The other week I received an email from someone with regards to my trip to India. It was inquisitive yet friendly, and I welcomed the initiation of dialogue. The person said they are unsure of all of the reasons I decided to come to India but that they were once lost too until they found Jesus, and they hoped that I too could find what I am looking for. They wanted to hear more of what I had to say about this, and I looked forward to picking my own brain and carefully articulating a response. Here is what I wrote:
"...In the West, typically people are taken aback when asked what their religious affiliation is as if it were esoteric or taboo. I notice in the East, however, people tend to freely associate. Personally, I usually keep somewhat quiet on the topic of religion so as not to offend anyone, but I will gladly share with you what I believe and perhaps more of why I was drawn to come to India in the first place.
My whole life-- from as early as I can remember-- I have always felt that burning sensation of what life's purpose is. From early on I would have probably considered myself an atheist. I was against religion in many ways, and having attended a Catholic school for a good portion of my life made me develop an aversion to Catholicism. It just didn't quite stick with me. Little did I realize at the time, though, atheism was really only ever a mirror image of any theistic viewpoint, so my problems against absolutism just left me contradicting myself. Besides, no matter how hard you try, can you ever really get rid of the God equation entirely?
So I had become more in tune with philosophy and religion, read many books, and studies religion at college. But before I even entered college I was fascinated with Buddhism. I had read the Sutras, learned meditation, and for me this became very relevant. It was not necessarily a religion affiliation, but it was a healthy lifestyle which I felt the benefits of.
I have such an admiration now for mostly all religions/bodies of thought and the people which prescribe to them that I think one of the greatest things we can do for ourselves and others is become more aware of others' religions. I think this can act as a tool to bridge the gap of disconnectedness and help mobilize the human population.
It is beautiful that so many people of different walks of life exist and also that so many viewpoints have been taken on man's Higher purpose. I would never want to compromise these viewpoints for the sake of one. So I have become very interested in reading different religious texts-- from the Quran, Upanishads, Dhammapada, Tao Te Ching, Torah, Adi Granth, Kalpa Sutra, etc.-- not to "find myself" or to attempt to answer life's biggest question, but to understand humanity as a whole.
If someone were to ask me if I believe in God, I would say to them it depends upon your definition of God. Because I may not necessarily agree with heaven and hell as being physical places or the anthropomorphic depictions of a God, but I do believe in something bigger than me, and I do believe in treating everyone lovingly and honorably. So I think that if after everything is all said and done, if there happens to be a God, I think I will be taken care of because I chose to live each day meaningfully of my own accord.
I cannot honestly say that I prescribe to one religious tradition entirely, but I do believe in an amalgamation of traditions, and I have particularly studied Zen Buddhism for awhile. I did not come to India to find myself or even seek out something in particular. I have always felt drawn to this place for reasons I cannot understand, but now that I am here I know I would not move here because I enjoy my home too much.
I believe, in many ways, that there is an epidemic of disconnectedness within humanity, and it is important to treat everyone equally. The East may have a higher inclination towards spirituality, but it is no better or worst. Distance is just distance, and humans are just humans. No matter where you go. I would love to bridge the gap between the East and West, and share with many people the benefits of taking care of oneself, and the ways in which we can relate to our bodies, our minds, others, the world, etc.
It is important to be in tune with ourselves and to question, question, question! But it is also equally important to listen and just shut up sometimes, because you cannot possible know what you really want until you do so, and then it just comes to you. It is important to see that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment..."
ADDENDUM
If people could tune into themselves more, they could come to understand others. And if they can do this, they can see all of their different religions may have different names but they are all attempting to reach similar destinations, whether it be samadhi, union with Brahman, union with God the Father in heaven, separation of purusa from the manifestations of prakrti, freedom from attachment and desire, union of both universal and personal consciousness, etc.
Our journeys may be unique and relative to our own particular experience, but our destinations are similar. Everyone wants to be happy; we have just conjured up different names for it. Our relations with people should be predicated upon the most basic things which we share in common. That is, we are both humans. We both have physical structures, minds, and emotions. We both are born and therefore we both die. We both want to be happy, and neither of us wants to suffer.
Sure, we can emphasize specific characteristics and then there will be differences, but these things are secondary. Religion, color, and ethnicity are irrelevant. If we can learn to put the differences aside, we can see that every human we encounter is just like ourself.
Everywhere I go I meet myself.
My stay in Dehradun is through. Tonight I am embarking on a 21-hour train ride to Varanasi. Sleeper class. No air-conditioning. Bring it.
"...In the West, typically people are taken aback when asked what their religious affiliation is as if it were esoteric or taboo. I notice in the East, however, people tend to freely associate. Personally, I usually keep somewhat quiet on the topic of religion so as not to offend anyone, but I will gladly share with you what I believe and perhaps more of why I was drawn to come to India in the first place.
My whole life-- from as early as I can remember-- I have always felt that burning sensation of what life's purpose is. From early on I would have probably considered myself an atheist. I was against religion in many ways, and having attended a Catholic school for a good portion of my life made me develop an aversion to Catholicism. It just didn't quite stick with me. Little did I realize at the time, though, atheism was really only ever a mirror image of any theistic viewpoint, so my problems against absolutism just left me contradicting myself. Besides, no matter how hard you try, can you ever really get rid of the God equation entirely?
So I had become more in tune with philosophy and religion, read many books, and studies religion at college. But before I even entered college I was fascinated with Buddhism. I had read the Sutras, learned meditation, and for me this became very relevant. It was not necessarily a religion affiliation, but it was a healthy lifestyle which I felt the benefits of.
I have such an admiration now for mostly all religions/bodies of thought and the people which prescribe to them that I think one of the greatest things we can do for ourselves and others is become more aware of others' religions. I think this can act as a tool to bridge the gap of disconnectedness and help mobilize the human population.
It is beautiful that so many people of different walks of life exist and also that so many viewpoints have been taken on man's Higher purpose. I would never want to compromise these viewpoints for the sake of one. So I have become very interested in reading different religious texts-- from the Quran, Upanishads, Dhammapada, Tao Te Ching, Torah, Adi Granth, Kalpa Sutra, etc.-- not to "find myself" or to attempt to answer life's biggest question, but to understand humanity as a whole.
If someone were to ask me if I believe in God, I would say to them it depends upon your definition of God. Because I may not necessarily agree with heaven and hell as being physical places or the anthropomorphic depictions of a God, but I do believe in something bigger than me, and I do believe in treating everyone lovingly and honorably. So I think that if after everything is all said and done, if there happens to be a God, I think I will be taken care of because I chose to live each day meaningfully of my own accord.
I cannot honestly say that I prescribe to one religious tradition entirely, but I do believe in an amalgamation of traditions, and I have particularly studied Zen Buddhism for awhile. I did not come to India to find myself or even seek out something in particular. I have always felt drawn to this place for reasons I cannot understand, but now that I am here I know I would not move here because I enjoy my home too much.
I believe, in many ways, that there is an epidemic of disconnectedness within humanity, and it is important to treat everyone equally. The East may have a higher inclination towards spirituality, but it is no better or worst. Distance is just distance, and humans are just humans. No matter where you go. I would love to bridge the gap between the East and West, and share with many people the benefits of taking care of oneself, and the ways in which we can relate to our bodies, our minds, others, the world, etc.
It is important to be in tune with ourselves and to question, question, question! But it is also equally important to listen and just shut up sometimes, because you cannot possible know what you really want until you do so, and then it just comes to you. It is important to see that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment..."
ADDENDUM
If people could tune into themselves more, they could come to understand others. And if they can do this, they can see all of their different religions may have different names but they are all attempting to reach similar destinations, whether it be samadhi, union with Brahman, union with God the Father in heaven, separation of purusa from the manifestations of prakrti, freedom from attachment and desire, union of both universal and personal consciousness, etc.
Our journeys may be unique and relative to our own particular experience, but our destinations are similar. Everyone wants to be happy; we have just conjured up different names for it. Our relations with people should be predicated upon the most basic things which we share in common. That is, we are both humans. We both have physical structures, minds, and emotions. We both are born and therefore we both die. We both want to be happy, and neither of us wants to suffer.
Sure, we can emphasize specific characteristics and then there will be differences, but these things are secondary. Religion, color, and ethnicity are irrelevant. If we can learn to put the differences aside, we can see that every human we encounter is just like ourself.
Everywhere I go I meet myself.
My stay in Dehradun is through. Tonight I am embarking on a 21-hour train ride to Varanasi. Sleeper class. No air-conditioning. Bring it.
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