Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Vedanta Philosophy
Are We Special? | Chaitanya Charan das
Karma & Samsara | Abeer Saha
Logic of the Absolute | Hridayananda das Goswami
Lifestyle reengineering
Earth Cry
Green, Righteous and Dead? | Jayadvaita Swami
Inner Peace Outer Peace | Radhanath Swami
Religion & War | Chaitanya Charan das
Practical Spirituality
REALigion | Krishna Dharma das
Sonic Spirituality | Chaitanya Charan das
Live Options | Sutapa das
IQ (Intelligence Quotient) tests are famous for
assessing logical, mathematical and linguistic skills.
We all wish we were in that top bracket of Mensa elite
who have an IQ in excess of 140 – unfortunately only
0.5% of the population make it! Developed intelligence
empowers one to gather, process and analyse
information effectively. The intelligent can think in
abstract ways and learn from their experiences. Despite
Introduction
this, history shows that the intelligentsia are not always
the most successful, happy and influential people in the
world.
even within the confines of this one life, their body has family, with certain bodily traits, innate talents and
never really been the same for more than a few years. set of circumstances surrounding us. Nothing is left to
In fact, every single body in existence is going through randomness; everything has a reason. Even that which
six different stages of birth, growth, reproduction, appears to be accident or coincidence is a specific
maintenance, dwindling reaction to our actions from the past. When someone
and death. Who can ‘innocent’ faces turmoil in life, or when a ‘wrongdoer’
we don’t necessarily enjoys happiness, it is a result of some past history in a
claim that their body
receive our karmic has always been the previous life. In fact, every single situation that we face
reactions in the order same and not seen the in life is karmically bound to our past. Thus, that which
we performed our tremendous changes we do now creates our own future. We are the true
actions, but in the from babyhood to youth architects of our lives - destiny is in our hands.
Consider a hypothetical example. Doctor Waterport, In general, it is illogical for a person untrained in some
the famous scientist, has just discovered a sophisticated field of knowledge to demand that a particular fact
formula that solves a technical mathematical problem. pertaining to that field of knowledge
He proudly calls his colleagues together and presents be logically demonstrated to him.
Conclusion:
them with thirty pages of ultratechnical symbols. His For example, if someone who has no
Proof
fellow scientists pore over the pages and conclude, “Yes, idea what a number is demands that
this is the answer we’re looking for.” If Dr. Waterport were
demands a I logically demonstrate that two plus
to show the proof to an ordinary person on the street, qualified two equals four, I can’t do it. Similarly,
the person wouldn’t even know how to hold the pages audience if a spiritual ignoramus demands that
right side up. Because he’s not trained in mathematics, God be logically demonstrated to him,
the proof would be meaningless to him. Conclusion: his very request is illogical. How can such illogical
Proof demands a qualified audience. demands of the atheists be met?
How can we expect to make God logical to a person It is patently absurd to demand material proof for
who has had no spiritual experience? How can a nonmaterial entity. Mathematical or physical laws
describe predictable ways in which material things
interact. God and the soul are not material and thus
cannot be reduced to material descriptions. This
does not mean, however, that the soul is outside the
jurisdiction of logical discussion.
wars throughout history, including World Wars I and the ignorance and deviousness that lets vested interest
II, were fought for purely secular, political, economic, abuse religion. The number of people who are inspired
or ideological reasons; religion was not an issue at all. to acts of service and compassion by religion is far, far
more than the number of people incited to violence by
Whenever wars were fought in the name of religion, it. By highlighting the violent acts perpetrated in the
the real issue was the same: the increase of wealth and name of religion and by downplaying the charitable
power. Religion was just a convenient scapegoat for acts performed due to religious inspiration, we often
the powers that be to mask their grossly materialistic receive a misleading picture of the contribution of
motives. And even such “religious” violence has been religion to the world.
only a tiny fraction of the secular violence witnessed by
the world in recent times. The number of people who are inspired to acts
of service and compassion by religion is far,
If religion has been misused, is giving up religion the
far more than the number of people incited to
solution? Scientific technology has also been misused
violence by it.
to wreak unspeakable suffering through the weapons
of mass destruction. If we were to give up whatever is
Over the years I have become used to people reacting religious teaching there are
to my unusual appearance in all kinds of ways. Once, two components, eternal
a group of children in a small northern town asked me In every theistic truth and time-specific
if I was from another planet! Of course, I laughed at doctrine the same instructions meant for
that one, but the assertions that my faith is in some essential truths the particular group being
way wrong, as with my friendly shop assistant, are not are given – this addressed by the teacher.
always so funny. Obviously these kinds of perceptions, life is not the all- The former never changes,
seeing other religions as mistaken or inferior in some in-all, we are the but the latter obviously will.
way to one’s own, lie at the heart of so many disputes. We therefore need to be able
eternal servants
History bears witness to many religious conflicts and to discriminate between the
of God, prepare for
even today there are many preachers of all persuasions two, but it seems that many
seeking to convert others.
your eternal life, times we take time-specific
don’t build your instructions out of context
Why do such differences exist? Why are there so many house on sand, and try to apply them as
different religions apparently competing with one eternal truths.
another? Surely they can’t all be right. But how can
they be reconciled when they often have exclusivism In every theistic doctrine the same essential truths
enshrined as a fundamental tenet, with various faiths are given – this life is not the all-in-all, we are the
declaring their particular path to be the only true way? eternal servants of God, prepare for your eternal life,
don’t build your house on sand, follow God’s laws, etc.
Well, here’s the way the Vedas explain it. In every Religion should bring us closer to God, evoke our love
for him and increase our knowledge of him and his
divine attributes. This is the test of genuine religion.
Bona-fide teachers in different places and at different
times are all leading their followers towards this goal,
but they may have to use different methods according
to the condition of their audience. As the old saying
goes, “Different strokes for different folks.”
adopt this approach in their pursuit for tranquillity. considered a “live option,” and it’s in our self-interest
And thirdly, there is the small issue of criminal arrest. to invest time and energy into seriously considering
While there are many options and choices in life, there it. To whimsically reject such opportunities would be
is also an inbuilt intellectual screening process which irrational, unintelligent and unjustifiable. If there is
filters out the nonsense. something that could enhance your life, that is quite
easily applicable, and is something that many people
Some years ago, a famous American psychologist are clearly benefitting from, why would you not at least
claimed that although there are a multitude of options explore it?
in life, certain opportunities stand out above the rest
due to key factors: An objective analysis reveals that wisdom traditions
like the Bhagavad-gita clearly tick all the boxes. The
• Practical – I can do it (without harmful sacred text propounds a spiritual practice that is
consequences and drastic changes to my life) incredibly practical – it doesn’t require massive lifestyle
changes, but simple additions of yoga and meditation
• Beneficial – I want to do it (because there is into one’s daily routine. It outlines huge benefits on
intrinsic logical value in this option) a physical, emotional and spiritual level that make
logical sense and become apparent within a short
• Probable – I feel confident to do it (since many
period of experimentation. Millions of people esteem
the profundity of the Bhagavad-gita, and affirm the
immense spiritual wisdom, insight and inner peace
it has given them. It wouldn’t seem reasonable to
categorically deny such a live option without a proper
investigation. Why not give the spiritual science a
chance? It may yield some ‘out-of-this-world’ results.
Jayadvaita Swami: