Hinduism regards all other religions as ‘nana panthas’ – innumerable paths for spiritual realisation. It regards the choice of a pantha as a matter of personal preference. It does not prescribe or proscribe any particular pantha. Everyone has the liberty to choose, as per his inherent nature, any of the paths that appeals to him.
God, and the manner and place in which He is to be worshipped, are not central to Hinduism. The essence of a religion lies in the principle of ‘sarva dharma sama bhava’ – in the attitude that all religions are equally worthy of respect because faith is a ‘matter of hearts and minds and not of bricks and stone’, or directions and locations, or pre-determined set of imperatives and proscriptions.
The ‘Vachnamrut’ of Swami Sahajanand, also known as Shriji Maharaj and Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781 – 1830), continues the eternal Hindu tradition of living in harmony with other religions. The ‘Vachnamrut’ is a record of the dialogue between Bhagwan and his followers and disciples.
Swaminarayan admits that people have different inherent natures. He asserts, “Of many devotees of God, some have firmness in the observance of dhar ma, others have fir mness in realising oneself as Atman, and still others have firmness in vairagya, detachment, and there are those who have firmness in bhakti, devotion.” Though one particular nature may predominate in an individual, he “also possesses all of the other types, but to a lesser extent.”
Swaminarayan argues that there are conflicts between different religions because of the mistaken feeling that ‘my religion’ is the exclusive repository of truth, the sole way to achieve salvation and, hence, the belief in the superiority of one’s faith. According to him, we can get rid of our feeling of jealousy and superiority complex by cultivating positive thinking.
He shows with examples that the different avataras, forms of God that we come across in different religions, are really manifestations of one God. To establish this doctrine of oneness in different incarnations, Swaminarayan argues, “When God manifests and adopts the behaviour of Rishabhdev, he is known as Rishabhdev; when he accepts the divine ways of Rama he is known as Ramachandra; and when he performs the divine actions of Shri Krishna, he is known as Krishna.” He says, “In this way, whichever behaviour of the avataras can be seen in God, it should be understood that all of the previous avataras of God have manifested from Him, and that He is the ultimate cause of them all.”
If one understands the non-duality principle, one’s conviction, that the same God dwells in all, never falters. This doctrine of Swaminarayan “is the ultimate secret, the essence of essence.” It is not only derived from the Vedas and Puranas but from scriptures across the world. According to Swaminarayan, the non-duality principle is not derived from theoretical understanding of texts, but is an experiential fact. He says, “I have experienced all that I have spoken about. In fact, I speak in accordance with what I practise.”
Swaminarayan recommends that despite this, if a pantha, out of vanity, claims superiority and intolerance for the teachings of other panthas it should be ignored. He categorically says, “If out of vanity … (a religion) considers (itself) to be superior” and tries to prove that “other religions are inferior, then one should distance oneself from such religions.” This is the best way to show one’s acceptance and tolerance for them.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Times of India, Speaking Tree, 25thSep 2018
Hinduism regards all other religions as ‘nana panthas’ – innumerable paths for spiritual realisation. It regards the choice of a pantha as a matter of personal preference. It does not prescribe or proscribe any particular pantha. Everyone has the liberty to choose, as per his inherent nature, any of the paths that appeals to him.
God, and the manner and place in which He is to be worshipped, are not central to Hinduism. The essence of a religion lies in the principle of ‘sarva dharma sama bhava’ – in the attitude that all religions are equally worthy of respect because faith is a ‘matter of hearts and minds and not of bricks and stone’, or directions and locations, or pre-determined set of imperatives and proscriptions.
The ‘Vachnamrut’ of Swami Sahajanand, also known as Shriji Maharaj and Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781 – 1830), continues the eternal Hindu tradition of living in harmony with other religions. The ‘Vachnamrut’ is a record of the dialogue between Bhagwan and his followers and disciples.
Swaminarayan admits that people have different inherent natures. He asserts, “Of many devotees of God, some have firmness in the observance of dhar ma, others have fir mness in realising oneself as Atman, and still others have firmness in vairagya, detachment, and there are those who have firmness in bhakti, devotion.” Though one particular nature may predominate in an individual, he “also possesses all of the other types, but to a lesser extent.”
Swaminarayan argues that there are conflicts between different religions because of the mistaken feeling that ‘my religion’ is the exclusive repository of truth, the sole way to achieve salvation and, hence, the belief in the superiority of one’s faith. According to him, we can get rid of our feeling of jealousy and superiority complex by cultivating positive thinking.
He shows with examples that the different avataras, forms of God that we come across in different religions, are really manifestations of one God. To establish this doctrine of oneness in different incarnations, Swaminarayan argues, “When God manifests and adopts the behaviour of Rishabhdev, he is known as Rishabhdev; when he accepts the divine ways of Rama he is known as Ramachandra; and when he performs the divine actions of Shri Krishna, he is known as Krishna.” He says, “In this way, whichever behaviour of the avataras can be seen in God, it should be understood that all of the previous avataras of God have manifested from Him, and that He is the ultimate cause of them all.”
If one understands the non-duality principle, one’s conviction, that the same God dwells in all, never falters. This doctrine of Swaminarayan “is the ultimate secret, the essence of essence.” It is not only derived from the Vedas and Puranas but from scriptures across the world. According to Swaminarayan, the non-duality principle is not derived from theoretical understanding of texts, but is an experiential fact. He says, “I have experienced all that I have spoken about. In fact, I speak in accordance with what I practise.”
Swaminarayan recommends that despite this, if a pantha, out of vanity, claims superiority and intolerance for the teachings of other panthas it should be ignored. He categorically says, “If out of vanity … (a religion) considers (itself) to be superior” and tries to prove that “other religions are inferior, then one should distance oneself from such religions.” This is the best way to show one’s acceptance and tolerance for them.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Times of India, Speaking Tree, 25thSep 2018