deadly cocktail of justifying inhuman acts across the present times- which really serves no one- not the faith – neither the followers and certainly not Humanity in general!

So you may ask what is the way ahead? Well, as I said in the beginning I am not an authority, nor do I claim I have the power! but what I can share with you is a few simple and human things that we all can do to ensure we individually contribute to make our immediate neighborhoods better- and once we have done that- we have better communities, societies, nations and a better world!

Always remember as a cardinal principle-

1)Religion, Faith or a Belief system is a Private matter and always allow it to be that!

2)Respect other’s faith or belief systems, so that they respect your faith and leave it at that!

3) If all questions had the answers- they would have been already answered- if there are few questions that are yet unanswered- there must be a reason for that too- leave tings at that!

4) While choosing over the right thing to do or doing a thing the right way- always choose a path which serves the greater good of humanity- if even one human is harmed by any chord that is being touched under the garb of altering or furthering belief systems or faith- that is not the right path!

5) Finally always remember- all the authentic , ancient texts, manuscripts have always preached and cherished the feeling of togetherness through affection, love and fostering humanity as the greatest service to the supreme power that you believe through the Belief system of faith that you choose and there is no second to this principle- Hold this belief and approach ahead- you will find the world is a better place than what some make it to be by telling you what suits them!

It is perhaps the greatest and the most simplest truth of life- that in the metered seconds of life that each one of us has- if we spend bickering and wasting about tings that really don’t matter – What is that we have achieved and What is the story and legacy that we want to leave behind? Think about this when you have your next coffee! Trust me on one thing- If you follow a belief system or a faith- and you do believe in something- it really doesn’t serve your Supreme Lord- when you go about discussing, fighting, bickering about things that really don’t count! If you are indeed spiritual or someone who holds a belief system dearly- all actions must align to take you closer and further towards that celestial journey- This is what all texts and manuscripts across all faiths and belief systems speak about in one voice! The Greatest service to the Supreme Power is serving Humanity!

I leave you with these sublime thoughts for the week ahead, stay clam, stay wise and remember to always act in a way that makes your presence equally celebrated as is your faith- no matter what faith that you have chosen to follow! Stay Blessed!

The concept of God!

~ PA ~ Leave a comment

Today, as India celebrates one of it’s many religious festivals, “Mahashivratri“, I thought this was a great time to understand our idea of the supreme power! Just share a few observations about how through the ages our ideas and perceptions of the supreme energy have evolved and continue to do so and how each of these ideas, irrespective the path chosen (read- religion/faith)

The greatest lesson that one can learn being born in India (pretty early in life- at times even before you are born!) is to learn to believe- As a nation we have this deeply enshrined value system of believing- having faith and being always sure that no matter how much sad, bogged down and screwed up or miserable your life seems to be- there is a reason to believe that the next sunrise will be better then the earlier one and things will change- and the best part of this eternal belief system is that this is a common fabric that runs across all the faiths and belief systems that you encounter in this great land and almost across the world!

The child in me, being the inquisitive one like always- has and still continues to wonder multiple facets about this whole concept of God and The Supreme Energy- What is actually the concept of God!? What is this all about anyways? Why should we place belief in something that we cannot see and why should we believe in God and not believe in negative forces (read ghosts etc.) I have spent close to 25 years learning, studying and observing this facet, reading through religious scripts (across faiths), talking to enlightened ( and at times not so enlightened Gurus and respected teachers and community leaders) all with one aim- to try and understand what is this all about anyways and how do we fit in this space! Well, going by the limitations of the blog, in the next few passages I will share with you what I learnt and possibly we will conclude by arriving at a broader inference and then move back into our own private spaces to pursue our pathways to realize the supreme power that we believe in!

Irrespective of the pathway (read here religious or belief system) you choose, the final goal seems to be that of assimilation into the supremely sublime and all encompassing Universal Energy which interestingly each of the pathways believes to be the beginning- the present, the end and also a dimension and space beyond the end ( something which never ends- read eternal). The magic around this one aspect that many pathways converge around is that – each of the pathways within their own rights- has a given code of direction to achieve this evasive yet magnetic state- a state wherein as a human you become liberated once and for all from all the trials and tribulations and also are able to enjoy a state of bliss through “who you are” well this is where you have the concept of “Your Soul” coming in- The whole discussion around the space of achieving eternal bliss is for the contentment of your soul- for that is the final destination of your soul- so say all the pathways!

Certainly there are variations, no doubt- Some pathways believe in multi- energy supreme state (God), few believe in a system where the Supreme power is one and only with none other (at times bordering at the lines of despise and anguish towards all those who consider to be even little accommodating for anything else) and then few pathways see the entire life as a gift of the supreme power and that what we do , say , touch, hear or speak must always deem fit to the supreme power’s aura (for it is whose creation we all are!) Till this point all is fine- all looks great- different pathways – achieving something similar (if not the same) and seemingly non-interfering into others’ majorly. Unfortunately- this is the point from where digression begins and for once – Human societies the world over have shown that no matter what a particular belief or faith says- when human being decide go manipulate it and use it for ulterior motives there is no one coming to rescue anyone of us- not even the supreme power!

As a student of Geography, we all learnt -that climate impacted human evolution and development- in fact stretch this concept further back- possibly qualified anthropologists would be happy to guide you on how human beings evolved and how different streaks of racial features developed under different geographical and climatic conditions- and yes each of these developments had nothing- absolutely nothing to do with any Supreme Power of belief system- at least until that point!

As humans began to get more and more control around their immediate geographical surroundings and social structures started to get develop- formats of instructions to conduct daily routines and rituals possibly began to emerge- The greatest mystery across all religions and all pathways of the belief system will always be and remain- How exactly did this Life’s Instruction manual get decoded- by a few or in some pathways by a single individual (who no doubt would have had a streak of some supreme being within!) But once it was decoded enough (and the interpretation goes on across the human landscape to this day (on what was said- by whom- when – why- what it meant then- what it means now and so on and so forth), fortunately or unfortunately for making- many of these pathways and belief systems started to get hijacked by a few people for one or the other reason- either by creation of systems and processes within or otherwise- which further got shaded and colored with average human biases and distractions – which over centuries have lead astray many a pathways and in few unfortunate cases have set them up in complete disarray from their higher objectives of being able to serve and service the larger and greater good of humanity!

What started as a simplified and genuine approach to unravel the mysteries of our own self to connect with and reach out to the supreme powers that govern the universe, ended up being rather ordinary and self-serving to drive earthly agendas for the glory and misery of humanity- Of course yes, thankfully not all have gown down that way and few genuine pathways exist and operate and that is evident from the very fact that no matter which corner of the world you are in- even today you would have at least one stranger approach you and offer you help- expecting absolutely nothing in return! That is undoubtedly the greatest gift that any of the genuine pathways/ belief systems have given to mankind- A universal duty of care”!

If you ask me, through my personal engagements with learned people (across faiths and belief systems) the concept of God, Supreme power, all rests in simple aspects of life- reaching out and doing good for others- without expecting anything in return- staying grounded- being humble and very importantly Staying Human. This according to me is the very essence of the whole concept of God, serving others, serving yourself, your community, society,nation- Serve fellow humans with kindness, goodness and dignity and rest assured, irrespective the pathway and the belief system you choose- at the end of the day- You will be rewarded with what you seek through your pathway- Just by serving fellow humans! For God/ Supreme Power resides not only into the uncertain and unknown spaces of the big known and unknown universe- this energy and power resides, reflects and resonates within each one of us- living/ non-living and service to each one of us is service unto that supreme power!

I leave you with these thoughts and allow you to seek your connect with that great power on this auspicious day and hope even as you seek your eternal reward you exercise ” A universal duty of care” unto fellow humans- irrespective of the pathways and the belief systems that we choose! Always remember- Stardust is what we all are- each one of us and that is what we eventually become- Stardust!

Ciao for now, will catch up with another fleeting piece soon, until then- stay connected and stay wise!