RELIGIOUS HARMONY

Good day to you all, yesterday I had a conversation with a peeper to our blog who is also a friend. He told me that he was going through the blog and saw where Rudolf Steiner’s post was put up and seemed as if it was rejected by most of my active bloggers (mi shame ei si). He continued to say that I had brought all of you to Africa (your minds), and then here I was with a huge white face (Rudolf Steiner’s picture), representing spirituality/metaphysics and spiritual knowledge.

My friend who is not shy of speaking his mind (which is why I like him), told me, that seeing the face of Steiner, big and bold on that post was the real turn off for him. Even if he would have read the post he said, knowing who Steiner was, he would do so if the picture of him was not there, daring and glaring.

I changed the picture while we spoke, not only because of his suggestion, he does indeed have a point, but I figured that if the picture prevented you all from reading, and gathering all that the very brilliant Steiner had to teach, then it was nothing for me to change it, a small sacrifice for knowledge.

I told my friend that in the song the Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel, there is a line that says “Prophets writes on subway walls and on tenement halls”, which I interpret as meaning that you can gather wisdom from anywhere and from anyone, although I do know that White people generally get their doctrines out to the mass which they have strategically controlled all the media outlets and any form of publishing and then some.  However this white and black argument has no bearing within the realms of spirituality and its true meaning and teachings, after all, all ah we shadow black, every striking smaddy. If you are spiritually educated, spiritually attuned and connected then you know that color, race nor creed matters not in the spiritual reality. The stupidity of race and color hatred is fueled/urged on by Christianity and other religions.  White Jesus, black worshippers, foolishness, stupidity, abomination, a race of oppressed people worshipping the image of the oppressor, seeing the pale image who had them in bondage as God!! We should understand that this is a plot of deceptive men, a race of people who wants to continue to hold hostage (mentally) another race of people, and it worked, in the name of Jesus, it worked.

Racism belongs only to this world where we live, and only with Human Beings, developed by the evil mind of race, and it can only be used here on this earth plane. We spend so much time hating each other because of our race and skin color and we are all the same when we leave the earth, (I do agree that my race of people have suffered much at the hands of the white man and they are still suffering to this day, but I am sorry to say that all these argument does not have merit in the realm of space and time) Just a floating burst of consciousness akin to a bubble floating within time and space. Wasted energy it is as we continue the hate. Now as an African, I do defend my race if challenged, and I am very proud to be who I am and I will say it loud,  I’M BLACK AND I AM PROUD!

As a Metaphysician/Spiritualist/Traditionalist an educated person in the knowledge of all things spiritual, I see no color and I can take in the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, L. W. De Laurence, Alice Bailey, Eliphas LEvi and all others, as there is much wisdom to them, regardless of who they were.

Below is a speech from the Dali Lama on Religious Harmony, I pray that you will read it, as he dropped a lot of jewels here!

A Biased Mind Cannot Grasp Reality

I am extremely delighted to attend this inter faith seminar on the Preservation of Religious Harmony, Co­existence and Universal Peace organised by the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), Ladakh group. Thank you very much for the detailed explanation of the association’s history, activities, objectives and their relevance in the present century. I have nothing to add on what the speakers said earlier. But I would like to say a few things.

We are now in the twenty ­first century. The quality of research on both the inner and physical world has reached quite high levels, thanks to the tremendous stride in technological advancement and human intelligence. However, as some of the speakers said before, the world is also facing a lot of new problems, most of which are man­-made. The root cause of these man­-made problems is the inability of human beings to control their agitated minds. How to control such a state of mind is taught by the various religions of this world.

I am a religious practitioner, who follows Buddhism. More than a thousand years have passed since the great religions of the world flourished, including Buddhism. During those years, the world had witnessed a lot of conflicts, in which followers of different religions were also involved. As a religious practitioner, I acknowledge the fact that different religions of the world have provided many solutions about how to control an agitated mind. In spite of this, I still feel we have not been able to realise our full potential.

I always say that every person on this earth has the freedom to practice or not practice religion. It is all right to do either. But once you accept religion, it is extremely important to be able to focus your mind on it and sincerely practice the teachings in your daily life. All of us can see that we tend to indulge in religious favouritism by saying, “I belong to this or that religion”, rather than making effort to control our agitated minds. This misuse of religion, due to our disturbed minds, also sometimes creates problems.

I know a physicist from Chile who told me that it is not appropriate for a scientist to be biased towards science because of his love and passion for it. I am a Buddhist practitioner and have a lot of faith and respect in the teachings of the Buddha. However, if I mix up my love for and attachment to Buddhism, then my mind shall be biased towards it. A biased mind, which never sees the complete picture, cannot grasp the reality. And any action that results from such a state of mind will not be in tune with reality. As such it causes a lot of problems.

According to Buddhist philosophy, happiness is the result of an enlightened mind whereas suffering is caused by a distorted mind. This is very important. A distorted mind, in contrast to an enlightened mind, is one that is not in tune with reality.

Any issue, including political, economic and religious activities human beings pursue in this world, should be fully understood before we pass our judgement. Therefore, it is very important to know the causes. Whatever the issue, we should be able to see the complete picture. This will enable us to comprehend the whole story. The teachings offered in Buddhism are based on rationality, and I think are very fruitful.

Today, a lot of people from different religious backgrounds are present here. In every religion, there are transcendent things that are beyond the grasp of our mind and speech. For example, the concept of God in Christianity and Islam and that of wisdom truth body in Buddhism are metaphysical, which is not possible for an ordinary person like us to realise. This is a common difficulty faced by every religion. It is taught in every ­religion, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, that the ultimate truth is driven by faith.

I want to emphasise that it is extremely important for practitioners to sincerely believe in their respective religions. Usually, I say that it is very important to distinguish between “belief in one religion” and “belief in many religions”. The former directly contradicts the latter. Therefore, we should resolutely resolve these contradictions. This is possible only by thinking in contextual terms. A contradiction in one context might not be the same in the other. In the context of one person, a single truth is closely associated with a single source of refuge. This is of extreme necessity. However, in the context of society or more than one person it is necessary to have different sources of refuge, religions and truths.

In the past it was not a major problem because nations remained aloof from each other with their own distinct religion. However, in today’s close and inter-connected world there are so many differences amongst various religions. We must obviously resolve these problems. For example, there have been a lot of religions in India for the past thousand years. Some of them were imported from outside whereas some have grown in India itself. Despite this, the fact is that these religions have been able to coexist with each other, and the principle of Ahimsa has really flourished in this country. Even today, this principle has a strong bearing on every religion. This is very precious and India should really take pride in it.

Ladakh has been a predominantly Buddhist area ‘for so many centuries. But other religions such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism have also flourished here. Although it is natural for the people of Ladakh to have attachment to and love for their own religions, yet this place has a very peaceful environment with no major problems of religious intolerance. During my maiden visit to Ladakh, I heard elderly Muslims using the phrase “community of sangha” in their speeches. Although such phrases are not found in Islam, yet a reference of this kind invokes a lot of trust amongst the Buddhists. Therefore, people from different religious background in Ladakh are very close to each other and live in harmony.

As far as the Muslims are concerned it is appropriate for them to have complete devotion to Allah while praying in the mosques. This is also the same with Buddhists who are completely devoted to the Buddha when they pray in Buddhist temples. A society, which has many religions should also have many prophets and sources of refuge. In such a society it is very important to have harmony and respect amongst the different religions and their practitioners. We must distinguish between belief and respect. Belief refers to total faith, which you must have in your own religion. At the same time you should have respect for all other religions. This tradition of believing in one’s own religion and having respect for others is in existence in Ladakh since your forefathers. Therefore you do not have to invent it. The most important thing at the moment is to preserve and promote this tradition. I would like to thank all of you for working hard regarding this and request you to continue to do so in the future.

If a harmonious relationship is established amongst societies and religious beliefs in today’s multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural world, then it will surely set a very good example for others. However, if all the sides become careless, then there is a danger of imminent problems. In a multi­ethnic  society  the biggest problem is that of between the majority and the minority. For instance, in the capital Leh, Buddhists constitute the majority of the population whereas Muslims belong to the minority community. The majority must consider the minority as their invited guests. The minority, on the other hand, should be able to sensitise with the majority. In other words, both sides should live in harmony. In order to sustain this harmony, both sides should not take lightly the sensitive issues between themselves. Indeed, the majority should pay attention to and appreciate the views and opinion of the minority. Both sides should discuss and clearly express what they think about the other’s view and opinion. The minority, on the other hand, should be careful about where the sensitive issues of the majority lies and express whatever doubts they have in their minds. If problems are resolved in such a friendly manner; then both sides will gain. Suspicion of each other will only harm both communities. Therefore, it is very important to live in harmony and analyse where the opinion of the other lies. The best way to do this is to engage in dialogue, dialogue and dialogue.

Excerpts from His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s address to the inter-faith seminar organised by the International Association for Religious Freedom, Ladakh Group, in Leh on 25 August.

Ẹni tó ńlé nǹkan níwájú, ńfi àwọn nǹkan míràn sẹ́hìn. /
Whoever is pursuing something ahead, is actually leaving some other things behind….Yoruba Proverb!

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