Wishing You Merry Christmas
And
A Prosperous New Year
We all celebrate religious occasions. Do we know the real meaning of Religion?
What is Religion?
Religion has become an integral part of human civilization. Religion is also known as faith. The English word 'religion' has Latin Origin, from the word 'religare'. Religare means 'reunion'. So the original root of religion is 'union'. If religion is 'reunion'; in the beginning there must have been a union, but many people have forgotten this meaning. The foundation of religion is to be united. The question is with whom to be united.
In religious thought people want to be united with a holy way of life, with the goal of life, and ultimately, with God. Different religions have different names of God. The concept of God is also in the philosophy of Yog. The root meaning of Yog is 'to be united with'. Yog, like religion, seeks reunion. Freedom from misery can only be achieved by reuniting with the source.
Ultimately all religions presuppose that we were once united with God, absorbed in God consciousness, but now we are separate from this divine consciousness. This separation arose in ignorance, because of our forgetfulness. Our minds play a mischievous role to create this separateness. Separation is also caused by the free will given to every human being.
Free will can take us away from God. It can be thought of as the play of Maya, as the Hindus describe it. Maya is the illusive power that prevents people from experiencing reality. Union was the beginning, in the middle there was separation, but this separation is not real, it is only apparent. The end must be reunification.
Consider Ocean and the wave. Are waves ever separate from the ocean? The answer is no. The waves remind us of the ocean; the waves are born on the lap of ocean, live there and ultimately merge into the ocean. The ocean is the reality. As waves appear and disappear, ordinary people are fascinated; they notice only the waves without comprehending the vastness of ocean. The ocean and the waves are creator and creation. When you live with the consciousness of wave (individuality) and forget ocean (totality), you are ignorant, mistaking the apparent reality for the ultimate one. In life this kind of ignorance creates illusion, comparison, ego, emotion and as a result, many negative situation arise.
When you want to unite with the source again, this is the realm of religion - reunion. Reunion is possible by transforming our minds and our lives.
Swami Vivekananda defined religion beautifully. He said, "Religion is the manifestation of the perfection that already exists in man." Thus, perfection is just the experience of divinity or godhood, which is already there, but we are separated from these divine qualities. If we try consciously, intelligently, to go back to the source, we will be united with God.
On this holy occasion, I humbly pray, may we all be reunited with the source, with God.
Namaste
INDIASPIRITUALITY
Extracted from: Spirit of Religions - Paramhansa Hariharananda, p:7-9
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