RELIGION

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

RELIGION
Existence being one, all life is one. All life being essentially one, mankind is also one.
Uniformity is the law of the spiritual plane. Though externally, variety or diversity is the Law of
Nature in the manifest universe, in its inner aspect, uniformity or unity is the Fact of life. Mankind is
one. Thus on the one side we have this unity of mankind all over the universe. On the other side
regarding Godhead too we have utterances of sages ‘Ekam eva advitiyam Brahma’—God is one.
Absolute unity has to partake of the nature of oneness. Thus when we go into the fact of religion
from this observation and from this attitude or point of view, we are drawn to the conclusion that
Religion too is one! Whatever the apparent external differences between religions may be, the inner
process of religion has necessarily to be one and the same for it implies and comprises man’s
movement towards Godhead.
The process of religion is the freeing of man from the factors which bind him down to this
earthly existence of pain and death. If unrighteousness is a factor in causing suffering, then be
righteous. If through untruth man is to be bound to this vexing mortal life, and has to pay a heavy
penalty in suffering and pain, then abandon falsehood; be truthful. If by being cruel, you will reap a
harvest of pain, torment and suffering, cast away cruelty and practise Ahimsa be good, be kind, be
compassionate. Thus the process of religion develops in a scientific way by studying the causative
factors of your bondage to this earth-life and its pains and sorrows. It insists that by living a life of
practical religion you can remove all these causative factors of suffering. We must, therefore, lead
the life carefully in such a way that we do not commit those things which result in painful
experience and existence.
The process of religion slowly works out a scheme of life for you, where you are made to
bring into manifestation or into active expression all these lofty life-transforming elements of the
Divine aspect of your being, thus helping to overcome the animalistic aspect and progressively
unfold the divine nature that is already the essential part of your inmost Consciousness. Man is
made in the image of God; therefore Godliness is the very essence of his real inner being. Hence the
external operation of lower nature has to be overcome and cast away, thus giving full scope for the
manifestation of the Divine Svarupa (nature) in him. With the unfoldment and the blossoming of
the Divine Consciousness in man, he becomes at once linked with the infinite divine existence,
Sat-Chid-Ananda. The unity which had been for the time being veiled, as it were by ignorance is
re-established. This consummation of the religious quest is to make man declare: “I am not this
body, I am not the senses, the mind and the intellect, I am Sat-Chid-Ananda Brahman.” This comes
from the fullness of experience and the culmination of religious practice which is the experience of
your Eternal spiritual Unity with God-head.

No religion wants you to be tied down to this earthly life. All religions have as their goal the
attainment of perfection, freedom and immortality. All religions also have the same process in their
essence, whatever be the difference in the ritual or ceremonial details. Real Religion wants the
complete annihilation of the lower self, animalistic part of man, and the progressive unfoldment of
his divine nature. Thus from the very genesis, we see that the fundamental principle and the
ultimate goal of all religions are the same.
Religions have come either from eternal wisdom enshrined in scriptural texts like the
Upanishads, Vedas, or from some great men of wisdom inspired by God to give out His message
about the way of attaining Him. If we go to the source and look at the great and inspired lives of
Jesus, Mohammed, Zoroaster, Buddha and examine the great fountain-heads of the various faiths in
the world, we will find that by their practical example, through their exemplary life, they have
shown us what is the very soul of the religions which they have given to mankind. They
demonstrated the practical living of the religions which they later on gave to their followers and in
these personal, living demonstrations they were all at-one.
Let us examine a few of the prophetic utterances of these great messengers of God. Is there
any religion that tells us “Utter lies; be dishonest; hate people; develop anger and animosity; be
impure; be immoral?” No, “certainly not”—is the emphatic answer. Every religion lays stress upon
a life of Truth, Absolute purity, of compassion, of love, of devotion, of tenderness, of a life of
sacrifice and of goodness in thought, word and deed. Every religion has given a way of life to its
followers as the ideal to be followed, in order to attain the goal viz., ultimate imperishable happiness
free from birth and death, disease and misery. The way or the means is one and the same in every
great religion. It is a life of purity and devotion practically demonstrated by each one of the
prophets, saints and great men of wisdom.
Therefore, from whichever angle you approach and study the subject of religion and
spirituality, and from whichever angle you look at it, you find that every important factor is
fundamentally one and the same in all faiths. All faiths are one and all prophets have lived the same
life of ethical perfection, divine compassion, goodness and awareness of the oneness of mankind.
Thus, however much we may try to close our eyes to these facts, we find the oneness of all faiths
proclaiming itself in a living, irresistible way through the very motive force underlying each faith
and religion. In other words, there is oneness in the process of all religious achievements, and there
is oneness in the ultimate destination which each one of these different religions wants its followers
to realise. These different faiths are, as it were, so many beautiful flowers that go to make a
beautiful bouquet which we offer at the Almighty Being.