Question::
Can ‘intellectual understanding about Self’ be considered the experience of “Self-realization”?
(or)
What are the pros and cons of “orthodoxy”? Why “spiritual light” should be allowed into orthodoxical outlook?
(or)
Why “mere traditional values only” are NOT SUFFCIENT ENOUGH for spiritual progress? Where does “loyalty to the traditional lore” place us?
(or)
What are the factors that prevent us from realization of true spirituality?
(or)
What sort of delusion takes away the educated from ‘true spirituality’?
Answer::
(Extracted from Meher Baba’s literature, which is a copyright of Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust(©AMBPPCT), Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, Bharat/India)
“Realization of the Self” should not be confused with the intellectual understanding of the Divine Theme. Exceptional exercise of the “intellect” makes one a philosopher, a poet, a scientist or an artist. But ‘Self-realization’ is undeniably the special privilege of those who are mad for God.
Orthodoxy, whether it be Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Zoroastrian, Buddhist or of any other faith, is tolerable only up to a certain point and only in the earlier phases of the evolution of the masses, since it conserves certain “dynamic values” coming down through “tradition”. But it must be of the discriminative type and should not be allowed to degenerate into ‘politics’.
When orthodoxy denies to itself the ‘spiritual light’ coming from any quarter, it inevitably reduces itself to a body without a soul, leading to separative ignorance, conflicts, and misunderstandings.
Loyalty to the incarnated greatness of the past and mere ‘possession’ and ‘knowledge’ of the traditional lore is not all that is to be desired. It may preserve your “individuality” as a religious and cultural unit and make of you a powerful political factor. But in the spiritual domain, it makes you a ‘non-entity’– a tree without its life-giving sap.
Today, there are three factors which prevent the world from REALIZATION of true spirituality:
- The CHURCH of each organized religion trades in the ‘past’, and fights every inch of ground before adjusting itself to the times and the circumstances;
- The EDUCATED delude themselves into thinking that they have done their part and have laid the ‘whole creation’ and ‘the Creator’ under deep gratitude by merely talking on the subject from the purely intellectual point of view;
- The MASSES have a superstitious, mercenary attitude towards ‘saints’ and ‘spirituality’. Their approach to saints is invariably from a ‘materialistic point of view’.
I have come to give a NEW UNDERSTANDING of spiritual value and truth to every one. This “truth” is unlimited, and cannot be imprisoned in any dogmas or creeds, religions or sets of beliefs. Inherit this vast Truth which is ever-renewing, while I am in your midst.
– Meher Baba
Source::
Sparks of the Truth, Pg:: 89-90
© AMBPPCT, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India/Bharat
