Karma-Yoga and Bhakti-Yoga - Essay Example

? Essay, Religion and Theology Topic: Report on Religious Field Research Two volunteers of the Organization were waiting for us at the entrance. “Welcome Sir, thank you for coming. We have been expecting you”, one of them said with utmost courtesy. Then he led us to the “Spiritual Discourses Hall” and some seats were reserved for us in the front row. The prayer before the actual spiritual discourse had just begun. Three youngsters stood before a common microphone and sang in unison in a sonorous voice: “Om Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya | Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya | Mrtyor-Maa Amrtam Gamaya | Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih || Om, Lead us from Unreality (of Transitory Existence) to the Reality (of Self), Lead us from the Darkness (of Ignorance) to the Light (of Spiritual Knowledge), Lead us from the Fear of Death to the Knowledge of Immortality. Om Peace, Peace, Peace”. (Om asato…) Prayer over, the Preacher lost no time in beginning the day’s lecture: “The Perfect Masters of all religions mention about the same transcendental truth. What they wish to explain is beyond the realm and boundaries of words, thoughts, feelings and the capacity of body-mind-intellect. My submission is also an outline, and not the reality of spirituality. That has to be practically experienced by you. There is much more in this cosmos than what the senses can detect or the mind can comprehend. The totality can be comprehended with the help of the “Third Eye”, which Lord Jesus proclaims, “When thine Eye be Single…” “The problems arise when the Transcendental Reality is explained by the mind-level philosophers, intellectuals, preachers, mullahs and pundits. Arguments and counter-arguments follow. Misunderstandings generate and conflicts arise. This is the genesis of religious conflicts. If the founders of all the religions are to sit together and engage in a discussion, actually there would be no discussion as there would be no differences of opinions amongst them. Though they use different languages and tender different examples, they are speaking about the same truth, the Ultimate Reality! For example, the source of energy for all the electrical appliances is electricity”. “The followers of different religions must stop quarrelling and grasp the underlying essence of the revelations by their Masters. World Peace becomes an attainable reality if they follow the revelations of the Masters in true letter and spirit. What difference does it make if you call electricity by some other name, it is the same entity and its power remains the same? Similarly hail the Consciousness that governs cosmos, the All-pervading Reality by any name, Jesus, Allah, Rama, Krishna, God or whatever you like. That Power is the same”. “God, who exists even before the creation and from whom the entire universe originates and gets manifested, in whom the entire universe exists and in whom the entire universe will be withdrawn, eventually; and that Light of your Consciousness, which is the Illuminator, the Witness, the Self within, which is aware of the presence or absence of thoughts in the mind, is one and the same! That Thou Art! You are not the body-mind-equipment, which you have assumed yourself to be, till now. Know the technique to stabilize your mind, transcend it and you will know that you and God are the same entity! The eternal search ends and no further running around are needed. All ambiguity stands vanished”. “The mind is an instrument in the hands of the Self just as the body is an instrument controlled by the mind. Matter is motion outside, the mind is motion inside. Theoretical arguments only lead to arguments and counter-arguments. It is impossible to realize the Truth through arguments. This is the reason that the name of God, which out to bring peace and happiness to humankind, has been the cause of bloodshed in the world. The pages of human history are daubed in bloodshed due to bitter quarrels in the name of religion and race. Reach out for the direct source of divinity. Have his practical vision and understand from Him what every religion teaches. If someone has seen God, we too can see Him. Sri Aurobindo (2010) writes, “The earliest formula of wisdom promises to be its last,--God, Light, Freedom, Immortality”. (p.6)If God has reached out to someone, He will reach out to us as well. Or else, how can I know that He exists equally for all”? “The entire universe, including us, has originated from the same Source. To contact that “Source”, one needs a Guide, a Perfect Master, and a Messenger, who remains ever connected to it. In every Age, such a Divine Spiritual Guide incarnates on this Planet Earth, to guide humankind to the Source of Origin. He incarnates in various human forms. Let me substantiate this through an example. It is like you have many cars and you are a member of a club, to which entry is restricted, only for members. Now, you are a member of the club and not your cars; hence, if you go to the club in different cars each day, the security guard will not deny you entry! Though the cars are different, the driver is the same”! Parmahansa Yogananda (2012) writes, “The Characteristic features of Indian culture have long been a search for the ultimate verities and the concomitant disciple-guru (spiritual teacher) relationship”. (p.3) Similarly, though Krishna, Rama, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad are different physically, the occupant of their physical bodies is the same Entity! Christians are waiting for the “Second Coming of the Christ”. But when He comes, how will they recognize Him, if He changes His body? In that case Spiritual Knowledge of God-Realization is the only criteria to recognize Him, with the common features of all divine incarnations. Do give yourself a chance to experience and self-realize “Soul Existence”. And, whether you believe it or not right now, the meditative technique of “Divine Knowledge(Sanskrit word: Brahm Gyan) has the potential to empower you into the subtle Soul Consciousness, termed as ‘ageless’ and ‘timeless’ by the Perfect Masters. Not availing such an opportunity would be like missing the real-time gateway to “Ageless Body, Timeless Mind”! What I am telling is not something new. I am not preaching for any new religion, cult or belief system. It is the age-old Sanatana Dharma, the wisdom transmitted from generation to generation since time-immemorial. ‘Sanatana’ means ‘eternal’. ‘Dharma’ means ‘that which holds together’. I am not speaking for Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism or Islam. They are all one and the same for me.” “After being blessed with “Divine Knowledge” by the Perfect Master, what next? This is the natural question of most of the inquisitives who desire to tread the path of spirituality. One never ceases to do actions; rather one should never cease to do actions! Do actions without the motivated desires. The Law of Karma can be defined as the elastic property of the cosmos, wherein the kind of energy we transfer to it, springs back to us one or the other day. It is important to note that karmas signify not just the activities of the body, but also that of the mind. Just as each person has a distinct odor, which can be detected by a sniffer dog, each individual can be sniffed by the force of his karmas, which are uniquely associated with him. The Law of Karma can also be equated to Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion, which states that “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” No cause goes without its associated effect. The tendency of its fructification may vary (as per the type of karma), but, in no case, does it go un-fructified. In a nut shell, the law is fair and the same for all. As you sow, so shall you reap? Swami Vivekananda (1982) writes, “Karma in its effect on character is the most tremendous power that man has to deal with.”(p.6)There is no scope for any kind of injustice or prejudice in its application.” ---A gathering of about 1000 people hear the Preacher in rapt attention. His presentation is something original and I guess it is experience based. The gathering consists of men, women and children. After his lecture, there is a session of devotional songs for about fifteen minutes, in which two songs are sung to the accompaniment of drums and harmonium. The Preacher asks those who have been blessed with Divine Knowledge to sit in the meditative pose and do meditation for five minutes. Meditation over, he declares the assembly closed and asks everyone to meet again on next Sunday at the prescribed time. As per my appointment, I meet the Preacher in his study-room. I am impatient to ask him this question. “Is it truthful? Sorry for being blunt. Is the practical vision of God possible”? “Ask the thousands who have assembled here. They all have the practical experience of the divine consciousness at the time of initiation”. “Is your approach scientific”? “Spirituality is the science of sciences. That which is not practical, cannot be spiritual either”! 1. My misconceptions. I know about Sanatana Dharma in relation to Hindu Religion. To me, even Sanatana Dharma is a set of rituals, reading of religious scriptures and epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata etc. I never imagine that practical vision of God in the form of Light Consciousness is possible with the grace of the Perfect Master. The Preacher’s spiritual discourse clears many of my doubts. After the lecture, I meet many in the congregation, who have the practical experience in their inner world and they also seen visions of Nature, the sun and the moon etc. in their mediation. One thing is certain, there is something which our external eyes cannot see and the Inner Eye alone has the power to experience them. 2. My prior understanding about this religion is altered through my encounter. Yes, it has altered much. Religion is not mere praying, ritualistic worships and offerings in cash and kind to the temple authorities. It is a spiritual path, and an individual has to make efforts for self-perfection as per the prescribed procedures in the scriptural revelations. 3. Misconceptions about other people’s religion are common. I now realize that the founders of various religions at their level of transcendence have no differences, as the level of bliss is the conflict-free zone. The misunderstandings occur due to wrong interpretation of the revelations, by the mind-level preachers. 4. A step that could be taken to minimize misconceptions people have about religions not their own. When God’s (Nature’s) agents are the same for human beings practicing any religion, like Sun and the Moon, how God can be different? People should not only tolerate other religions, they should accept the virtues of other religions. Joint prayer meetings and meditation camps must be held to foster religious unity. After the congregation, I am surprised and pleased to experience the interactions of the people, their friendly chats, and the group discussions they hold about conducting certain socio-spiritual activities like health and eye checkup camps, arranging scholarships to the needy students. The atmosphere is full of positive vibrations. They all give lots of importance to meditation and I gather that they meditate for not less than ninety minutes every day. After being initiated, they have given up most of the negativities like, smoking, drinking etc. They agree that “Divine Knowledge” has transformed them. The approach of the Preacher has been benign right from the moment of my contact with him. I frankly tell him that it is not my intention to ‘actually’ attend the lecture as such, but my purpose is to study the procedures and belief systems. His reply is historic. “Most welcome, come along with your family members and bring as many friends and associates with you. This is an open congregation, and all are welcome here. There are no restrictions and no admission fee either. We appreciate your inquisitiveness. It is our duty to answer your questions and clear the doubts, if any”. I finally ask the Preacher, “Do you really show God”? His reply is prompt. “During the initiation, with the opening of your “Third Eye”, you experience divinity within you. You will have the practical vision, which is incomprehensible to words! Accept the proof and reject all assumptions”! References Aurobindo, Sri (2010). The Life Divine. Sri Aurobindo Ashram/Pondicherry; India, Print Vivekananda, Swami (1982). Karma-Yoga and Bhakti-Yoga. Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center; New York, Print. Yogananda, Paramahansa (2012). Autobiography of a Yogi. Empire Books; New York, Print. Om Asato Ma Sadgamaya - in Sanskrit with meaning – mantra.Trans:Greenmesg.3 May 2013... Accessed from: http://greenmesg.org/…das-om_asato_ma_sadgamaya.php Read More