In the modern scientific civilisation, at moments of melancholy and frustration, it seems sensible to cast aside religious beliefs in favour of a trust in science. If science can remedy the abuses in our psychological selves, it is perhaps because the development of psychology has grown to be one of the most respected branches in science. However, on witnessing instances of suicide due to bereavement and failure of locating creatures to appease our romantic yearnings, it is deemed too implausible not to forgo scientific assurance and dedicate ourselves to meditating on volumes of biblical and Buddhist scriptures. At moments of uncertainty, especially when one has near-intimacy with death, religions can often serve as guides to advise us how we should lead a good life.
In most Indian religions, there exists a tendency to believe we are going through a cycle of rebirth, namely, reincarnation or samsara, after our death, depending on our karma- an accumulation of all the good deeds and evil deeds that we do in this life, until we achieve liberation from this cycle. If, for example, our evil deeds are weighing over our good deeds, we are likely to be condemned to be an animal or insect in the next life, or vice versa. The concept of reincarnation suggests an egalitarian value in most Indian religions, that human beings are not necessarily the masters of nature, that as trivial as an insect may one day transcend to be human. However egalitarian reincarnation may seem, there lies an unresolvable paradox that it inspires.
Most Indian religions are not as egalitarian as they suggest after all. The distinction between higher and lower beings suggests that humans are the only ones who are capable of finding their way out of reincarnation. Perhaps in the most unmentionable, the most familiar form of social hierarchical order, we always have a high-minded sense of the gravity of what we are doing. We are still at heart subject to an unforgiving logic which we ignore at our peril that we can feel free to disrupt the food chain and chisel the wood forests for pecuniary purpose because of their ecological insignificance.
But not all religious concepts are to be taken literally. Most of the time, on the contrary, they should be taken as thought experiments. The fact that we dwell upon on what would happen after death drags us back to the present. If reincarnation has us worry about what life we may have after death, it suggests that we are not as satisfied about our life as we think we are. Reincarnation invites us to focus on the present. It cuts away the unnecessary distractions of the past and the future. It liberates us from our overly indulgence in the past and our illusionary faith in the future. It enforces us to give weight to the feelings that the present provokes which we seldom elaborate upon during the tedious routines of our life. It reminds us of having to live our life as we want to rather than as we should.
In our secular world, as religious beliefs have become more subject to scrutiny, we often neglect the implications of life they have to offer. Rather than superficially condemning them as triggers of our tendency to be superstitious, perhaps we should take a few moments to contemplate the texts with our impartial minds.
In most Indian religions, there exists a tendency to believe we are going through a cycle of rebirth, namely, reincarnation or samsara, after our death, depending on our karma- an accumulation of all the good deeds and evil deeds that we do in this life, until we achieve liberation from this cycle. If, for example, our evil deeds are weighing over our good deeds, we are likely to be condemned to be an animal or insect in the next life, or vice versa. The concept of reincarnation suggests an egalitarian value in most Indian religions, that human beings are not necessarily the masters of nature, that as trivial as an insect may one day transcend to be human. However egalitarian reincarnation may seem, there lies an unresolvable paradox that it inspires.
If the cycle of rebirth offers equal opportunities for every living being to go upper or lower, then it invites us to face the cruelly confusing characteristic of lower beings: their lack of ability to reason. What should a cow do in order to become a human? What karma can it accumulate in order to liberate from reincarnation? Perhaps one might be tempted to think of its faithful submission to humans as objects of religious sacrifice or as nutrition to enhance our physical health as reasons of being able to move higher. But are we too overly optimistic to think that a cow is able to summon a long-forgotten human virtue named compassion up to a level that is comparable to that of humans? Are we allowed the superstitious faith that a cow could one day evolve to possess our moral capacity? Most lower beings, with the possible exceptions of primates and apes, will eventually end up finding themselves in a situation of being restricted to a process of never being able to transcend higher.
Most Indian religions are not as egalitarian as they suggest after all. The distinction between higher and lower beings suggests that humans are the only ones who are capable of finding their way out of reincarnation. Perhaps in the most unmentionable, the most familiar form of social hierarchical order, we always have a high-minded sense of the gravity of what we are doing. We are still at heart subject to an unforgiving logic which we ignore at our peril that we can feel free to disrupt the food chain and chisel the wood forests for pecuniary purpose because of their ecological insignificance.
But not all religious concepts are to be taken literally. Most of the time, on the contrary, they should be taken as thought experiments. The fact that we dwell upon on what would happen after death drags us back to the present. If reincarnation has us worry about what life we may have after death, it suggests that we are not as satisfied about our life as we think we are. Reincarnation invites us to focus on the present. It cuts away the unnecessary distractions of the past and the future. It liberates us from our overly indulgence in the past and our illusionary faith in the future. It enforces us to give weight to the feelings that the present provokes which we seldom elaborate upon during the tedious routines of our life. It reminds us of having to live our life as we want to rather than as we should.
In our secular world, as religious beliefs have become more subject to scrutiny, we often neglect the implications of life they have to offer. Rather than superficially condemning them as triggers of our tendency to be superstitious, perhaps we should take a few moments to contemplate the texts with our impartial minds.
W
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I know about my previous birth. My most Revered Guru of my previous life His Holiness Maharaj Sahab, 3rd Spiritual Head of Radhasoami Faith had revealed this secret to me during trance like state.
ReplyDeleteHE told me, “Tum Sarkar Sahab Ho” (You are Sarkar Sahab). Sarkar Sahab was one of the most beloved disciple of His Holiness Maharj Sahab.
Since I don’t have any direct realization of it so I can not claim the extent of its correctness. But it seems to be correct. During my previous birth I wanted to sing the song of ‘Infinite’ but I could not do so then since I had to leave the mortal frame at a very early age. But through the unbounded Grace and Mercy of my most Revered Guru that desire of my past birth is being fulfilled now.