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International
Meditation Society
Sivananda Ashram, Victoria, BC |
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International
Meditation Society
Sivananda Ashram, Victoria, BC |
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Here is a reply to a communication received here recently from a religous zealot.You might find the answer interesting. We welcome your comments.
Dear Spiritual Friend, I received your parcel and have read the contents. Please do not waste your money buying religious books and mailing them to me. I hope you understand why from the following words.
[Personal stuff, excluded here....]
As regards the religious stuff in your letter, I have little to say to you. Your understanding of eastern religions is very superficial and quite incorrect. Learn a little about Buddhism, they are the world's experts on how the mind works. Please allow yourself to be happy. Happiness is established within your heart and does not make any reference to any one else. I too hold the Master Jesus in very high esteem and also the Buddha and my spiritual master Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh, who appeared in my dreams 12 years after he died and 2 years before I found out who he was! Please understand my atitude towards all religions and spirituality. I do not discuss or argue with people about their religious beliefs. Religion is what you decide to believe. It is based on faith and does not require proof. So each person is free to believe whatever they like, including scaring themselves half to death with superstitious old beliefs that were invented by the church to control them.
Love is not about trying to have power over people or trying to control them, it accepts you as you are and allows you to evolve in your own way. If you truly believe in God, then allow him to guide your life from within you, not by giving power to others who tell you what to think and how to behave. On the other hand, Spirituality is living your spiritual beliefs, helping others where you can and when they permit it. Most people will refuse help when it is offerred, for a good reason! They have the right to make their own mistakes and to learn from them. If someone else does it for you, what have you learned? At the same time as having a spiritual life, you must also have a physical one and integrate them together. That does NOT mean going around telling everyone what to think! Especially concerning their religious inclinations.
IT IS THE HEIGHT OF ARROGANCE TO TELL OTHER PEOPLE WHAT THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES SHOULD BE! PLEASE STOP IT!
The more you find out for yourself about spirituality etc, the less you will have to say! If GOD is everywhere, and I assume you believe this, then the difference between the world's various religions must be man-made, no? This question, I posed to a Catholic priest into ecumenical work; he had no answer. That little story really amused a Franciscan Monk friend of mine.You see, if you are truly seeking the truth, you cannot rely on the written word (it could have been modified or even completely imagined!), nor on the opinions of others including important people such as the pope, nor on tradition, nor on the beliefs of many people. None of these things constitutes a proof of anything. There was a time for instance when everyone believed the Earth was flat. Do you know that the "Flat Earth Society" still exists today? It is easier to put one's head in the sand and pretend that all is OK, rather than change one's mind!
The good news is that out of thousands of years' practice of meditation in the far east, we now know that you can find out the real truth for yourself about everything, in meditation. When people ask me if I think that Jesus ever existed, I tell them to contact him in meditation and then they'll know! That is a suggestion of the Buddha..i.e...Find out for yourself. I also have no hesitation in telling you that what Jesus taught and what the Churches and their followers teach is not usually the same thing! Some of the worst atrocities against humanity were committed by the church, in the name of Jesus, by supposed Christians. Look into the story of the Inquisition if you are interested, and then perhaps you will cease sending me books written by confused minds, many of whom have an interest in controlling others and profitting by it.I am not trying to tell you what to believe. I am trying to say that a healthy dose of scepticism about EVERYTHING is a good idea, as long as you keep an open mind and use your intelligence. God is not a monster and neither is Jesus. The real monsters often quote from the bible in the name of Jesus. Truth will always stand up to scrutiny and debate and never changes with time. If you wish to discuss with me, various aspects of my experiences of God in meditation or my studies in Spirituality and the spiritual path, I will be happy to debate with you. But please do not proselytise. I wish you well in your spiritual quest!
Hari Om. With much love, Swami NadaBramananda your spiritual friend.
Copyright - (C)1998 International Meditation Society - IMS