Everyone who knows me well can tell right away how’s my attitude towards religion. The word ‘careful’ will be the least powerful term to describe my stance; for most of the time I either hate it, or pay no attention to it.
Yeah, I know that for some people religion is:
- the only way to live life
- the only way to salvation
- the only way to God
Well, I used to think the same way.
But then I started to think that religion is NOT the only way, but rather A way among many other ways.
And now, as I get older, I think religion is NOT the way.
Yep.
Religion along with its scriptures is NOT the way at all.
Why?
I don’t know exactly how to explain myself.
Let me just start with this unfinished-story.
This unfinished-story is flawed, but I hope it can help me explain what I think about religion.
The great founders of religion, just like the Zen master from the story, had gone through various life events and spiritual growth before they found the THING, or you can say the ANSWER, that came to us as religion.
Most of us study what they’ve written or what’s been written about them in an effort to find the answer they had found.
Now, isn’t that, if I may say, misguided?
It’s like toddlers reading a calculus book without the slightest clue of what numbers really are. They will only interpret as funny pictures what the writer of the book meant to be limits, functions, and integrals.
The words “Ping Ting went to war” may be a spot-on remark to describe what Buddha is, but it is as cryptic as it can be for the young minds who haven't experienced what the Zen master had.
So let me ask these questions:
If religions were built after the founder had spent years of searching through whole areas of life, how can we see their point and understand religion instantly while all we have are these young, inexperienced, naive eyes?
How can we possibly see what they saw?
The answer is we can’t.
It is impossible.
THE THING cannot be taught that way.
Of course unless...
we have experienced the same experience they had.
Sometimes I think the true founders never wrote the scriptures to teach us about THE THING (because it is impossible anyway), but merely because they feel like it.
Sometimes I think the scriptures can’t be used to understand, they are just notes that only people who have understood can read correctly.
Religion and its scriptures are not text books that will teach you how to reach enlightenment.
They’re merely scribbles and reminders for the people who have ALREADY got there.
So, if it’s not the way to understand THE THING, then what is?
Well... life.
THE THING can’t be deciphered from what the founders wrote.
THE THING can’t be found by analyzing what they said.
THE THING can only be found through living life first hand.
(I can’t stress out more the importance of this sentence)
In a way, the connection between religion along with its cryptic scriptures and life is like this:
You went through various experiences in life and suddenly...
“Wait a minute, now I know what the sentence in that text means!!!”
The focus is life.
It’s never been religion.
Religion is only a bunch of messy ramblings of people about life.
If life is wine, then religion is a text describing the wine.
Study the source instead.
Focus on life.
I think religion is great, but only as great as a post-it note can be.
That’s why studying it without a prepared mind and heart is VERY VERY dangerous.
There’s an infinite number of traps.
You can’t possibly expect a toddler who doesn’t even understand the concept of numbers to explain limits after lending him a calculus book, right?
Oh, and can you imagine if the one who studies religion is a dumb and violent fanatic? He will surely kill or die for something he doesn’t even understand.
It’s horrible.
So, at last I will end this awfully long post with the last half of the Zen Master story.
Do you see the complexity in religion?
Yeah, I know that for some people religion is:
- the only way to live life
- the only way to salvation
- the only way to God
Well, I used to think the same way.
But then I started to think that religion is NOT the only way, but rather A way among many other ways.
And now, as I get older, I think religion is NOT the way.
Yep.
Religion along with its scriptures is NOT the way at all.
Why?
I don’t know exactly how to explain myself.
Let me just start with this unfinished-story.
One Zen master went through years of life experience, spiritual learning, and character development before he understood what Buddha was.
When a student of him asked about what he thought of Buddha, he answered,
“Ping Ting went to war.”
(Ping Ting was a war god)
This unfinished-story is flawed, but I hope it can help me explain what I think about religion.
The great founders of religion, just like the Zen master from the story, had gone through various life events and spiritual growth before they found the THING, or you can say the ANSWER, that came to us as religion.
Most of us study what they’ve written or what’s been written about them in an effort to find the answer they had found.
Now, isn’t that, if I may say, misguided?
It’s like toddlers reading a calculus book without the slightest clue of what numbers really are. They will only interpret as funny pictures what the writer of the book meant to be limits, functions, and integrals.
The words “Ping Ting went to war” may be a spot-on remark to describe what Buddha is, but it is as cryptic as it can be for the young minds who haven't experienced what the Zen master had.
So let me ask these questions:
If religions were built after the founder had spent years of searching through whole areas of life, how can we see their point and understand religion instantly while all we have are these young, inexperienced, naive eyes?
How can we possibly see what they saw?
The answer is we can’t.
It is impossible.
THE THING cannot be taught that way.
Of course unless...
we have experienced the same experience they had.
Sometimes I think the true founders never wrote the scriptures to teach us about THE THING (because it is impossible anyway), but merely because they feel like it.
Sometimes I think the scriptures can’t be used to understand, they are just notes that only people who have understood can read correctly.
Religion and its scriptures are not text books that will teach you how to reach enlightenment.
They’re merely scribbles and reminders for the people who have ALREADY got there.
So, if it’s not the way to understand THE THING, then what is?
Well... life.
THE THING can’t be deciphered from what the founders wrote.
THE THING can’t be found by analyzing what they said.
THE THING can only be found through living life first hand.
(I can’t stress out more the importance of this sentence)
In a way, the connection between religion along with its cryptic scriptures and life is like this:
You went through various experiences in life and suddenly...
“Wait a minute, now I know what the sentence in that text means!!!”
The focus is life.
It’s never been religion.
Religion is only a bunch of messy ramblings of people about life.
If life is wine, then religion is a text describing the wine.
Study the source instead.
Focus on life.
I think religion is great, but only as great as a post-it note can be.
That’s why studying it without a prepared mind and heart is VERY VERY dangerous.
There’s an infinite number of traps.
You can’t possibly expect a toddler who doesn’t even understand the concept of numbers to explain limits after lending him a calculus book, right?
Oh, and can you imagine if the one who studies religion is a dumb and violent fanatic? He will surely kill or die for something he doesn’t even understand.
It’s horrible.
So, at last I will end this awfully long post with the last half of the Zen Master story.
The student didn’t understand what the master meant with the words, so he analyzed it.
One day, he had a new teacher.
To this new teacher, he asked the same question.
“What is Buddha?”
The new teacher didn’t give him any answer.
Instead he asked him back.
“What did your previous master said?”
The student answered, “He said ‘Ping Ting went to war’."
The new teacher replied, “That’s a very good answer. But I fear you understand it wrong. Explain it to me.”
So the student explained his analysis (Ping Ting was a war god, there was a paradox in the sentence, and so on).
The new teacher laughed hearing his answer.
“As I thought, you understand it wrong,” he said.
The student looked at him in bewilderment.
“So explain it to me Teacher,” he said. “What is Buddha?”
The new teacher said, “Ping Ting went to war.”
Do you see the complexity in religion?
-the Zen master story was taken from the Prayer of the Frog-
Good blog. I agree that focusing on life itself, on the great underlying Source which is everywhere, is vital. A person only truly begins to understand the great spiritual writings of history when he drinks deeply from the well of wisdom himself.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I don't quite agree with your observation, Hubertus, that spiritual writings are a kind of ad-hoc collection of notes or records made by the enlightened person for his own benefit. They are far more calculated and purposeful than that. In every instance, they are specifically designed to stimulate and encourage people to break through into enlightenment. That is their sole purpose. They are intended for those few who are on the very brink of enlightenment and need that all-important decisive push. They are intended for no one else.
Which means, of course, that they have nothing whatsoever to do with religion.
hehehe...
ReplyDeleteyes, you're right.
I agree with you. their work is serious and purposeful.
I guess I took it too easily,
perhaps in part because this time I want to say it in extremes.
sometimes I feel religion is so corrupted that it is better to never touch them.
at other times I feel that it is needed so that people can eventually overcome it. (that's why if I ever have a son, I'll probably force a strict religion on him so he'll snap out of it quickly)
mm...
in spite of all that, I still feel that it has something to offer, that's why I've never truly left it.
Well..every wisdom of the enlightenment uttered by the enlightened is pitifully simplified by humanity..thus comes the religion and all the brainwashed cows varied from the violent extremes - easily recognized - and the hypocrites extreme - harder to recognize, hence more widespread but acceptable at some point due to the less destructive nature - and sometimes it makes me think..no matter how well we try to awake them..even if the cows finally agreed to the teaching..it wouldn't stand for long..cows will continue cow's habits..which is simplification and categorization...they'll again form groups..and just be another flock of cow within flocks of cow..
ReplyDeletescribble O.o
ReplyDeletePing ting went to war O.o
gosh that is the best thing I've heard today xDD