Back to the roots - XX
Journey of the Soul - I
I return to the "Back to the roots" series of posts with a new series on a very contentious subject - Life(?) After Death.
What happens to us after our physical body perishes - our death? Are we gone for ever? This question has been asked since time immemorial.
Before I take up this subject, I will draw your attention to two very important and pertinent questions. How do we know that we believe is truth? Should we try to convince others when we feel we have that truth? I have been trying to get the answers to these two questions for a pretty long time. Finally I got the answers from "Wisdom of Ramadahn" which I am reproducing below:
"The truth can only be truth to each man and woman according to their inner understanding. You should remember this. Because you find a certain truth is good or a certain pathway is right, you should not endeavour to force your brother or sister to go that way. The wise man and woman, the seeker after truth, says to others on the way: "I have seen this, I have heard this. This I have experienced." If what is said vibrates an answering chord within the consciousness of the other, then that one may desire to learn from you, but not all have the same thought. It is right for some to learn through the way of love , some through the way of simplicity or sacrifice, yet for others the way lies through beauty or service. For each soul there is an individual way which is right....... But remember: unto the child must be given toys and a simple teaching, unto the wise man a thought, which is pure and lofty. For some the way is in silence. Each of you, garnering knowledge and experience, may share what you have....... You must give and you must receive, pouring out that which you have.........You may not stand still nor keep your wisdom on your healing to yourself....."
Before I take up this subject, I will draw your attention to two very important and pertinent questions. How do we know that we believe is truth? Should we try to convince others when we feel we have that truth? I have been trying to get the answers to these two questions for a pretty long time. Finally I got the answers from "Wisdom of Ramadahn" which I am reproducing below:
"The truth can only be truth to each man and woman according to their inner understanding. You should remember this. Because you find a certain truth is good or a certain pathway is right, you should not endeavour to force your brother or sister to go that way. The wise man and woman, the seeker after truth, says to others on the way: "I have seen this, I have heard this. This I have experienced." If what is said vibrates an answering chord within the consciousness of the other, then that one may desire to learn from you, but not all have the same thought. It is right for some to learn through the way of love , some through the way of simplicity or sacrifice, yet for others the way lies through beauty or service. For each soul there is an individual way which is right....... But remember: unto the child must be given toys and a simple teaching, unto the wise man a thought, which is pure and lofty. For some the way is in silence. Each of you, garnering knowledge and experience, may share what you have....... You must give and you must receive, pouring out that which you have.........You may not stand still nor keep your wisdom on your healing to yourself....."
There are two schools of belief. One says that there is nothing called a soul. We are only our mass of skin and bones. Our consciousness is a product of the brain hence our consciousness is locked up within our skull. Once the brain ceases to function our consciousness also ceases to function. Everything is over for good once we die.
The second one believes that the soul - atmaan, rooh, spirit, super consciousness - lives on. In other words our consciousness is independent of our physical body. As per the second school, the soul is beyond birth and death. There is a sub-sect to this second school, which says that the soul exists for one life only. As per this sub-sect, once we die, the soul goes to either heaven or hell - for ever - for enjoying the pleasures of heaven or frying in the pan if it goes to hell. Although for our discussions here, we are using the words soul and spirit inter-changeably, some scriptures differentiate between the two.
The second one believes that the soul - atmaan, rooh, spirit, super consciousness - lives on. In other words our consciousness is independent of our physical body. As per the second school, the soul is beyond birth and death. There is a sub-sect to this second school, which says that the soul exists for one life only. As per this sub-sect, once we die, the soul goes to either heaven or hell - for ever - for enjoying the pleasures of heaven or frying in the pan if it goes to hell. Although for our discussions here, we are using the words soul and spirit inter-changeably, some scriptures differentiate between the two.
The first school finds strength in its belief from the fact that conventional science streams have not proved existence of soul. The believers in this school find further evidence in support of their belief from negative occurrences associated with the second school.
Abundance of fraudulent stories of ghosts taking control of living human beings, haunted villas, exorcism, abundance of fraudsters who pose as spirit mediums, doctored spirit séances etc have wreaked havoc on the credibility of the second school and strengthened the foundations of belief of the first school.
Yet there is a very minuscule group of people in the second school of thought, who have developed their faith in the spirit world from first hand experiences. Indeed, if one comes to think about it, other than experiencing personally the existence of soul, there is probably no other credible way one could believe this, specially when no scientific proof exists. Not all of the people who have been exposed to such experiences speak out because of potential disbelief, scepticism and ridicule from others and thus avoid frustration in not being able to convince others.
I had published two posts relevant to this subject in my earlier series of posts. I will republish those two posts in due course in the context of this subject.
My interest in the subject was triggered three decades back by an experience which I had considered to be hallucinatory at that point of time.
At that point I did not believe in afterlife and any and all concepts associated with it - soul, heaven, hell, reincarnation etc. I had no faith in the religious beliefs of the followers of all major religions like Christians, Hindu or Islam which taught that based on deeds in this life, one (soul) goes to heaven or hell. If the deeds are good and moral, then one goes to heaven and there enjoys all pleasures for ever. If the deeds are bad and immoral then one goes to hell and suffers perennial punishment and pain. I was one with the Buddhist belief that all ends with death. I believed that one experiences heaven and hell in this life alone. If the deeds are good, then one lives a life of peace, content and happiness. If one lives immorally, then he has to ultimately pay back by sufferance.
As I progressed in life, my belief started to erode. I saw good people suffering and some even living and dying very painfully. I saw some immoral people living pleasurably and enjoying fruits of abundance. The number of such incidents were large. I could not have said that exception was the rule.
Was there no payback? If that is so, then why did we not plunder wealth from our neighbours and pile up wealth to live in abundance?. Why were we taught values of life, when the end result of living is irrespective of how we live? Why did we need to bother about love, sympathy, charity and all such emotions? Why did we invest time and effort to strive to grow ouŕselves spiritually and materially?
Or was there something more to it than what met the eye?
I had an unquenchable urge to know the truth. I had no other option but to try and find out answers to my questions. I started with the wisdom provided on the subject by the ancient wise men of all major religions.
The journey began.
At that point I did not believe in afterlife and any and all concepts associated with it - soul, heaven, hell, reincarnation etc. I had no faith in the religious beliefs of the followers of all major religions like Christians, Hindu or Islam which taught that based on deeds in this life, one (soul) goes to heaven or hell. If the deeds are good and moral, then one goes to heaven and there enjoys all pleasures for ever. If the deeds are bad and immoral then one goes to hell and suffers perennial punishment and pain. I was one with the Buddhist belief that all ends with death. I believed that one experiences heaven and hell in this life alone. If the deeds are good, then one lives a life of peace, content and happiness. If one lives immorally, then he has to ultimately pay back by sufferance.
As I progressed in life, my belief started to erode. I saw good people suffering and some even living and dying very painfully. I saw some immoral people living pleasurably and enjoying fruits of abundance. The number of such incidents were large. I could not have said that exception was the rule.
Was there no payback? If that is so, then why did we not plunder wealth from our neighbours and pile up wealth to live in abundance?. Why were we taught values of life, when the end result of living is irrespective of how we live? Why did we need to bother about love, sympathy, charity and all such emotions? Why did we invest time and effort to strive to grow ouŕselves spiritually and materially?
Or was there something more to it than what met the eye?
I had an unquenchable urge to know the truth. I had no other option but to try and find out answers to my questions. I started with the wisdom provided on the subject by the ancient wise men of all major religions.
The journey began.
Bye
Prabir
No comments:
Post a Comment