If we don't learn to ask right questions then we don't get to know right answers. Curiosity isn't Seeking! Seeking isn't Craving! Religion is a sect or cult, tailor-made for masses of that time, who on their own, aren't yet capable of pursuing path of self.
Like a nut walking on rope takes help of stick to balance but later he lets go of stick too. जैसे एक कांटा निकालने के लिए दूसरा कांटा प्रयोग में लेना पड़ता है और फिर कार्य हो जाने पर दोनों को फेंक देते हैं- रामकृण Religion is just a thorn to pull out another thorn of ignorance.
Soul or Bhavanga citta takes contrasting births in succession.
It changes, gender, caste, creed & religion extremely swiftly without prejudiced mind, as it finds suitable, to experience accumulated karmas. It's useless to assign any flavor to a temporary vessel it inhabits in one birth.
Path is dhamma or svadharma.
Path of self is inherently spiritual. When we are ready to let go of our supporting sticks then we see the path clearly.
It's futile to bring religious discourses on path of aloofness/ silence/ self. Religious judgement on such souls is counterproductive.
All apparent reality is just that "apparent". There's no absolute independent truth out there. What best can be described is just pure "being" state which is very different from what we perceive with mind. Hence all means to convey that, are mere approximation. गूंगे का गुड़।
When Buddha attained, he remained quiet for 7 days seeing fruitless to speak. Still, there's great anticipation to hear few "words" & childish quest to "know" about that state, great curiosity, seeking & even craving to reach that primordial state. So He spoke, like all before him!
As soon as it's spoken it's approximation! It's contaminated with meaning as understood by Sayer. So many avoid defining it. They only lay down a path, another path, through which they have reached. But each one is so unique that he has his own path & it can't be copied by following!
So take religion as a guide. Rules to help you traverse the unknown. But remember they are to guide only. If you keep eye on goal you will know when to shed them. Often a religion is given to counter fixed beliefs of previous. To shake it. It's to show that inverse is also true.
It also is path.
If religion was everything then books themselves would have been realized.
ḳhud apnī mastī hai jis ne machā.ī hai halchal nasha sharāb meñ hotā to nāchtī botal Give no more heed to words & practices than the meaning they want to convey "हम दिखाते थे चांद, आपने उंगली पकड़ ली"
All sects will take you to DOOR. No more no less! & ALL will take you IF you understand them in uncontaminated form For that you have to be free of all prejudices. Ramakrishna Paramhansa has shown that it can be done But it's more than enough to follow only one which suits you, where you are!
And who you actually are? YOU are travelling since a long time! YOU have been seed, fruit, animal, man, woman, a Hindu, definitely a Muslim & a Christian in your previous lives. YOU are born in many realms.
YOU were influenced by your family, friends, surroundings, their teachings THEN as you are NOW!
YOU are your own hurdle to be conquered. YOUR mind is THE path & its obstacle too. How efficiently you use it, to serve YOU, is the Question! YOU fill yourself with anger then anger YOU earn. How & why don't matter! YOU fill yourself with love then love YOU earn. YOU take that seed as karma to next life! YOU have to grow above from need of religion. Listen to your conscience. IT knows! That's inner guide, inner guru, inner prophet. Unique to YOU. And IT is unprejudiced. It doesn't get swayed by YOUR transient beliefs. IT is YOUR own light Learn to listen, learn to see!
Lao Tse was sitting under a tree, watching a dry leaf. It was flowing freely in wind. It didn't put any resistance. It was ready to b taken by wind ANYWHERE Right, left, up, down! THAT moment, Lao Tse said, he became a dry leaf Mind was shed off He became free like a leaf!
Gautam was so perfect a pupil that he left no chance for an excuse to his teacher. Teachers had to let him go saying they have no more to offer. Yet He was unrealized. When he did All & couldn't attain then he sat under tree leaving behind even the last desire of attainment...!
& THEN it happened! No matter the path, it leads YOU close. To the DOOR. That's it! Religion can't take YOU beyond. NOTHING can. It's a jump in unknown When YOU ARE ready, IT just happens! There's no method No skill to be taught to make you jump YOU can only be brought to the point of jump!
There are books after books to lead you there. YOU see them contradictory or complementary, it's YOUR perspective only. Stark opposite is to complement other to make ONE whole. All religions are given to man, out of compassion! All followers did was to bend it again to fulfill their lust!
Jesus wasn't Christian. Followers are. What Buddha said afterwards became Dhamma, to try attain what he did. What isn't told is that no one can walk the same path EVER! No TWO journeys can be similar No path is common to ALL
But it's still better than no-path, ONLY, till YOU find YOURS!
Same old truth is being retold again & again. Yet it remains new. Elusive! People think of concrete methods to follow to GET knowledge & power! Yet Tao-te-ching tells, nah... indicates subtly, that it's emptiness within that's worth craving for!
THIRTY spokes share a wheel's hub. It's the center hole that makes it useful. Shape clay into a vessel. It's the space within that makes it useful. Cut doors & windows for a room. It's the holes which make it useful. Therefore benefit comes from what's there. Usefulness from what's not there.
Path is as straight as a fine thread & can be as entangled as you make of it! That's why, on own, it becomes impassable at times. Still, eggshell will break from INSIDE only when life is ready to take it. No religious practices' learning helps... except love, faith & surrender!
People visited Kabir with offerings. Kabir used the opportunity to teach that money is worth dust & refused to accept it. Kamal, his son, while seeing people taking it back used to say that while u just learned it's worth dust then why to take it back Leave it here only Why carry dust back?
Just pause & ponder Do we need religious texts to teach us required perspective towards life & people in general? All teachings & learnings are spread out in front of us in open, in plain sight! Infact there's no other second being out there. There has always been just only ONE!
All individuality is like ripple or wave in the ocean.
Never separate from it.
The ocean is all that is.
हेरत-हेरत हे सखी, रह्या कबीर हिराइ ।
बूँद समानी समँद में, सो कत हेरी जाइ ॥
sau baar tirā dāman hāthoñ meñ mire aayā
jab aañkh khulī dekhā apnā hī garebāñ thā
An article by GS
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