by Charles Feldman (Prana)
With death, "The hopes of a lifetime, build up little by little . . .
[and] vanish in a second." So we need to ask: What is real? All
religions hold that man is a degeneration of what he was, as in the
story of the fall of Adam and Eve. Mythology contains nuggets of truth.
Evolution seems to contradict the idea of degeneration, yet Hindu
mythology reconciles these with the idea of cycles of rising and
falling. Whatsoever has form requires something to move it, which is
ultimately traced back to the Atman, which, being beyond time, space and
causation, must be infinite. We may be happy one moment and unhappy the
next, but the infinite spirit never changes. We don't want to give up
our individuality, yet the body changes, and we may give up bad habits.
The true individuality is beyond all changes - the infinite. The fear of
death goes when we realize that we are one with everything. Ethics is
based on self-abnegation. Religion cannot be measured in terms of
material profit, but it is ultimately practical. We cannot see evil and
sin in the world unless we see it in ourselves. Sin is based on
weakness, and we need to see ourselves as divine in order to overcome
it.
No comments:
Post a Comment