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Many Religions
To find what you search for, seek without
seeking
Many
people are on a quest. They are searching for answers to their QUESTions.
They wonder to themselves, "Why am I here and what is the purpose
of life?" Traditionally, religion has provided the answers.
In ancient times, villages, towns, and even countries were isolated.
One religion and culture were shared by all members of the group.
The faith they held in common was all they knew. There were no reasons
to question what they were taught. Today, for many, that is changed.
Because of commerce, immigration, modern transportation and communication,
the isolation of the past is gone. Children in remote villages can
catch glimpses of faraway places on the community TV. And North Americans
are studying Buddhism and practicing Tai-chi while Japanese children
are being taught English by Mormon missionaries.
If you're searching for answers, do you turn to religion? If so, which one? With
so many choices and different answers, no wonder people are puzzled. For example,
if I wish to learn about Buddhism, should I study Nichiren, Tendai, Shingon,
Zen, or Tibetan Buddhism? If I'm attracted to Christianity, should I become a
Pentecostal, Fundamentalist, or Evangelical? What about Southern Baptist, United
Church of Christ, Lutheran, or other Protestant denominations?
Maybe I should become a Jew. But which one: Reformed, Orthodox, or Conservative?
Perhaps Hasidic? I could consider Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholicism. But how
about Sikhism, Hinduism, Hare Krishna (ISKCON), The Teachings of Dadaji, Jainism,
Sunni and Shiite Islam, The Bahai Faith, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Confucianism,
and Shinto.
Not enough? I can always look into the Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah Witnesses,
Unitarians, Christian Science, Course of Miracles, The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints, and the Salvation Army. Or, for something a little different,
I could consider Eckankar, Urantia Book Fellowship, The Unification Church, Raelian
Religions, Church Universal and Triumphant, Theosophy, Adidam, Falun Gong, Children
of God, Dao Cao Dai (Caodaism), La Regla Lucumi, Vodoun (Voodoo), or even Wicca
and Scientology. Of course, if none of these pleased me, there are lots more
to choose from!
Why so many religions? They don't descend from heaven like raindrops,
but arise
from the needs of man. As Emerson wrote, "Heaven always bears some proportion
to earth. The god of the cannibal will be a cannibal, of the crusaders, a crusader,
and of the merchants a merchant." Montesquieu expressed the same thought
differently: "If triangles had a god, he would have three sides." If
we seek the God who created man, instead of the god created by man, what are
we to do? Can we find Him alone? I agree with Epictetus who wrote "God hath
entrusted me with myself."
How do we discover God by ourselves? One way is by following the advice
of the
twelfth century Chinese Zen Master, Fo-Yan (1067-1120). He taught, "If you
seek, how is that different from pursuing sound and form? If you don't seek,
how are you different from earth, wood, or stone? You must seek without seeking." How
do we seek without seeking? By stop seeking answers and start seeking experiences.
God is not to be known, but to be experienced. How can a god that is small enough
to be understood be great enough to be worshipped?
Man searching for God is like fish searching for water. The fish don't
realize that their bodies contain water, their flesh is mainly made from
water, and they
live and swim in water. Are we no different from fish? Speaking on the behalf
of God, the Hindu Philosopher, Kabir (1400-1499), writes "Where are you
searching for me, friend? Look! Here am I right within you. Not in temple, nor
in mosque, not in Kaaba (the famous Mohammedan temple at Mecca) nor Kailas (the
most sacred mountain in Asia) but here right within you am I."
When we are humble enough to realize that God cannot be understood, just
enjoyed,
the questions we had dissolve. For as Dr. Bernie S. Siegel wrote, "It is
the experience of living that is important, not searching for meaning. We bring
meaning by how we love the world." And when we love the world, we love the
Creator of the world.
When we experience God, instead of being tortured by questions, we are
enthralled
by wonder. "My religion," says Albert Einstein, "consists of a
humble admiration of the unlimitable superior who reveals Himself in the slight
details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply
emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is
revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God."
We can experience God in a grain of sand, a blade of grass, or in the
sparkle of the morning dew. The poets experience God. For example, William
Blake wrote, "To
see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wold flower. To hold infinity
in the palm of your hand, and Eternity in an hour." And Alexander Pope penned "All
are but parts of one stupendous whole, Whose body Nature is, and God the soul." Also,
Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote, "God, I can push the grass apart and lay
my finger on Thy heart." Not much of a poet, but a great comic, Lenny Bruce
said, "Every day people are straying away from the church and going back
to God." Perhaps that's something we should think about. If you've been
wondering about the answers to profound questions, you may want to redirect your
focus and experience the wonder of life and the joy of mystery.
© Chuck Gallozzi
For more articles and contact information,
Visit http://www.personal-development.com/chuck
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