On Being Rational - An Introspection

P L Rao  

   

Image Courtesy: creations.blogspot.com

“Why I am a rationalist?”  Each time someone asks me this question, it sets me thinking: "Is it a right question?"  As human beings, we are gifted with a brain largest among all species, which has been tremendously researched upon and according to this, the left side of the brain takes care of academic capability as reading, writing, language, mathematics etc and the right side controls skills such as art, crafts, music, dance creativity, inter personnel relationship, management etc. This consequently places man at a higher pedestal over the rest of the species as a “biped animal capable of thinking”. My utilizing the brain to its assigned function of reasoning and inquiry does not warrant titling me as a Rationalist. 

Many of us believe that all rationalists necessarily are non believers. But, at same time, no theist will admit to being irrational. It is like every national, whether it is Indian or European, considering himself to be superior to all others. The truth however lies elsewhere. The term rationality encompasses all facets of life of which spirituality is only one element. Again, one’s choice in life of being a believer, pagan or agnostic etc is a subjective matter dictated by the individual’s understanding of the subject. In my case, I have drawn the boundary of inquiry to only the fields within my grasp, as this cannot operate in areas yet to be explored by science and the unknowable. However, I can vouch that all religious scriptures misfit with our times as they are merely the collective works of imagination of the people  in earlier eras. Yet, I desist from branding myself as atheist, which implies shutting the doors on any further inquiry.   

Read More

Faith versus Universal Compassion - Part III

P L Rao

(Part I and Part II of this Essay are here)

Flourishing field of Religion

                

Religious field is flourishing today due to the vast scope of earning fame and power.  Scandals and Babas sail together. But the institutions survive due to political patronage enjoyed by the community as a whole. None bothers if the stated objectives of these institutions are flouted as people are just pigmies.

                     

B Premanand

The usual ‘’miracles” performed by these Babas to allure masses are ‘producing’ scented ash (vibhuti), wrist watches, gold rings, faith healing and selling sacred stones etc. The well-known skeptics, B Premanand, and Narendra Nayak, have for last 30 to 50 years been exposing their tricks and the skeletons lying hidden inside their cupboards. The former had toured extensively in India and abroad, advising people not to get cheated by Babas. He brought out many books, CDs and Videos spreading Scientific Temper and Skepticism. Professor Narendra Nayak is now heading the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations. Both had thrown open challenges offering one lakh Indian Rupees to anyone who could perform any miraculous feats. But have found no takers.  Prof Nayak’s challenge is still open. Thus all the seers and Babas preaching on faith walk on clay foot. .  

There is another class: Gurus and Matajis who deal with only top CEOs, company bosses, foreigners, government officials and Country Heads. Elegantly attired Guru walks out at steady pace to the dais of Ashram set in extreme luxurious style. The back ground is enough to hypnotize any business tycoon. After all, he is just a commoner, least heard of spiritual salvation etc. He needed a Stock Exchange to convert his shady assets into white, cleanse his soul for once and gain respectability. One more version of yoga, yet another variant of a breathing practice, meditation and stress relief techniques are enough to fool them.  

A recent trend is the rise in number and status of Indians abroad and the consequent increase in the number of temples and religious platforms. Affluence of the younger community and nostalgia (opportunity for gathering with Indians or outing for weekend) are the two factors responsible for this. Religious awareness spread here is braided with modernism befitting the sophisticated elite class, thus lacking depth and seriousness. No contribution towards analyzing the trend or deriving a meaningful interpretation of religion is possible from these entities.

Thus, in the ultimate, God and faith are the most exploited aspects in today’s life world over. If He really ruled, He would have been the most detested One. Stripped of commerce, the entire Institution of Faith would crumble to pieces. Faith today is not a free standing pillar, but is propped up by commerce. The end result is the fundamentalism and the religious strife now prevailing all around in the World. 

Faith in Divinity: an obstacle to uplifting of mankind:

A common question frequently asked is why this concern about Divinity? Why not work for human reformation directly? The fact is that the term Faith ‘exists’ in life of man as dog in the monger. Priestly community still demands of its disorganized followers to stick to rituals and customs. The educated youth is too engrossed in accumulation of wealth to seek solution to this largest evil. Instead, to atone for their sins, they would donate liberally to any cause of religion and wash hands off. 

But transformation of man is feasible only when every man thinks. Not when a few think for all with their concept of betterment of society or self as the case may be. Each brain has infinite capacity if the self-imposed veil of conditioning is shed off. Thus the first task of one is to transform oneself by deep introspection - then seek that of others, not by confrontation, but by showing with self practice and pursuance. Transformation of society starts from oneself.  

In effect, Faith, now focused towards Divinity, should get re-focused as concern towards all animate and inanimate beings in Eco system. The task is to change common man’s outlook, rather than expect rescue operation at every crisis of one’s life. A holistic approach to problems of society helps; that is, if one sees ‘Brahman’ in everything around us and develops universal compassion. There are near to ideal examples around us showing that this is not an Utopian idea.  

Action plan:

One begins by asking oneself: “Do I get pricked by the violence in Kashmir, the Naxalite movement, worldwide terrorism, exploitation by powerful, deaths due to poverty, abnormal rise of disharmony within family life and the dragon of corruption and superstition  embracing all walks of life?”’. One dispassionately looking around sees that the Truth, in reality, lies not in Heaven, is not an alien concept, but is in the Earth around us amidst the joys and sorrows of life. Eco system is the greatest inheritance to us, which we are bound to preserve and deliver intact to next generations.

Mark Twain

If one still has reservations on implementation, listen to Mark Twain: “Let us so live that when we die, even the undertaker will be sorry”. Some one else said: “Imagine your own funeral, and you will realize what kind of impact you have created on those around you”. An easier solution, if one opts to get liked by everyone around, it is not a very tall order for the neo-rich of today - Just adapt 4 slums. But in the process, he would have created an army of beggars for perpetuity. Hence one can leave sustaining impression (his consciousness) on Earth only by working for permanent solutions to problems of mankind, by raising others’ confidence level. This brooks no compromises or half measures, each of which can puncture it easily.  Thus caution against distraction of energy is important.
     

The best dictum “From cradle onwards, interfere the least in the physical actions of a child. NEVER   dictate in psychic field. Encourage in it, at all ages, the faculty of self discovery and decision making befitting its age. Never pamper. Thus brought up, a child grows as a useful citizen of Earth” .Here again we have the poser from Swami Vivekananda to society: “Give me hundred people committed (as me) towards mankind and I will transform the whole World”. From his achievements, we see that his was not a hypothetical notion. 

Now consider implementing immediately a few simple actions for which you need take permission from nobody. 

• Re-script your Faith as concern towards all species on earth. Always keep pondering what lasting help you can render to the needy rather than expecting from others.  Have a holistic approach in all your dealings. 
•  Never expect or owe anything of others. If one is mentally of this frame, physical field will take care of itself, exceptions not withstanding. 
• Live sincerely, always inquiring before every action, using your best judgment, least annoying others in process. 
• Pre declare donating your vital organs to worthwhile causes after death.  
• In the will, advice against any religious rituals, which are all waste. Those who remember you will anyway assemble on their own. One need not worry the least of the post death scenario except from the angle of his pending responsibility to others.     

Reference:      

  

1. ”The ethics of Belief and other essays”: by W K Clifford  
2. “The complete works of Swami Vivekananda” by Advaita Ashram, Mayavathi Memorial edition. 1972

Inspiration: Teachings of J Krishnamurthy.

Read More

Faith versus Universal Compassion - Part II

P L Rao

(Part I of this Essay is here)

History of growth of "Faith" in some important religions

Faith as an entity is the backbone of any theology. We now examine how true this statement is by taking example of few religions. Hinduism was born in about 2000 BCE as a blend of emigrant Indo Aryan and earlier existing Dravidian culture. The latter were basically nature worshipers and the Aryans brought in a cult of assigning each such natural event as sunshine, flood, rain, wind, sickness, fire, water etc  to a different Power. These gods were then appeased by performing sacrifices, Yagna etc. Hinduism was thus ritual based, worshiping a large phantom of gods. In this process, gradually castes other than Brahmins and Kshatriyas felt themselves alienated as second class citizens. As a reaction, by the 6^th Cent BC, Buddhism rose up, focusing on sufferings of common man and stress on nonviolence. The declaration of Buddhism as State religion and the Missionary movement started by Emperor Asoka (4^th Cent BC) resulted in the spread of Buddhism to Central and East Asian countries. This continues to be popular with the Dalit and other castes in India even today. While Hinduism professed faith in multi powers, Hinayana Buddhism, the original version, advocated total humanism.   

Read More

Faith versus Universal Compassion - Part I

P L Rao
 

Recently in a temple, a famous speaker in his discourse on subject “Divinity, Ethics and You” was extolling virtues as man’s innate goodness and need of belief in God and compassionate treatment of others. Suddenly, there was interruption–an announcement: “Will the owner of car number xxx kindly move it aside as it is blocking passage?” Secondly that as some thefts had occurred of late management has declared the manned footwear stand at gate as free service. Even before his sentence was over, there was a hustle around. Everyone was rushing out to deposit his worn sandals in the main stand. Such is our etiquette and the chasm between the noble ideals we hear and then practice in lives. The preface applies more aptly to the subject of this article.          

Definition and meaning

Faith or belief is the unique faculty that prompts proper decisions and knits into harmonious working all the energies of our person. It helps to bind men together and directs them into common action, thus it is more relevant for others. It is a mental bond that develops after deep examination and total acquaintance. In material world, it is seen between aged couple, kid and mother, parents and child, siblings and friends. Faith is not momentary, transient and sentimental feeling.

It is wrong to believe on insufficient evidence or to nourish it by suppressing doubt and avoiding investigation. That which develops after a visit to a crematorium, listening to harikatha or performing a pilgrimage can kindle it for once, but true faith is much beyond that. The ‘belief’ one claims from half knowledge boosts up ego, vanity and develops as pestilence. Every time one is led into believing for un worthy reasons, his self confidence, capacity of inquiring, doubting, judiciously analyzing and taking right actions vanes.

As per Milton, “If one believes things that his pastor or elder said so without knowing reason, the very Truth he holds becomes his heresy”. An aphorism of Coleridge says: “He who begins by loving Christianity better than Truth, will proceed by loving his own sect of Church better than Christianity and ends loving himself better than all”

      

If one was loaded with a pattern of belief in childhood, which he persuaded later, his tendency is to push away any doubts arising in mind, avoid questions, reading books and company of people who are likely to disturb his belief. Result is he looses confidence in self and needs some crutch for survival for ever. The power earned by faith is highest when it is derived after deep self introspection.. It will then apply as well to others as common property. For this, discussion with others has very limited role. In fact when belief is complete, one never need ask for help. It does not demand commonality in outlook. One is accepted simply as he is. That demands generosity and mutual tolerance.  
  

Read More

Institution of Engineers Peddles Astrology to Improve Productivity!

Institution of Engineers is an august body of engineering professionals in India. It was established way back in the 1920s to cater to the educational and other professional aspirations of engineers. It is claimed to be, according to Wikipedia, “the largest multi-disciplinary engineering professional society in the English speaking world”. It obtained, in 1935, the Royal Charter of Incorporation from King George V “to promote and advance the science, practice and business of engineering”.

In today’s increasingly competitive and globalized scenario, one would expect that such a body of professionals would equip its members with the latest tools in their field by conducting intensive training programmes for their professional advancements. It being a body of highly qualified professionals with scientific and technological background, one would naturally expect that the Institution would be in the forefront of upholding one of the fundamental duties of a citizen of India as enshrined in Article 51 A (h) – Part IV A of the Constitution of India, which states that “it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform”.

Read More