I used to be an atheist, used to love the arguments that provoked in class with friends, teachers and my parents. A close friend, just before my 'O' levels took personal interest in my studies to show the kind of marks that I was capable of scoring and set my path right. When someone does that for you, that person deserves your respect and he used that to get me to the temple. More than the respect I had for him, it was his constant reminder that I can improve with god's influence and that selfishness in me that got me to the temple for the first time by myself. That is how my spiritual journey started. Hand on heart not many people ask God for something without a selfish motivation, its how small most of us are. We first need to acknowledge that. The religion that we are born into is a decision made by our forefathers and passed on to us, so only GOD is the only universal truth. People armed with education, time and money come up with new religions and faiths, showing that religion/faith are man-made paths towards the supreme power and there is no right or wrong.
The term 'Spiritual Journey', just refers walking a path towards God. It by no means should be confused with ‘Spiritual growth’, Spiritual growth is honed and perfected only practice, subjecting oneself to the strict discipline of what has been advised i.e. prayer, meditation or good deeds. No faith or religion advices killing or bloodshed as the path towards God, then why take it? It’s quite amazing that every religion has a group which has opted for violence to defend itself. I am sure not many belonging to these groups can answer the question ‘What/Who are you defending against?’ Taking people along with us on our spiritual journey is not a must and harming people who chose a different path is downright stupid.
My friend forwarded a few mails a few days ago. One questioned the secularity of India and preaching of Hinduism in quite an offensive tone. There was one person’s defence of both India and Hinduism and another mail discussing Islam in the same tone as the first mail. When all our faiths are so vast with so much to know that not many have mastered them, I wonder how we can assume to know so much about another religion to question it? With it being so difficult to cultivate the discipline necessary to follow our own religion that most of us do compromise, are we worthy enough to question something we know very little of and never have practiced. By closing your eyes for 24 hrs, you can never experience a blind man’s life, similarly reading a book is no way to ‘know’ a religion.
Finally to those who think defending God is their purpose of life, I have only one to day – ‘by suggesting that God/Faith/Religion needs the defence of a worthless mortal like you - you are insulting the very God/Faith/Religion that you are trying to glorify’. God is almighty and God does not need your help, so change your agenda and do what God wants you to do (practice the preaching with utmost discipline) instead of pretending to add a purpose to your life by plucking at thin air.
The term 'Spiritual Journey', just refers walking a path towards God. It by no means should be confused with ‘Spiritual growth’, Spiritual growth is honed and perfected only practice, subjecting oneself to the strict discipline of what has been advised i.e. prayer, meditation or good deeds. No faith or religion advices killing or bloodshed as the path towards God, then why take it? It’s quite amazing that every religion has a group which has opted for violence to defend itself. I am sure not many belonging to these groups can answer the question ‘What/Who are you defending against?’ Taking people along with us on our spiritual journey is not a must and harming people who chose a different path is downright stupid.
My friend forwarded a few mails a few days ago. One questioned the secularity of India and preaching of Hinduism in quite an offensive tone. There was one person’s defence of both India and Hinduism and another mail discussing Islam in the same tone as the first mail. When all our faiths are so vast with so much to know that not many have mastered them, I wonder how we can assume to know so much about another religion to question it? With it being so difficult to cultivate the discipline necessary to follow our own religion that most of us do compromise, are we worthy enough to question something we know very little of and never have practiced. By closing your eyes for 24 hrs, you can never experience a blind man’s life, similarly reading a book is no way to ‘know’ a religion.
Finally to those who think defending God is their purpose of life, I have only one to day – ‘by suggesting that God/Faith/Religion needs the defence of a worthless mortal like you - you are insulting the very God/Faith/Religion that you are trying to glorify’. God is almighty and God does not need your help, so change your agenda and do what God wants you to do (practice the preaching with utmost discipline) instead of pretending to add a purpose to your life by plucking at thin air.
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