RELIGION
IS THE
SUM TOTAL
OF
THE SPIRITUAL
&
THE RITUAL
Are we taught the Grammar
before
we learn
to speak the Language?
(CATabolism brought on while arguing with a rigid Iranian lady)
IS THE
SUM TOTAL
OF
THE SPIRITUAL
&
THE RITUAL
Are we taught the Grammar
before
we learn
to speak the Language?
(CATabolism brought on while arguing with a rigid Iranian lady)
7 comments:
If the spirit is truly free, spirituality must mean true freedom. Rituals and spirituality cannot go together. It is the mixing of the two that cause perfectly good religions to fail.
To 'religiously' do something...is talking of a compulsion or obsession...not freedom.
We are always taught the grammar before the alphabet and languge. It is when we realise that we are unable to put any of it to use that we begin to question it all.
Pardon the spellings..in a daze.
Spiritual is in the realm of mind and soul.It elevates you beyond the constraints of boundaries and in that sense it means freedom, I guess.
Perhaps rituals started as a way to discipline life in the quest to help focus on the spiritual and this gave rise to multiple religions...each deciding that these were the rituals which would help u attain "mokhsha" .
Then "religion politics" set the balance awry and spirituality had to sort of back foot and rituals came to define religion in a MORE strident/vociferous tone and we have what is now a mess for all to see!!
Be it music or be it language or be it religion.....if we are taught the notations/grammar or rituals before we learn to appreciate the nuances.....we end up missing the beauty of it all!
No worry about spellings, its the essense which counts, no?
I guess the forest / trees theory begins to apply here too. In trying to recognise the raaga, sometimes the whole song is lost on us. I remember my teacher in scool giving us an example...when we wanted to know what time it was, ( this is before cellphones with their fancy displays became extentions of our bodies)and weren't wearing a watch..and peeped into someone else's, we'd just see the time without noticing the brand/color/shape of the watch...similarly, when appreciating the color/shape/brand of a watch, we don't notice the time.
Perception is important and what we seek is even more important.
I still can't assosiate rituals with spirituality. To me they are two very different things. Spirituality is natural, rituals are definitely not.
Ok, let me provide some context to why of what I set out to say....
The Iranian lady and moi were discussing a whole lot of things which I will not go into the details of...till we reached a point when she brought up inter religion marriages. And she had this very very strong and rigid opinion that 2 individuals who are brought up within the parameters of different religions should not marry as their rituals were totally divergent. And my immediate response was that "religion is the sum total of the spiritual and the ritual" and if rituals have become the focal point of religions then there is something v v wrong in the way we perceive religion.
Yes spirituality is "spontaneous emission" while rituals are not, but that is not the point I was trying to address with the Iranian lady.
While I am almost totally an "aritualistic" person, I respect the right of others to follow rituals in their own space (I do not approve of many aspects.)
And spirituality surely lies within a personal/private terrain, does not need a navigational map, but there are some who are not fortunate enough to have a good sense of direction.So....
I feel hypocritical also, because I know I've given in and followed so many rituals and practices that go against my grain...and know that I will in future too. :(
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