Image by Honey Kochphon Onshawee from Pixabay
sojourn on cobblestone path -
silent in traffic.
The question of the ancient wisdom inherent in religion is a thorny issue. If I offend anyone with my analysis so be it 😂 The very fact that anyone would be offended by a questioning of belief, or challenging a concept, highlights why religion is a vehicle for both profound wisdom and great folly.
Throughout my life I've observed that many people of religious belief exhibit intolerances, hatred and bigotry, despite their messiahs preaching the opposite. This comes down to two things in my opinion; politics and the nature of belief. The politics of the ancient world was closely tied up with religion, as can be seen with the Catholic church and the Papal authority over European monarchy in the 16th century. This expression of power runs completely contrary to the essence of what Jesus, Buddha, or any of the other mystics of the ancient world were trying to express through their words.
The fundamental wisdom behind most religions as taught by their founding mystics is universal in its commonality, usually pointing the listener/reader toward a sublimation of ego leading to a shift in consciousness. This is where the gem of wisdom lies in religion, with the mystics or messiahs and what their direct words are pointing to, which is a state of being, not a pattern of thought.
For me, Buddhism comes closest to pointing everyone to what all the various mystics of different faiths set out to teach. Simply because at the core of the teachings it is never expressed that you should worship Buddha, there is no god at the core of the Buddhist philosophy, only a set of exercises to find that which is 'beyond' within yourself. Without a focus of belief for the 'me' that craves validation, it is easier to notice that it is the 'me' that prescribes blame, judgement and a feeling of separateness that ultimately allows for the justification of atrocity in the name of identity. When a realization beyond 'I' is reached it isn't surprising that in this world of seeming chaos the core of existence is 'no thing'.
When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
Quote: Lao Tzu
Outside of the ego, the 'I', lies the wisdom that Jesus, Mohamad and Gautama Buddha knew and were trying to express. In many cases the core concepts of various mystics that point to the 'enlightened state' are obscured by the influence of hierarchical structures like churches, but that noise can be overcome by approaching these wisdoms without the focus of belief, and recognizing the parts that resonate within your body. The passages, sentences and aphorisms that inspire a settling are usually the ones that remain as the 'uninterpreted' words pointing to the real wisdom of living.
I have decided to challenge myself for a month to post a daily Haiku on Hive. Each week will have a different theme based on picture prompts from either Pixabay.com or Unsplash.com.
This week's broad theme is Ancient Wisdom.
To read more about the aesthetics of true haiku, and the difference between haiku and senryu, please check out my post: Haiku Vs Senryu - The Aesthetics of Form
I would like to give a big shout-out to @stickupcurator (and @stickupboys) for their amazing contribution to supporting music, art, imaginative writing, and all things creative on hive. If you haven't already, you should go check out their account for music, crypto podcasts and much much more 🙂👍
The picture used in this post is creative commons, linked below pic. If you have enjoyed this Haiku, please check out my homepage @raj808 for similar content. Thank you.
Click banner to visit the community page
Find us on twitter by clicking the banner above.
I never really got into religion. I just try to live a good life by my own rules.
Number 1 rule: Don't be a dick!
Isn't dressing in a special way for religion a form of 'virtue signalling'?
Hi Steevc
I consider myself either atheist or agnostic, but I've always been interested in studying religions both for the rich vein of allegory that helps with building realistic belief systems in fantasy fiction, and with an eye toward working out my own inner-world better.
I think this post explains where I come from with religion quite succinctly, lol I hope so anyway.
The fundamental wisdom behind most religions as taught by their founding mystics is universal in its commonality, usually pointing the listener/reader toward a sublimation of ego leading to a shift in consciousness. But... I've observed that many people of religious belief exhibit intolerances, hatred and bigotry, despite their messiahs preaching the opposite. This comes down to two things in my opinion; politics and the nature of belief.You could be right that some monks are in it all for the ego-boost,
but IMO they're missing the point of Buddhism if they are 😅
I meant in general as a lot of religions seem to require distinctive clothing or other items.
I think of myself as fairly logical and faith doesn't mesh with that. People can live how they want, but shouldn't force their beliefs onto me. A lot of bad things have been done in the name of religion, but that can be down to politics and power dynamics as you say.
I'm not going out of my way to upset people over their beliefs, but I don't mind a debate now and then. I find that very few people I know are obviously religious, so it doesn't come up much.
As I understand it, the robes of monks were originally meant to function kinda like a uniform 😂
Monks all wearing single colour robes signifies them giving up all worldly possessions, and as an extension of that giving up the attachment to their egoic self. I don't really know as much about Islam or Christianity, but Buddhism at its core (on a purely intellectual level) is all about accepting and moving beyond the mental suffering that many people cause to themselves through attachment to their ego. And in doing this it is hoped that the reflection that a person puts out into the world (and often on the people around them) becomes less centered around their perception of self - the expectations they have for the world and other people based on their conditioning.
E.g. a parent who is very judgmental often drives their child to failure through there own need to push them in directions that might not suit their personality.
You've hit on the crux of the matter when one persons wisdom from millennia ago gets taken up by a 'tribe' and organized into a form of belief, that can then be held as 'sacrosanct' against other forms of belief. When ever I think about this it occurs to me how different the world might be if people in ancient times listened to e.g. Jesus and then went away and with the thought process that this was just a man with some good ideas and some not so good ones 😂 which could apply to many 'Prophets' from different faiths.
For sure there is a very organized religious hierarchy and systems that cause conflict in Buddhism as well as many other religions. For me though, meditating (and doing some other Buddhist inspired practices) is a form of self-directed therapy that is slowly helping to change my conditioning so that I can have a happier, more peaceful and fulfilling life.
This is all very subjective though, and I'm not trying to say anyone else should, or shouldn't, spend time meditating. It helps me 🙂