We must wear our religious identity lightly

I wonder at this idea called religion and how it has a grip on the people of our times.  Of course this grip is much lesser than that during the medieval times and yet it remains.  It is a curious idea that a human being can belong to a box of ideas and rules called religion.  Every human being has a body, mind and soul.  Bodies are different, minds overlap and yet there is a deeper truth to ourselves – the soul – and at the level of the soul, we are one.  But when we descend into the mind space, we struggle for space, for power, for influence.  And religion as it is commonly understood is one such mind space. 

It is akin to dividing the land of the earth into countries by marking it on the ground and posting armies to defend these man made lines on earth.  Mother earth has no clue that we have divided this planet into countries and that we are fighting to hoard or steal resources from another country so that we can last a little longer within our own country.  As far as mother earth is concerned, there are a lot of people on the surface of planet earth and they are doing various things that hurt the viability of life on the planet.  This division called the country is only in the human mind space. 

In the same way, God is not aware that we have divided ourselves into groups and call each group by a name and we pledge and fight by these names called religions.  These divisions are purely a human creation and a human problem – God has nothing to do with it!  If one commits violence, the only thing that is recorded in one’s subtle body is the fact that you wish to be violent.  The universal organising principle does not recognise your religious passport and no one can be forgiven based on his religious passport.  It is impossible because the judge lies deep within your own self and not outside.  No amount of external name-plating using the idea of religion can reach the subtle body.  The subtle body only recognises a tendency, an attitude, a desire.  And if this is a violent desire, it is noted that you wish to be violent and when the time comes for one to leave his form, a form that is suitable for a violent desire to be enacted is given – perhaps as a tiger or as a lion.  Now we may continue to cage this tiger and give it a religious name, but the other tigers do not recognise this distinction.  The animals shall remain free of religion.

And is it not natural that man too is born free – free of any limiting idea?  Out of all the ideas that are expressed in the name of any religion only those are true that can set a man free.   Every other idea is a limitation that is imposed for the sake of subordinating the mind.  This is why religion finds such a large purchase among people – because the imposed limitations give you a sense that you have controlled your mind.  While mind control is an essential part of education that makes man socially responsible and cultured, it must be passed on through traditions that celebrate the noble and elevating ideas and denounce those that divide us, those that result in the perpetration of separation and violence between fellow human beings.   

Man does not belong to any religion – it is the other way around.  Religion belongs to man.  And if there is the slightest thing that is narrow and divisive that guises itself to influence us through the cloak of religion then it is up to the discerning to reject it.  And there can be no doubt that the great ideas of every religion belong to the noblest of men.  The traditions of wisdom and celebration of the great and good things of life belong to the noblest of men.  And if we must have a religion, it must be of nobility, of great honesty, integrity and a sense of high purpose and unity.  And if we must practice traditions, it must be that we mimic nature’s creative ability to deck the earth with the dazzling plethora of artistic auspiciousness.  This artistic creative ability of man to involve the senses and his limbs must create and cherish traditions that are celebratory like nature, mesmerising yet still, complex yet simple and full of design and yet in some strange way, symmetric!

So let us not get carried away by the myth called religion that seeks to brand us and box us.  If we continue our glorious traditions, let it be because we know that they are glorious and uplifting, not because of fear or some strange fervour.  And if we abandon a few ugly ones, let it be because we know to be wiser and to grow into a brave world of wisdom and freedom.  Let us not let the idea of religion divide us, even for a moment.  And yet let us retain our faith – a faith in that which is true and lasting, a faith in that which unites us; an implicit faith in a divine internal strength that can lift us beyond the dividing mind. 

When we leave our form, the body is united with the elements again – whether through fire or through burial – what does it matter anymore?  What we are left with is a spirit and our tendencies.  And let the idea of religion not leave a sour residue in the mind that we carry beyond death.  If we can achieve this, then we know where religion belongs – and where we belong.  Ideas are there and will always be there.  But we are born to be masters, not blind followers.  And to become a master it takes bravery, it takes courage.  And may we be blessed with the courage to rise beyond any limiting idea, any limiting myth called religion. 

When I speak these words, it is not to encourage anyone to disrespect the tradition of one’s family, of one’s society.  It is only to remove that veil of stark separation that the idea of religion has come to bring with it.  This idea of separation is a false idea – it constitutes that which is deleterious in the idea box called religion.  The fact that we follow a particular tradition need not make us insecure or possessive and hateful of that which another follows.  Because what we follow is after all for our own well being, for our own good.  And the other follows that which he finds best for his well being.  This freedom of choice is valuable.  And that which seeks to disrespect this diversity, this freedom, will end up dividing us and can never be good for the well being of our society. 

Thus while it is well that we follow our family traditions, we must wear this religious identity somewhat lightly.  It is like a book in our hand.  We can have it, we can get ideas from it, we can follow the noblest of it – but we need not take leave of our discretion.  In fact every true idea strengthens our discretion and makes us wise.  If it does not, then it can be discounted.  Therefore, let us build a culture of wisdom, bravery and truth.   And irrespective of what faith we follow at home, let our education state boldly that there are many things that are common to all human beings – and these are great truths that are common, objective and noble.  And these are common to all of us – irrespective of what religious tradition we choose to follow. 

We must become a more thoughtful generation, a more considerate generation, a generation that is magnanimous in its view of life, of peoples and their various faiths.  We must climb this mountain of wisdom and seek the bird’s eye view and forget the small things that tend to occupy our minds to our detriment.   

Of what wisdom I have earnt and learnt, many have come from stalwart masters who upheld the best of wisdom traditions that the history of the human adventure on earth has afforded to give us.  Let us bask in this sunshine and live as partakers of this light which is common to us – of the light in whose presence there can be no place for fear – for it is imbued with a sublime peace – and imbued with a noble understanding of our common destiny as nature’s precious creation. 

Published in the New Indian Express, Bangalore City Edition - Section:Soulful - June 23 & 24,2014