Theosophy - There is no religion higher than truth- Radha Burnier
THERE
IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN
TRUTH
Radha
Burnier
In
a well-known Upanishadic phrase, it is said that mind is dual in nature. One
part of it impure for it tends to live in illusion; another part, called the
‘pure mind’, seeks what is real and true. Because of the pressure
exerted by the latter, man has ever desired to know the truth and has pursued
it through the three avenues of philosophy, science and religion.
It
has not always been taken for granted that what is seen is reality. He who is
observant and thoughtful soon discovers that what appears as fact to some is
unreal to others. Even the process of ordinary perception contains many pitfalls
and limitations. In Intelligence Came First, it is pointed out that there are
several stages in consciousness between the perception of an object and the
formulation of a concept concerning it. No one sees even an ordinary physical
object as it actually is, for only certain of its aspects, colours and characteristics
can be grasped by the senses. In the sense-organ itself there is a process of
selection and interpretation. Thus when the eye looks at something it selects
only particular features before a message is conveyed to the related part of
the brain, where further interpretation takes place before the perceiver acquires
an impression of the object which he sees. No more than a notional approximation,
therefore, can be obtained of any object. This simple fact makes it clear that
no one can take for granted that he knows the truth even about physical things.
Therefore, those who through the ages have earnestly sought for Truth have realized
its elusiveness.
The
quest for truth is one aspect of man’s nature, another is to escape into
illusion. Illusion can take a number of forms. One of them is the illusion of
matter. Men and women are born and die without knowing why they are born, where
they are going, or what is the purpose of their little interlude upon a world
that is a minute speck in the vast ocean of universes. To most people their
fleeting life upon earth is the only reality, for they do not know anything
else. This ignorance arises from the illusion that only what they see and know
is real, that only through this physical frame in the brief years which are
given to us, can reality be experienced. Every moment of pleasure is seized
upon, and a highly consumerist, pleasure-oriented society is created. Gross
materialism leads to cruelty, not only to fellow human beings, but to animals,
for the lives of others are not important in the relentless struggle for life.
The materialist worships success. In order to rise, others have to be trodden
down, or he himself breaks down if he cannot obtain recognition, fame and position.
The hedonist point of view is not new; it was held in Greece and in many other
countries. But since the modern world can produce an unprecedented variety of
enjoyments and amusements to titillate the senses, hedonism is more widespread
than ever before. The counterpart of pleasure is frustration and fear - fear
that within one’s allotted span one may not make the best of life. And
fear and frustration lead to violence evidenced all over the world today.
A
second form of illusion takes its rise in belief. The materialist does not believe
in what cannot be known through the senses. Nothing exists for him except what
is within the field of his own experience. But there are others who are ready
to imagine the existence of many things which they cannot see. Religion is often
the product of man’s fears and hopes, a structure of illusion based on
belief. When there is discontent with one’s petty lot, when relationships
are not satisfactory, when there is the fear of death and loneliness and the
inability to push ahead in life, frustration is assuaged by hope of another
world which will offer more lasting satisfaction. It is comforting to imagine
that a superhuman power can save one from suffering and toil, and from the disappointments
which are part of everyday life. So man imagines a God or Gods answering to
his particular needs, and clothes him in many kinds of apparel. As Voltaire
said, God is created by man in his own image; the scriptures and mythologies
of the different religions bear ample testimony to this. The struggle for life
makes man tyrannical, and so his fancy has built up the image of a super-human
despot who can be called upon to remove obstacles and enemies from one’s
pathway. Since man is petty, his God is also petty; his favourites go to paradise
and his enemies are sent to perdition according to his whims and fancies.
In
the early literature of the Theosophical Society, reference is made to the evil
that has arisen out of the imaginings and illusions of man which go by the name
of religion.
‘
The chief cause of nearly two-thirds of the evils that pursue humanity ... is
religion under whatever form and in whatsoever nation. It is the sacerdotal
caste, the priesthood and the churches; it is in those illusions that man looks
upon as sacred, that he has to search out the source of that multitude of evils
which is the great curse of humanity and that almost overwhelms mankind. Ignorance
created God and cunning took advantage of the opportunity. It is priestly imposture
that rendered these Gods so terrible to man; it is religion that makes of him
the selfish bigot, the fanatic that hates all mankind out of his own sect without
rendering him any better or more moral for it. It is belief in God and Gods
that makes two-thirds of humanity the slaves of a handful of those who deceive
them. Is not man ever ready to commit any kind of evil if told that his God
or Gods demand the crime? For two thousand years India groaned under the weight
of caste, Brahmins alone feeding on the fat of the land, and today the followers
of Christ and those of Mahomed are cutting each other’s throats in the
name of and for the greater glory of their respective myths. Remember the sum
of human misery will never be diminished until the day when the better portion
of humanity destroys in the name of Truth, morality and universal charity, the
alters of their false gods.’ (Mahatma Letters, p.57.)
These
are strong words, but alas, they are still true. There is antagonism today between
Hindus and Muslims, between the Muslims and the Jews, and conflicts of many
other kinds arising out of religious fanaticism. Millions of poor, ignorant
people enslave themselves to the will of priests who take upon themselves the
role of law-giving intermediaries and encourage crime in the name of religion.
The system of outcastes, ‘holy’ wars, cruelty, social ostracism
have all been part of so-called religion.
There
is a third kind of illusion, produced by the intellect. In trying to understand
the nature and the law of the vast, complicated and subtle universe, theories
of many kinds have been postulated. The theories become conflicting philosophical
systems and schools of thought, breeding fanaticism and bigotry. Each one believes
that his system is superior. Each is under the illusion that he knows the truth
better than others.
The
clash of opinions and ideologies, whether philosophical, political or religious,
produces hatred, fanaticism and ill-will and divides people. But if man were
truly concerned with finding the truth, the entire world would be different.
If religion encouraged men to seek the truth instead of telling them what to
believe, the world would be a more peaceful place, for tolerance accompanies
the desire to find out what is true.
Today,
science makes clear that even our perception of physical objects does not correspond
to the things as they are. But existence does not consist of physical objects
alone. Matter is only a play of forces which originates in the unknown, out
of which arise the appearances which we think are reality. Man’s concepts
cannot correspond exactly to things as they are because before he forms the
concept he has already interpreted what he perceives according to his own prior
prejudices and conditioning. Therefore, the wise man does not come to any conclusion
about the truth of things. Like the scientist, he has, for the time being, a
postulate with which he works. When a hypothesis is formed by the scientist,
it is continually tested experimentally, and as new facts became known, new
postulates are put forward. Hence there is a continual progress in the field
of science. What is true as regards science is also true in the area of the
non-material, for the material and the non-material are part of one existence.
‘As above, so below.’ Only one who keeps a continually open mind
can find the Truth.
When
there is a scientific approach, there can be no intolerance because one knows
that one’ s concept of truth is likely to be limited, ever erroneous,
and one accords to other seekers for truth the tolerance which one expects them
to give. If humanity were concerned with Truth and were prepared to let go of
its illusions, there would be a peaceful world, where co-operation reigns because
it is accepted that there are many paths to Truth. There are the paths of the
scientist, the mystic, the artist, the sage - all leading to that central point
which is Truth. Further, when it is recognized that error is possible and that
knowledge has its limitations, there is no dependence upon authority. Authority
arises when there is belief in a privileged class that is presumed to have access
to truth which others do not possess. But however learned or wise a man may
be, he cannot make another one see. Each person can see only what his eyes are
capable of seeing. Not even the greatest mathematician or scientist can make
those who have not learned elementary arithmetic understand the deeper laws
of the universe. Every person has to prepare himself for further knowledge;
there is no short cut. There are conditions at every level which must be fulfilled
before the student is in a position to know.
We
all know that at the level of the outer senses, certain conditions are necessary
for accurate perception. The eyes must be healthy and free from distortion.
Even the healthy eye must be trained to observe. The artist sees very much more
in an object than the average person, because he has trained his eye to observe
details - shades of colour and so forth. Similarly, at the mental level good
health and training are necessary. A mind which is not cultivated, which has
not learned to be sharp and alert, will fail to grasp subtle ideas or profound
truths. Right education should be concerned with the preparation of the mind
and of the faculties to receive knowledge. There should be training in clarity
of thinking, in logic, in the grasping of details and of relationship, in seeing
subtleties. Until the mind is able to function in this manner, it will be unable
to grasp higher teachings. This holds good, too, in those fields of knowledge
which exist beyond the mind. The profound experiences of life, of which many
mystics and sages have given evidence, cannot be grasped by the mind. As declared
by the Upanishads, reality cannot be reached either by concepts or by words.
To know that which is beyond the mind, rigorous conditions have to be fulfilled.
Truth lies at many levels, physical, mental and beyond. It can be discovered
only by him who is willing to make himself worthy. It cannot be obtained either
by force or by persuasion. The true role of religion is to guide men and women
to find out what those conditions are and help them to fulfil them.
The
first and primary condition for one who would follow the religion of Truth is
a profound and persistent interest in finding it. This implies not having pre-judgments
or a conviction that one knows already. Truth cannot be discovered by a mind
which has fixations, prejudices and biases of any kind.
In
the Bhagavad Gita, as well as in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, it is said that
abhyasa is necessary in order to make spiritual progress. Abhyasa, unfortunately
, is often translated as practice. Practice is the repetition of a formula which
a person has learned. But abhyasa is in fact the constant exercise of the discriminatory
power. This means that there must be a steady and earnest interest in finding
out what the Truth is. There can be no point on the way up to the mountain-top
where the traveller can rest satisfied. The seeker must continually be engaged
in investigating, in probing deeper.
J.
Krishnamurti speaks of learning as a quality of the truly religious mind. He
says:
‘
A religious mind is a young mind, which is a mind that is learning and therefore
beyond time. Only such a mind is a religious mind, not the mind that goes to
temples. That is not a religious mind. Not the mind that reads books and quotes
everlastingly, moralizing. That is not a religious mind. The mind that says
prayers, that repeats, repeats, is frightened at heart and blind with knowledge.
Therefore it is not a religious mind. The religious mind is the mind that is
learning and therefore a mind that is never in conflict at any time and therefore
a young mind, an innocent mind.’
Another
condition for the successful search for Truth is undisturbed serenity. It is
only on an unruffled mind that the truth of the invisible worlds can find its
reflection. Many factors cause the mind to lose its serenity and keep it in
a state of agitation. Fear is one of them. When the mind is impelled into movement
by fear, it sees according to what exists within itself. The man who is afraid
sees reflections of his own fear everywhere in the universe. Fear sees with
suspicion, it mistakes every shadow for an enemy. The same is true of all passions
which agitate the mind, whether they are jealousy or envy, love or hatred. Opinions,
too, distort the ability of the mind to see facts as they are. Preconceived
opinions make it seem that one must guard against this or that class or caste.
By classification of human beings into Muslims, Hindus, Russians or Americans,
the mind is coloured and cannot see correctly. Therefore, Mme. Blavatsky repeatedly
said that he who would know the Truth must remove every preconception from his
mind and everything that he has learnt through his education, his parents, scriptures,
environment; only then can he ‘learn a new alphabet on the lap of Mother
Nature’.
So
the mind must become pure and unruffled, free from opinions, biases and self-centred
emotions, for only in this state can there be an awareness of Truth. Those who
are earnestly in search of truth are already creating a better world, for the
pre-condition for its attainment is purity and an awakening discrimination.
Where there is such discrimination and selflessness, the environment begins
to change, because it is selfishness which creates a chaotic and cruel world.
So the search for Truth is by no means irrelevant to the establishment of a
peaceful world. If humanity were to adopt for its motto Satyan nasti paro dharmah,
‘There is No Religion Higher than Truth’, a just and beautiful world
would be ensured for all.
I
have pledged my word to help people on to Truth while living and
I will keep my word.
H
P Blavatsky
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