Truth is Experienced, Not Taught
People worry that science has undermined faith in religion. But what science has done is wonderful. It says that without experiment or experience you can't claim to know anything. People used to think that the Earth was flat, but their belief didn't make it so. Experiment has proved that certain dogmas and suppositions simply aren't valid. We must also approach the search for truth experientially. When I meditate I feel great joy. I feel God's love. That's what makes it worthwhile to me. If love were only an intellectual belief it would mean nothing. But I feel so in love with God that I want to do whatever I can to know Him more fully. We all want to experience God's presence in ourselves. When we experience His presence, others can feel it, too. Spiritual teachings rest not on an institution declaring what ought to be, but on great masters who have actually experienced truth. The future of religion lies in individually living the teachings. Paramhansa Yogananda would THE SPEAKING TREE say, "You have to individually make love to God". He also said, "The religion of the future will be self-realisation". He meant that every religion will understand that its true purpose is to facilitate one's own personal relationship with God. The great masters come not to create institutions, but to help us realise that what we're looking for is within ourselves, Many more people will seek God in the coming years because they will understand that religion is a matter of individual effort, not fixed and brittle concepts. In Kali Yuga there is the tendency to box things into fixed definitions. A definition is not the truth. I can say God is love and yet live a life totally contradicting this principle. It's what we do that matters. To attain self-realisation, we need to meditate. We need to develop devotion to God. In the years ahead there is going to be more recognition that religious authorities don't necessarily know truth. He alone knows who has experienced it. Giving lip service to the concept of God isn't nearly as important as living in a way that gives you inspiration and fulfilment. The definitions of sabikalpa and nirbikalpa samadhi, to which some pundits are devoted, are simply besides the point. Someday we'll all have samadhi, but we must start where we are right now. We all want more happiness, less sorrow; more love, less hate; more charity, less narrow-mindedness and selfishness. Simply put, we all want to find happiness and to avoid unhappiness. The way we learn is by trial and error. Over time as we experience the results of our actions, we begin to move in the direction of avoiding those things that bring sorrow and seek ing out those that produce happiness. The future of religion will go more towards simplicity of heart and away from official dogmas and creeds. The true expression of religion is that of the individual's love for God: God first, God second, God all the time. Then with His love you can love all. When you die, the question God will ask you will be, "Do you love me?" It couldn't matter less to God whether you've been Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, or whether you even profess a belief. It isn't a matter of how long you meditate, or how many prayers you say. It's matter of the devotion, the energy, and the consciousness that you bring to your search for God. This is true religion for the future and for all eternity.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Swami Kriyananda personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Swami Kriyananda and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Truth is Experienced, Not Taught
People worry that science has undermined faith in religion. But what science has done is wonderful. It says that without experiment or experience you can't claim to know anything. People used to think that the Earth was flat, but their belief didn't make it so. Experiment has proved that certain dogmas and suppositions simply aren't valid. We must also approach the search for truth experientially. When I meditate I feel great joy. I feel God's love. That's what makes it worthwhile to me. If love were only an intellectual belief it would mean nothing. But I feel so in love with God that I want to do whatever I can to know Him more fully. We all want to experience God's presence in ourselves. When we experience His presence, others can feel it, too. Spiritual teachings rest not on an institution declaring what ought to be, but on great masters who have actually experienced truth. The future of religion lies in individually living the teachings. Paramhansa Yogananda would THE SPEAKING TREE say, "You have to individually make love to God". He also said, "The religion of the future will be self-realisation". He meant that every religion will understand that its true purpose is to facilitate one's own personal relationship with God. The great masters come not to create institutions, but to help us realise that what we're looking for is within ourselves, Many more people will seek God in the coming years because they will understand that religion is a matter of individual effort, not fixed and brittle concepts. In Kali Yuga there is the tendency to box things into fixed definitions. A definition is not the truth. I can say God is love and yet live a life totally contradicting this principle. It's what we do that matters. To attain self-realisation, we need to meditate. We need to develop devotion to God. In the years ahead there is going to be more recognition that religious authorities don't necessarily know truth. He alone knows who has experienced it. Giving lip service to the concept of God isn't nearly as important as living in a way that gives you inspiration and fulfilment. The definitions of sabikalpa and nirbikalpa samadhi, to which some pundits are devoted, are simply besides the point. Someday we'll all have samadhi, but we must start where we are right now. We all want more happiness, less sorrow; more love, less hate; more charity, less narrow-mindedness and selfishness. Simply put, we all want to find happiness and to avoid unhappiness. The way we learn is by trial and error. Over time as we experience the results of our actions, we begin to move in the direction of avoiding those things that bring sorrow and seek ing out those that produce happiness. The future of religion will go more towards simplicity of heart and away from official dogmas and creeds. The true expression of religion is that of the individual's love for God: God first, God second, God all the time. Then with His love you can love all. When you die, the question God will ask you will be, "Do you love me?" It couldn't matter less to God whether you've been Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, or whether you even profess a belief. It isn't a matter of how long you meditate, or how many prayers you say. It's matter of the devotion, the energy, and the consciousness that you bring to your search for God. This is true religion for the future and for all eternity.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Swami Kriyananda personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Swami Kriyananda and Speaking Tree,Times of India