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Sharing the insights I discover as I explore and experience the mystery that is our reality. Join me in my journey and share yours.




Monday, May 14, 2012

Radhanath Swami: True Religion Transforms

                                                             Source: Google Images




 It seems religion is used by so many these days to draw boundaries. To create an us vs.  them mentality. Since leaving organized religion behind me I often reflect on how grateful I am that I am no longer raising my children to see themselves as part of an exclusive group deserving God's grace and compassion while simultaneously viewing the rest of the world as others who will someday face the fate of a fiery hell. I realize that not everyone ascribing to religions feel this way, however, so many unfortunately do.

I believe every religion has the potential in fulfilling an important purpose. In particular, they have certainly been known to inspire followers towards greater capacities of compassion and service towards others, especially towards those who are suffering.  If a religion truly does this than surely it is of great benefit to humanity. All too often, however,  we see the results of this us v. them mentality fueled by religion playing itself out in the world.The sometimes horrifying results tend to overshadow any good religion has been shown capable of doing. We see in the news and in our daily lives how particular groups use the tenants of their faith to discriminate and judge. This destructive type of group thinking produces hatred, violence, prejudice and intolerance and keeps societies from moving forward to greater levels of empathy and progress. Such a narrow and prejudicial approach forbids the flowers of compassion to blossom. Peace begins to shrivel. We have seen  this all the world over time and time again. This causes many of us to wonder, and rightly so, if religion is ever a good thing at all.
 
I recently listened to a lecture by Radhanath Swami called "The Essence of Religions". It was spoken at a Unitarian Universalist church. I can honestly say Radhanath Swami had me at the edge of my seat the entire 58 minutes. He is an amazing speaker. His talk stirred my heart more than any sermon I had ever heard.  I couldn't help but  to think, while listening, that this is a man who truly has been touched with the knowledge of God.

I'd like to just share some short excerpts from his lecture. I found them heart-stirring and thought-provoking and think you will as well. First, though, I'd like to just paraphrase a short story that he shared near the beginning of the video. 

While he was in India, a friend of his, Narayan Prasad, would take him to his friend's office every day for an hour. Narayan came from the Hindu tradition while his friend, Muhummad, was Muslim and Radhanath Swami at the time did not ascribe to any particular tradition at all. They would all talk with one another sharing their various beliefs. Their exchange was one of mutual interest and did not involve one trying to convert the other. They all perceived that they had something to learn from each other rather than feeling they had something to prove to one another. Radhanath Swami described their discussions as illuminating. I can't help but wonder what this world would look like if more people, from various faiths, would get together and have such open-minded discussions!

One day, while Radhanath Swami and Narayan were talking along the Ganges river, he asked his friend, "How is it in a country where there is such ...violence between Hindus and Muslims you two are best friends?"

His friend answered, "A dog will recognize His master in whatever way the master dresses. The master might be in a tuxedo, in blue jeans and a t-shirt, in his underwear or no clothing at all. But the dog will recognize and love the master. If we cannot recognize our master, or God, when the Lord comes in different dresses to different people in different times and places, than we are lower than the dog. Than we have so much to learn from the dog."


I found that to be an extremely poignant remark. (Note: I think my atheist friends could easily replace "God" with "Truth.) Regardless if one believes that God, Himself, in personal form, comes down to communicate with man, I think many of us will recognize that the many figures of faith coming from the various traditions all had recognized some inherent truths that are universal. And it is these universal, transcendental truths that Radhanath Swami says are at the heart of and are the essence of all the religions.

"True religion is meant to bring about universal transformations." Radhanath Swami shared with listeners at his lecture. He went on to say, "In my searching... although I found very different philosophical interpretations, very different rituals, very different types of packaging of spirituality- I found that those who really sincerely went deep, they had very similar qualities.”  Examples of universal religious principals that Radhanath Swami gave were: love, forgiveness, tolerance and compassion.

I would highly recommend watching the complete lecture. You can view it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygQ-n50bZbI. I will conclude this post with sharing some reflections from Radhanath Swami that are densely packed with truth and understanding.

"When the ego rules over our consciousness it can create conflict and hatred politically...but the most dangerous dimension is when the ego comes into religion because we can take religious texts, religious traditions, and utilize them to give absolute authority to our ego. Now I hate you, now I am right and you are wrong and I have the power of God and you are dangerous to the world....

Spirituality is the greatest power. When it is in good hands it has the greatest benefits. When it is in the wrong hands it can have the greatest damage. There is a very very dire importance to understand what is the essence of religion. In a very broad sense it is to transform our consciousness from arrogance to humility. From vengeance to forgiveness. From
greed to generosity. And most of all, it is meant to connect us to the love within us so that we might be instruments of compassion in everything we do. This is the universal principle of religion. To absorb ourselves in the love of God and to be truly and genuinely compassionate to all living things...

Wherever we find the love of God that is broad and deep and induces us to be truly compassionate and make sacrifices for the welfare of others. That is where truth is. That is real religion. It is not about being a Muslim or a Jew...It is about loving God. It is about connecting to that higher experience of love within our heart and being an instrument of compassion within this world. That is the essence and that is the greatest need..."



Thoughts? I'd love to hear them! Please share in the comments section! Thank you!












32 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting, Jessica; this really rang true. I kept reading the core of Jesus Christ's teachings:

    "Wherever we find the love of God that is broad and deep and induces us to be truly compassionate and make sacrifices for the welfare of others." "to transform our consciousness from arrogance to humility. From vengeance to forgiveness. From greed to generosity. And most of all, it is meant to connect us to the love within us so that we might be instruments of compassion in everything we do." Is this really what was preached by Radhanath - or or your interpretation? Sigrun

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    1. These were his words directly from the lecture Sigrun. :) I'm glad you enjoyed them. I really did too!

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    2. try

      www.richardslavin.com

      has some cool videos of Radhanath Swami..

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  2. I honestly don't think there is anyone religion that is right...I do attend church regularly...but religion is not what is going to save me....but God himself....it seems that so many people argue over why their doctrine is right and so many are wrong...but are we not serving the same God? Are we all not striving to make it to the same place? I believe that if we truly love God we and apply his word to our lives we will walk in the love he commands us to walk in....there are so many things we can learn from each other if we will only put our opinion and pride aside and listen:D

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    1. Those are some awesome reflections...and I couldn't agree more! I believe that what will save us is compassion. When people, no matter how they cultivate it, develop a sense of compassion for all of life, with those they have little in common with, who the might disagree with, etc. etc. , then we will see real positive changes in this world.

      Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

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  3. "Wherever we find the love of God that is broad and deep and induces us to be truly compassionate and make sacrifices for the welfare of others." - As with Anonymous above, this quote jumped right out at me. Love of God must ever be first and foremost. If we follow Jesus' commandment to love each other as He has loved us, we really can't go wrong UNLESS we let ego do the talking! Ego needs to take a seat in the back of the bus.
    Great post, Jessica!
    Blessings!

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    1. Thanks so much Martha for stopping by and leaving your thoughts! I always love hearing them. I think the ego needs to get off of the bus entirely sometimes! ;)

      Thanks again.

      ~ blessings

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  4. I also strongly believe that all religions are same and humanity should be the only caste.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Ramit. I definitely think religions have their own unique attributes-in terms of their philosophies and rituals, as Radhanath Swami brought up...but for sure at the fundamental core of all of them lies some universal values. If only people would see those more than the differences, the world would most likely be a more peaceful and unified place.

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  5. "To absorb ourselves in the love of God and to be truly and genuinely compassionate to all living things..."

    Or as Jesus put it:

    "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself."

    Glad you were inspired by Radhanath Swami. He does a lot of interfaith lecturing, sharing the platform with those of other faiths, and always manages to drill down to the various core - and common - values.

    Hare Krishna,

    David.

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    1. Thank you David,

      Radhanath Swami is definitely someone I would encourage others to check out as well. I have watched more of his video besides this lecture and was impressed by all of them.

      "To absorb ourselves in the love of God and to be truly and genuinely compassionate to all living things..."

      That's definitely something beautiful for one to aspire to. :)

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Namaste,

      Jessica

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  6. What a wonderful post Jessica. I especially love the analogy of the dog. How very true. Religion should be utilized as a guide, a support, but only a person's true beliefs in God can save them. Than you for sharing.

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your thoughts Mary! :)
      ~ blessings

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  7. Beautiful thought-provoking post, Jessica. Whether we are Christian, Muslim, Jew, Atheist, Hindu, Buddhist, etc... God looks at each and everyone of us equally. So we should do the same. It is not through our religion where God will judge us but through our character. And I think this verse pretty much sums up how we should treat one another: "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. - John 15:12"

    God bless <3 :-)

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  8. "It is not through our religion where God will judge us but through our character."
    What a wonderful reflection! Thank you so much for stopping by Irene. :)

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  9. This paragraph:
    It seems religion is used by so many these days to draw boundaries. To create an us vs. them mentality. Since leaving organized religion behind me I often reflect on how grateful I am that I am no longer raising my children to see themselves as part of an exclusive group deserving God's grace and compassion while simultaneously viewing the rest of the world as others who will someday face the fate of a fiery hell. I realize that not everyone ascribing to religions feel this way, however, so many unfortunately do.
    especially resonated w/me, Jessica. As did this entire column. LOVED the story about the dog recognizing its master. I'd attended a Universalist church in Madison a few times last year and found it very welcoming.

    BTW:
    Thanks for stopping by and commenting at my blog.
    --
    Chris

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    1. Hi Chris, I remember you mentioning you attended a Universalist church in Madison...I love how they integrate all the different faiths. I'm glad you enjoyed this post...I liked the story about the dog recognizing its master too...what a perfect analogy!

      Thanks again. I'd love to catch up sometime.

      ~ blessings

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  10. Great post. I agree. God is one, He is love. Religion is only created by human to set some rules.

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    1. Nikky, Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thought. I do believe that God is indeed one and people see and realize Him through their various different perspectives, hence all of the religions.

      ~ blessings

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  11. This is such a beautiful reflection Jessica.I believe that the Spirit unites inspite of the diversity of people's charisms. As a missionary, I've met several admirable people coming from different religions.It isn't anymore a matter of converting people into "my religion" approach but giving respect and encouraging inter-religious dialogue that takes place.

    When I started studying Qur'an, I was reproached by my guide. She said, I should 'know' first what it is that I believe in before studying other religions.

    I think debates and conflicts happen when we look at our differences. So I completely agree with Swami when he said that true religion transforms instead.

    When I started assisting the youth, they told me that they don't believe in God, it was such a straight answer. I asked them if they believe in love, in peace, in unity and in joy. When they said yes, it kept my heart at peace because God is found in there.

    Let me end this with Ghandi's quote:'“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

    Thank you for sharing this post.

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    1. Thank you so much Melissa!

      I loved the Gandhi quote...It's one that is unfortunately true sometimes. When those that know God get so wrapped up with their own version of God that they stop expressing the attributes of a child of God and instead act out quite the opposite.

      May all Christians emanate the spirit of Christ..for if that happened, there would be a lot of resolved conflict and healing in the world. The same with the other faiths-if we all stuck to what Radhanath Swami describes as being the essence found at the root of all religions, we would not only find ourselves individually transformed, but large parts of the world would be as well. Too bad our egos get in the way so much! I think it always comes back to the ego.

      As the Bible emphasizes...we need less of ourselves and more of God! :)

      Thank you so much.

      Blessings,
      Jess

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  12. Jessica, this really struck a chord with me, as I am thinking also of leaving organized religion behind. The exclusivity, the judgment, the negativity most of all. I'm discovering for the first time that there are good people in the world that are not from the mennonite/Christian faith we left. I am so ignorant. But you are helping to open my eyes. Thanks.

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  13. "... it is about connecting with the higher experience of love within our hearts..." BAM!!! That is a shot of wisdom. :) xoxo

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  14. I'm looking forward to listening to the lecture link you provided. I do this often, as opportunities present themselves to me here in my hometown, to visit different churches, hear different speakers. I always come away with a different perspective, and quite often, I make some new friends along the way. I find that each religion, each concept offers a bit of truth. Sometimes that truth is the realization that I disagree completely with what is being spoken, and that's okay. I find that I learn a huge amount about myself when I realize I disagree with a given concept; I have to then ask myself why I disagree, what judgments might be there, and if my current thoughts serve me well. If they do, I keep them. If they don't, then I work to find middle ground.

    This sounds all light and simple, but it's obviously not! I believe I'll be pondering and growing and learning and un-learning until my final breath in this body. :)

    Namaste',
    Dawn

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  15. Dear Jessica,
    Very interesting post today. In fact, I learn something from you every time I stop by. Thanks for sharing.

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  16. My thoughts exactly! I believe that anything that separates us from each other separates us from God. I will make some time to sit down with tea and listen to this lecture. It sounds like time well spent!

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  17. So I'm a bit confused.
    I was reading your older posts
    and got the feeling that you
    were a christian.

    But your newer posts give me
    the impression that your
    faith/religion is more
    eclectic.

    Could you please make a post
    that explains your current
    beliefs.

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    1. That is definitely a good idea for a future post...I definitely will post one in the near future that explains. I do have one post that I wrote at the turning point...It doesn't explain fully, but it would give you an idea.

      You can check it out here...

      http://ascendingthehills.blogspot.com/2011/12/breaking-free-of-belief.html

      Thank you for stopping by. :)

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  18. To Know more About Radhanath Swami visit http://www.radhanathswami.com

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