
I feel very lucky to have stumbled across this book.
Here are some excerpts from the foreword by Dr. G.V.G.Krishnamurty:
In the history of homosapiens, thecontribution, service, sacrifice, progress, spiritual thoughts and value-systemevolved by the preceding generations had its profound impact on the futuregenerations, irrespective of the nationalities and faiths across the world.Human maturity and enlightenment of souls depend on the lessons it has learntfrom the past experiences, to make life fruitful, purposeful and enjoyable thuscreating life a sense of fulfillment.
SamiVivekananda, the prince among the modern spiritualist, said more than a centuryago, “We want to lead mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas,nor the Bible, nor the Koran, yet this has to be done by harmonizing the Vedas,the Bible and the Koran. Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but thevaried expression of the religion, whichis oneness, so that each may choose the path that suits them best.”
AsCharles Colton, an eminent English spiritualist, observed, “Men will wranglefor religion, write for it, fight for it, die for it, anything but live forit”. Therefore, any attempt to ponder over religions and their value systemwould reassure human race better life, progress and prosperity and notpremature death and destruction in the name of religions.
Inall major and minor religions in the world, spiritual masters sprung up fromtime to time to teach and preach values to be inculcated in life according totheir faith and belief. Prominent religions in the world currently includeHinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam,Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Shintoism, and Baha’ism among others. The adherentsand practitioners of these religions believe in the preaching’s of therespective religious and spiritual masters. So are in the rituals.
Lifeis an experiment with body, mind, intellect and environment leading toenjoyment and playing in the value-oriented field on this earth. Destiny,death, disease and history are no respector of personalities. Bhagavad Gita preaches that every one bornmust die, and every one who dies must be reborn: “Jatasya hi dhruvam mrutyum dhruvam janma mrutasya cha”.
Religionsare to unite human race and not divide or destroy whatever may be the reasonswhether material or non-material. Spiritual Masters all over the globe forcenturies, irrespective of their religions, championed eloquently about thegoal of existence to ensure useful, purposeful and pleasant life on this planetending in peaceful death and not violent ever.
Ithas now been established that a human being is a complex combination of body,soul, mind and intellect and is subject to the environment, which can benatural, social, religious, civilisational and spiritual or a combination oftwo or more. Animal instincts like Kama(desire), Krodha (anger), Lobha (miserliness), Moha (lust), Mada (ego), Matsarya (jealousy)dominate all thoughts and deeds in all living beings including humans. In anysociety people exist with permutations and combinations of different instincts.
Spiritualenlightenment is necessary to keep such instincts in full control to attain variouslevels of mental fulfillment and satisfaction. Spirituality is above religion,secularism, morals and ethics. It speaks of universally accepted value-system,endorsed by all religions of the world at all times, for the human race to livein peace while achieving progress and prosperity leading to both physical,mental and metaphysical happiness during the life-span.
Inall religions – prominent and non-prominent – the spiritual values are surelysimilar or parallel, even though rituals and practices are different, sometimesdiametrically opposite. Yoga Vasishtaof Maharshi Vasishta or Bhagavad Gitaof Lord Krishna, or Viveka Chudamaniof Adi Sankara or Tripatika of LordBuddha or Anga of Mahavira, or Analects of Confucius, or Talmud in Judaism, or Holy Bible of Christianity, or Zenda Vesta or Zoraster, or Holy Quran of Islam, or Guru Grantha Sahib of Sikhism, preach only one thing to mankind, i.e. toachieve universal peace, love and brotherhood.
Whatall spiritual masters all over the world preached for centuries has been that “Religions may be different but God is onlyone.” In this millennium, human race is in great need of spiritual culture,which converges in attainment of peaceful co-existence of all religions andbeliefs and embraces all contours secularism professes. Thus, secularism is notnegation of religion or spirituality. Secularism has only one meaning, i.e.acceptance of all faiths, rituals and beliefs and according to recognition,respect and tolerance towards them irrespective of agreement or disagreement oftheir principles or theories to achieve salvation.
Ina secular state, a Hindu must have the right to go to the temple and must haveto the freedom to pray; a Buddhist must have the right to go to the vihara and must have the freedom to bowdown in meditation; a Jew must have the right to go to the synagogue and musthave the freedom to worship; a Christian must have the right to go the churchand must have the freedom to do the mass; a Muslim must have the right to go tothe mosque and must have the freedom to do namaz;a Sikh must have the right to go to gurudwaraand must have the freedom to pay obeisance before the Guru Grandha Sahib, etc.
Itis therefore, obvious that religions are fleeting and spiritual values areeternally secular irrespective of different forms and shapes they may assume inthe horizon of time.
Bahaifaith, one of the nascent in the world, says, “Nations and tribes of the world,who are always at war, turn your face towards unity and let the brightness ofits light shine upon you.”
HolyQuran says, “Whoever relieves a human being of grief in this world, God willrelieve him of grief on the day of the judgment.” Judaism ordains people “to dojustice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Lord Jesusproclaimed: “All human beings are children of God… Men should care and helpeach other in sorrow and distress and have sympathy to less fortunate.”
LordBuddha ordained his disciples: “Go unto lands and preach this gospel. Tell themthat the poor and the lowly, the rich and the high, are all one and that allcastes unite in this religion, as the rivers in the sea.”
LordMahavira’s spiritualism involved “universal love, compassion and sympathy forall living beings.” Confucius firmly believed: “If there be righteous in theheart, there will be beauty in character; if there is beauty in character,there will be harmony in the home; if there be harmony in the home, there willbe order in the nation; if there be order in the nation, there will be peace inthe world.”
GuruNanak Dev observed: “In this dish are placed three things – truth, harmony, andwisdom. These are seasoned with the name of God which is the basis of all;whoever eats it and relishes, will be saved.”
SwamiVivekananda, one of the leading exponents of India in spirituality, proclaimed:“The Parliament of Religions has proved to the world that holiness, purity andcharity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world – upon thebanner of every religion will soon be written, in spite of resistance; help andnot fight; assimilation and not destruction; harmony and peace not dissention.”
LordKrishna, in his Bhagavad Gitadeclared centuries ago his incarnation of God and observer: “I am in religionas the thread through a string of pearls. Wherever you see extraordinary powerraising and purifying humanity, know that I am there. The Hindu religion is allthings of all people and different things for different people.”
Worldspiritual leaders sprung up time and again in mankind to purify the society,preach universal spiritual and sacred values, and, in the process, get rid ofthe reigning evils, to enable human race to ascend the ladder from demonalityto divinity.
The spiritual leaders, in turn, want toensure that they enable souls to merge with God, the eternal source which isomnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient presiding over the past, present, andfuture of the universe.
Spiritualismin human history is above religion, beliefs and rituals. Spiritual masters andspirituality belong to the whole human race, irrespective of the part of theglobe they live. Spiritual masters are like candles, determined to burnthemselves to give light to the people. Therefore, resort to spiritualism alonein the coming centuries enable homosapiens to march into the future to apurposeful and blissful life to live with confidence and enlightenment.