Alone, in the Company of the Wise

Alone, in the Company of the Wise

Several years ago if people asked me whether I belonged to a religion I wasn’t sure. I had to think. They had one. They were certain of it. But me, I had to think. After a few moments of pause I would mutter, “I’m a Hindu.” But that answer did not come from my heart, only my lips moved. Since then I have had time to think. Now, I know this: I do not belong to any religion; all religions belong to me. By ‘all’ I mean the ones I know well and the ones I have not yet closely studied.

Huston Smith, the American historian of world religions, writes that we shun from an organized religion because it is dogmatic (that my way is the only way to experience god), it is moralistic (that it tells its members exactly what is moral and what is not), and that it has all other problems that any institution has in which a group of people have to interact. These are the reasons why I too shun from calling myself a member of one religion.

In the twenty-first century it is highly likely that millions of individuals are not satisfied with the religion they were born into. The answers religions give to universal human questions: where do we come from, who are we, what is the meaning and purpose of our lives, where do we go does not satisfy the laity. No single religion, organized or otherwise, has answers to the all the eternal questions. But together they have. Together, the scriptures that contain centuries of introspections, meditations and experiences of teachers, sages and mystics have answers. The texts such as Dhammapada, Bhagavad-Gita, Tao te Ching, Analects, Guru Granth Sahib, Bible, Koran, Torah and other related texts bring to light the mystery of life. When we earnestly read the sacred words they inspire spiritual feelings worth experiencing. We just have to make an effort.

Reading the sacred texts of world religions open door to a new understanding. The reader/seeker begins to feel the answers. He becomes sensitive to the fact that such questions cannot be answered but their meanings can be felt. An unspeakable feeling stimulates the heart in which unknowable is known. Vision is clarified. A flame is lit. A feeling of tenderness for the “whole” or “one” emerges—a feeling that comes closest to what I mean by spirituality or religion.

In reading these sacred texts we are in the company of the wise—the sages who experienced the unknowable and did their best to share that feeling with us. We were meant to read these texts alone, in isolation, surrounded by silence, and not hear them diluted through the middlemen of the organized institutions.

To critically and carefully read the scriptures of religions other than our own may be called heretical by some. But one needs courage to do so. To cut against the grain. But it does not mean to walk away from our own tradition, if we happen to like the way. It means to study the path of the wise with different experiences. Why not be open-minded about beliefs different from our own? Why not hear what sages and teachers of other great religious traditions have taught? Being alone in the company of the wise is the greatest spiritual gift we can give to ourselves.

Centuries old method of studying the sacred texts is: carefully reading one chapter at a time, thinking about what has been read and then mulling over it to understand what it meant. For days, reflecting upon the ideas it conveyed so that the knowledge that is learnt informs day-to-day life. This is the method I try to follow in the weekly website postings under “Readings.”

Yes, not belonging to just one religious community gets lonely. Having beliefs that are not in synch with our religious community, isolates. But the flip side of this is that it forces us to be with ourselves, to know ourselves—who we really are. This is the time when our inner self, our true friend, lets us know what dross we are carrying around and how we can get rid of it, event by event, little by little, and become better, wiser, compassionate, generous human beings. Isn’t that the ultimate goal of all the religions?

If the religious community we belong to enriches and nurtures our beliefs, we should receive it as blessings from lady luck. Yet, we’ll be amazed how our attitude positively changes when we read the sacred texts of the world religions other than our own.

The Buddha proclaimed that if you cannot find a friend or family member to support your spiritual path, walk alone. Seek someone wise, who can teach you right from wrong. More importantly, don’t accept something merely because it is a tradition or out of blind faith, not even on the word of your teacher. Go and see for yourself.

So, tomorrow borrow from a library or a friend, or buy the sacred text of a religion other than your own. Read it with understanding and observe yourself becoming a better person.