PART 3 - “RELIGOS”

3.1 Human fraternity

“There is neither Hindu nor Buddhist nor Christian, nor Moslem nor Sikh, nor any other such entity other than the fraternity of human beings,” declared a young Swiss girl of Indian origin in a theatrical voice at the end of her prayer in Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Geneva. A large inter-religion gathering was praying for peace in the world. Her assertive words seem to have awakened the somnolent audience. At this point let us name the ensemble of people with different religious labels as “Religos”. The apparent astonishment of the assembly of Religos could be interpreted as a strong reluctance to accept the girl’s proclamation implying that human beings are not as old as them. I have a feeling that a majority of Religos in the audience believes that they are superior to humans. In fact a colleague reacted to the girl’s prayer with a touch of sourness “I’m proud of being a Christian” without mentioning that before all else he is a human being.

3.2 Religos screw up

Knowing that humans carry evil as part of the baggage of evolution, all prophets aspired to establish the practice of compassion for the entire community of living beings. However, a combination of arrogance, intelligence and urge for evil has led humans to creating their own separate anthropocentric Flow, their ‘mother culture’. They have fathomed the cosmos and have discovered unalterable everlasting laws. It is quite plausible that among these exist laws that are wholesome for humans. Everything happens within the Flow. We do not yet comprehend the causality. We continue to ascribe it to the Will of God, who is not bound by any laws. But laws exist and we know them better now than ever before. Are there such laws as those for gravity, aerodynamics and genetics that are valid for cockroaches and not for humans? (Daniel Quinn "Ishmael - An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit »)

Sadly, the “mother nature” dictates these laws, which do not apply to us because we have the arrogance to consider ourselves to be above the “community of life”. Knowing well that the human being is a miniscule speck of this community and is not unique on this planet, we continue to look for laws by studying the behaviour of humans only.

Is it not true that the world was created to be conquered by humans and transformed into a paradise? But Daniel Quinn thinks that they have screwed it up. This was bound to happen because there is something fundamentally wrong with them. Their make-up transforms them into stupid and destructive, greedy and short-sighted people. In order to hide these unwholesome traits they invented a myth. First they invented “God” as a fictive alibi of the myth. In their sacred writings they imagined an ocean of darkness (maya) and suffering that must be crossed in order to reach paradise where wait virgins of supreme beauty. The myth stops there because they are not sure where exactly to go. Crossing the ocean has no sense whatsoever because the ocean of maya is also in the Flow. Therefore we must live in it. We do not need prophets to tell how to live in it. The Flow is God-Guru; its greatness is beyond imagination. The idea of crossing presupposes that there is a distance or a path. Because we drift in the Flow there is no path; so don’t look for it. Do fish feel thirsty in water? We are the Flow and we do not know it.

3.3 Convictions

Human nature reincarnated into Religos has screwed up the reality of VIETE. Very powerful institutions support and arm them with antiquated erroneous ideas. They believe in narrow textual interpretation of writings presumed to be the sacred Word of God. Evidently these writings were composed for small-localized communities. Their authors did not know much about the rest of the world, often much more advanced, its geography, history, culture, thinking and science. For centuries Religos have not stopped imposing their chastisement and practices of another civilization and another age. They fight each other and continue to spread hatred planet-wide. But they wrongly profess to be the instruments of supreme love. In the name of God they provoke other peace-loving societies, which have never imposed their convictions on others by force. Among the Religos there are those who crave to establish a global civilisation based on their convictions at any cost. They give the impression of being higher than humans. A spokesman of the mosque in Geneva was heard saying on Radio Suisse Romande “Humans should respect us”. What did he want to evoke?

3.4 Caravan of love

Already a thousand years ago, in Spain, four wise men (see 1.2a) sated with love foresaw the catastrophic inter- and intra- religion collision. Ibn Arabi admirably expresses their wisdom in the poem repeated below aspiring that Religos would avoid carnage and spread of hatred:

My heart has become capable of every form:
It is a pasture for gazelles,
And a convent for Christian monks,
And a temple for idols and the pilgrim's Ka’bah,
And the tables of the Torah, and the book of the Koran,
I follow the religion of love:
Whatever way love's camels take,
That is my religion and my faith.

In the 15 century an Indian sage, Nanak, who is the origin of the proclamation: “There is neither Hindu nor Muslim” focussed his teachings on the principle that “the person who regards all human beings as equal that person is religious”.

Leaders of Religos, arrogant and authoritarian, supported by their flocks do not listen to sages. Calvin had condemned pious humanism and religious tolerance of his friend Sébastien Castellion and chased him out of Geneva like a deranged “dog”. In 1555, Castellion had translated the Bible into French with love and a universal spirit. It is astonishing that religious authorities had conditioned the Christian society so deeply that the next edition of Castellion’s Bible was not allowed to be printed for 450 years. It was finally published and presented to public in Geneva on 18 January 2006. The losers are not only Catholics and Protestants but also the entire humanity. “Why this suppression?” I asked the pastor of Saint Peter’s Cathedral who had brilliantly described Castellion’s life and works. “Is it the religious arrogance? Would it not be better if the word ‘religion’ were eliminated?” He replied, “The same question had inspired me to study Castellion. Religion will be replaced by spirituality”.

3.5 Spirituality without God

Surveys have shown that 44% of the young Swiss and two thirds of the French think that one can have spirituality without believing in God. Will this glorious voice go unheard? Why?

To answer the question whether it is possible to live a spiritual life without a divinity it is necessary to define ‘spirituality’. The old idea of moral, ethical or philosophic conduct is too vague for understanding and practise spirituality. Let us stick to the definition of spirituality developed earlier: to know the Flow and advance towards it, immerse in it, become a part of it and blend in it. This precisely is the type of spirituality and the image of God that true prophets and gurus had intended to bequeath us.

3.6 How to go forward

Religious, political, industrial, anti-environmentalist, commercial and scientific authorities surely stop us from taking the path towards the Flow/VIETE. In this era of integration and communication we surely have an extraordinary genuine option to come out of this madness. Let us marry religion; ecology, science, philosophy, sociology and psychology in order to understand VIETE better in an integrated way. Such an approach will enable us to extend our love beyond human beings. In order to keep to this pathway it is essential to listen to the advice of modern sages or divine messengers. “The authentic test of a religion is not what you believe; it's what you do and unless your religion expresses itself in compassion for all living things, it is not authentic” (Karen Armstrong). Our love should actually encompass also non-living things: mountains, rivers, earth, sky, and the universe. If there is God, he “has no religion” (Gandhi). “Hands that help are holier than lips that pray” (Anonymous). “There are as many ways as there are atoms in this world, to reach God” (Anonymous).

It is high time for Religos to wake up and collaborate with scientists, environmentalists, philosophers and parapsychologists with the aim of interpreting their religions and sacred writings in a new way and rejecting traditions and rituals that are no longer valid in present times or in the social and cultural environment of other regions. First of all, Religos must admit that all prophets, wise persons and enlightened individuals have dedicated their life to raise human and spiritual values above “not too sacred” religious practices. None of them had envisaged that we should be split into Christians, Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Sikhs, Bahai or many varieties of Hindus, Buddhists and Jews.

One unique religion does not exist. God and its true prophets are too great to be vulnerable to human criticism; therefore they cannot be blasphemed. Therefore blasphemy as interpreted by Religos does not exist. A lack of tolerance between the Religos is the problem. Every time a religion is criticised, a hateful outcry by Religos reduces God’s greatness and his prophets to their own low level. Hence do not take notice of the paths shown by Religos. The only blasphemous human act is deterioration and destruction of the milieu. Acts that damage the environment cause sufferance for living beings, take us further away from the eternal Flow and lead to the annihilation of civilizations.

It is not the transcendental nature of all religions that is the root of all problems, but differences in practices often representing out-dated local traditions that continue to undermine religions themselves and spread hatred between people. A religion has an enormous psychotherapeutic value for individuals, but it is also demoniac catalyst and a potent trigger for unleashing wars of civilizations.

The legendary sacred paths engender wrongful inciting of religious hatred. Hate exists in VIETE only through humans. Myths that played an important role in founding religions have served in the evolution of human society. New values have put an end to their validity. Now is the time and we have the means to scrutinize and sort them in the light of available new information. Past and recent mystic experiences of VIETE and available scientific, philosophic and sociological information can actually serve us to live better and behave more wisely.

3.7 Salvation

Looking from the prospect of globalization of spiritual value, Religos who have taken us further away from the Flow must now more than pray for taking us back to the All Mighty Flow, the all-enveloping store of light, information and energy. VIETE is “the river and every thing is in it, there is nothing else”. Those who have the company of such a God “what do they have to do with salvation or paradise?” By assimilating in VIETE we will attain:

Salvation, nirvana and light;
Courage to stop promoting material values, divisions and symbols;
Wisdom to use correctly our efforts and resources and reduce human suffering, safeguard the environment, and remain on the path of spirituality.
Ability to translate and reinterpret spiritual writings and ancient traditions rendering them applicable to daily lives of people in present times and environment.
Control of means to enlarge human fraternity, love and striking upon the secret of life that should enable us to live amongst worldly temptations without defiling ourselves.

Of all religions the best is to know the Name (VIETE), practice good actions and renounce imposing on others by force and pressure one’s egocentric convictions in the name of God. Of all places the most sacred place is the mind that holds sparks of the Big Bang divinity.

Only the person who has understood the will of God, that is, the nature of the Flow, knows His secrets. One who transmits the divine word without understanding the Flow gains nothing. Is the day of judgement for antiquated religions approaching? Surely the new generation will climb over the wall erected by archaic religious values barring progress towards the real and practical spirituality. Utilising the information now available it will demystify and reinterpret dogmas setting up post-religious moral. At least no one will accuse religions of rendering “life impossible, detest reason, intelligence, life, sexuality, women, body and its pulsations”. The new generation will extract knowledge from the universe that will guide it to live better. Guided by new type of messengers of God it will not need to justify screwed up human laws or to unload complicated explications or display a perverted intelligence. It will recognise that humans are born defective; so are their laws, which are based only on their life experience instead of on the total life. It will get rid of obsession directed towards the interior and inventing our own legends. Instead it will advance towards wider horizons locating us correctly within the total life, VIETE.

3.8 New image

We know the dynamics of God better than ever before. Religious leaders should understand the image of God in the form of Flow and VIETE, packed with unfathomable information and light. Rather than expending energy on converting pagans, kaffirs and infidels to archaic vague images we should start living in the process that integrates, balances, and interacts with the Flow and cooperate closely with those that are trying to understand our true role within VIETE. By responding in this manner we will carry out our duty as human beings gifted with an extraordinary intelligence, thus curbing our tendency to be evil towards humans and to other elements of the Flow. We must comprehend the “lifetrons”, vital energy and vital currents. This will assist us to conduct ourselves better and escape the apocalypse mentioned in scriptures. It is not surprising that many ancient writings also contain sayings, legends and myths that support this latest image of God, dynamic, concrete and practical. This new image offers us an extraordinary facility for explaining to children, the young, atheists, believers, the uninitiated and misinformed religious persons human life’s dimension, depth and reason in the milieu of other living and non-living things gliding in the Flow. Living in this way is meditation, yoga, (union with the Flow), liberation from original sin, nirvana, salvation, state of equilibrium, bliss, transcendent wisdom, and perfect lucidity.

Part 4