I love asking personal questions (see evidence). It just puts people in such a spot and their answers are always so surprising. So sometimes I ask them if they believe in God. And then they ask me. And I say I am spiritual and that's confusing because everything from Yoga to The Secret is about the "spirit". Hence this post is to clarify my stance on what I theologically believe. It is more for me than it is for you.
Till about this time last year, I used to call myself a Hindu (or so my Facebook used to read). Wonderful hues of saffron, a big red tika, a white kurta and prayer thali come to mind when I hear the word Hindu. Anyway, that changed when I read more about the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the Bombay riots and the imposition of the Hindu identity on India. I felt like I was somehow a part of this; almost guilty by association (though I no longer believe in this guilt).
A lot also had to do with my experience with religion. Few years ago, I was deeply religious - I would do puja everyday, go to the Gurudwara everyday, learn the prayers etc. While all this was calming to the mind, it never seemed fulfilling. I just felt that I could spend all this time and effort in helping the poor and that it would be more fruitful. And so I stopped the religious rituals and became more pragmatic with my belief.
And I think that is the role of religion in our lives. Religion prepares the mind for the spiritual. Once the mind is relatively calm, it is easier to understand the philosophical aspects of spirituality - the meaning of life stuff.
And that's why I did not turn to any other religion. I was pretty much done with what religion had to offer. However, my spiritual leanings still remained broadly Hindu (Vedanta/Bhagwad Gita is what I am more comfortable associating to).
1. Karma : I believe in Karma. I genuinely believe that what goes around, comes around. You do evil, you get evil. You do good, you get good. Whether the yardstick of good or bad is decided by your thoughts, actions or motivations; I am not so sure. I believe there is no universal rule to that. I think we have this inner core/gut that tells us and warns us when we are about to do something that is "not good"; and I think maybe that is the criteria to decide what is good and what is bad. As an extension I also believe in the Golden Rule - "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" What you invest is what you receive.
2. Afterlife : No. I don't believe that life is a continuum. That there were many previous births and that there might be many future births. I think there is this life (here and now) and that is all you should be worried about.
And even if there were multiple lives, I think they would be independent of each other. So your Karma in one life would have no bearing to the Karma in another life. Your profits and debts are settled in each life itself. You can only be held accountable or deemed profitable to receive for what you knowingly commit.
3. God : I don't believe in a watchdog God; one who keeps track of your prayers, the kind of candles you light, the fasts you keep and sins you commit. I cannot get myself to believe that God would be "watching" over us. I also don't believe in any form or manifestation of God that is different from "us". What I mean is that the spirit that allows us do things, that allows us to make decisions, feel emotions, move around etc.; that energy is possibly God at macrocosm and spirit at the microcosm - but it is all still the same. While we are all divided by our bodies, mind, intellect and natural endowments, at the core we are all the same. The essence in you is the essence in me.
4. Purpose of Life : This is where I have no conclusive answer. Vedanta believes that we are all essentially the infinite (God) and for some reason we have mistaken ourselves to be this body; and that life is a journey from imperfection (associating with the lower) to perfection (associating with something higher). My primary problem with this is that I don't know what the cause of ignorance is; why would something as infinite as God associate itself to something low like the body, only to get back to the infinite. If there is going to be this energy before there was everything, and this energy that will exist after everything; then why should there be "everything". What's the point of the world if everything is essentially the same? (That's an unanswered question in my beliefs too)
I am also uncomfortable with the idea that the life is a journey. I think it's the cause of the journey that bothers me; why must I go on this journey - to what end? What will I achieve? If I am born, and I live through this journey of ups and downs, and then I die; what changes? If in the end, death is inevitable - why should you live? What is the end goal?
Of course, the valid question is, is there an end goal? I believe there is; because then life would make sense. If there isn't, then that's just much much worse; because we are then living for nothing.
Till the time I don't know what the end goal of life is, I have a proxy. Whatever you do, just do your best. If you write, pour your heart and soul into it. If you manage portfolios, pour your heart and soul into it. If you sell pan masala, pour your heart and soul into it. Give it every ounce of your time and effort. Be the best version of yourself. It would be a tragic waste otherwise.
And that pretty much sums up what I believe (or not believe). That's my faith, my religion, my way of life, my core or whatever have you.
To the Guru
त्वमेव माता च पिता त्वमेव ।
त्वमेव बन्धुश्च सखा त्वमेव ।
त्वमेव विद्या द्रविणम् त्वमेव ।
त्वमेव सर्वम् मम देव देव ॥
Ud Jayega -- Kumar Gandharva
Till about this time last year, I used to call myself a Hindu (or so my Facebook used to read). Wonderful hues of saffron, a big red tika, a white kurta and prayer thali come to mind when I hear the word Hindu. Anyway, that changed when I read more about the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the Bombay riots and the imposition of the Hindu identity on India. I felt like I was somehow a part of this; almost guilty by association (though I no longer believe in this guilt).
A lot also had to do with my experience with religion. Few years ago, I was deeply religious - I would do puja everyday, go to the Gurudwara everyday, learn the prayers etc. While all this was calming to the mind, it never seemed fulfilling. I just felt that I could spend all this time and effort in helping the poor and that it would be more fruitful. And so I stopped the religious rituals and became more pragmatic with my belief.
And I think that is the role of religion in our lives. Religion prepares the mind for the spiritual. Once the mind is relatively calm, it is easier to understand the philosophical aspects of spirituality - the meaning of life stuff.
And that's why I did not turn to any other religion. I was pretty much done with what religion had to offer. However, my spiritual leanings still remained broadly Hindu (Vedanta/Bhagwad Gita is what I am more comfortable associating to).
1. Karma : I believe in Karma. I genuinely believe that what goes around, comes around. You do evil, you get evil. You do good, you get good. Whether the yardstick of good or bad is decided by your thoughts, actions or motivations; I am not so sure. I believe there is no universal rule to that. I think we have this inner core/gut that tells us and warns us when we are about to do something that is "not good"; and I think maybe that is the criteria to decide what is good and what is bad. As an extension I also believe in the Golden Rule - "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" What you invest is what you receive.
2. Afterlife : No. I don't believe that life is a continuum. That there were many previous births and that there might be many future births. I think there is this life (here and now) and that is all you should be worried about.
And even if there were multiple lives, I think they would be independent of each other. So your Karma in one life would have no bearing to the Karma in another life. Your profits and debts are settled in each life itself. You can only be held accountable or deemed profitable to receive for what you knowingly commit.
3. God : I don't believe in a watchdog God; one who keeps track of your prayers, the kind of candles you light, the fasts you keep and sins you commit. I cannot get myself to believe that God would be "watching" over us. I also don't believe in any form or manifestation of God that is different from "us". What I mean is that the spirit that allows us do things, that allows us to make decisions, feel emotions, move around etc.; that energy is possibly God at macrocosm and spirit at the microcosm - but it is all still the same. While we are all divided by our bodies, mind, intellect and natural endowments, at the core we are all the same. The essence in you is the essence in me.
4. Purpose of Life : This is where I have no conclusive answer. Vedanta believes that we are all essentially the infinite (God) and for some reason we have mistaken ourselves to be this body; and that life is a journey from imperfection (associating with the lower) to perfection (associating with something higher). My primary problem with this is that I don't know what the cause of ignorance is; why would something as infinite as God associate itself to something low like the body, only to get back to the infinite. If there is going to be this energy before there was everything, and this energy that will exist after everything; then why should there be "everything". What's the point of the world if everything is essentially the same? (That's an unanswered question in my beliefs too)
I am also uncomfortable with the idea that the life is a journey. I think it's the cause of the journey that bothers me; why must I go on this journey - to what end? What will I achieve? If I am born, and I live through this journey of ups and downs, and then I die; what changes? If in the end, death is inevitable - why should you live? What is the end goal?
Of course, the valid question is, is there an end goal? I believe there is; because then life would make sense. If there isn't, then that's just much much worse; because we are then living for nothing.
Till the time I don't know what the end goal of life is, I have a proxy. Whatever you do, just do your best. If you write, pour your heart and soul into it. If you manage portfolios, pour your heart and soul into it. If you sell pan masala, pour your heart and soul into it. Give it every ounce of your time and effort. Be the best version of yourself. It would be a tragic waste otherwise.
And that pretty much sums up what I believe (or not believe). That's my faith, my religion, my way of life, my core or whatever have you.
To the Guru
त्वमेव माता च पिता त्वमेव ।
त्वमेव बन्धुश्च सखा त्वमेव ।
त्वमेव विद्या द्रविणम् त्वमेव ।
त्वमेव सर्वम् मम देव देव ॥
Ud Jayega -- Kumar Gandharva
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