Technology brewing a huge spiritual wave :- Materialism, Atheism better than beliefs.
To start off in right direction to explore spirituality and religions, let me quote an authoritative spiritual giant and my own mentor, none other than Swami Vivekananda. He says,
"There is no real difference between the highest ecclesiastical giant who can talk by the volume, and the lowest, most ignorant materialist. We are all atheists; let us confess it. Mere intellectual assent does not make us religious."
"The vast majority of men are atheists. I am glad that, in modern times, another class of atheists has come into existence in the Western world — I mean the materialists. They are sincere atheists. They are better than the religious atheists, who are insincere, who fight and talk about religion, and yet do not want it, never try to realise it, never try to understand it."
There are two types of people in the world. The first ones are those who do not know anything but confess that they don't. They consider every single belief, they hear stories of spiritual people and explore every religion fairly. Thus, by doing this they map their own spiritual path and open a possibility as a sincere seeker. The second ones are those who, after hearing 2 stories of Lord Shiva from their grannies, change their Insta Bio as #Mahadevkafan and tag themselves spiritual. They see their goal, but do not intend to struggle. They accept religions, but never realise it. Know this for certain that these second class of people, not only are ignorant, but shut down all the possibilities of realisation by being in a constant delusion.
Vicktor Frankl once beautifully said, “When a person can't find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.”
This goes same with modern-day religions. Religions were meant to be acting as a system to help a seeker make sense of life and his existence. Instead, religions are now resisting a seeker's spiritual journey by filling the spiritual hunger of a seeker with all sorts of lunatic beliefs, which is like filling an empty pit with heaps of garbage!
Thus, Vivekananda said that sincere atheists are better than people who constantly debate and fight over religions but do not themselves get an inch closer to being and becoming spiritual. Well, they say in Vedanta that you are not your body, you are not your mind. Very good. Let me mummble that day and night everyday. But alas, the moment when a tiny little thorn pricks my finger, "Ooucch!" I cry. Consciousness of body comes. Pain and struggle continues. Why then should we believe in this then? Isn't there a way to directly experiencing this state of bodilessness and mindlessness? Until I come face to face with the ideas discussed in my religion, I am a sincere atheist!
Vivekananda knocks off all the religious fanatics in one go in these lines :-
"Religion can be realised. Are you ready? Do you want it? You will get the realisation if you do, and then you will be truly religious. Until you have attained realisation there is no difference between you and atheists. The atheists are sincere, but the man who says that he believes in religion and never attempts to realise it is not sincere."
"So, says Vedanta, religion is to be realised now. And for you to become religious means that you will start without any religion work your way up and realise things, see things for yourself; and when you have done that, then, and then alone, you have religion. Before that you are no better than atheists, or worse, because the atheist is sincere—he stands up and says, "I do not know about these things—while those others do not know but go about the world, saying, "We are very religious people." What religion they have no one knows, because they have swallowed some grandmother's story, and priests have asked them to believe these things; if they do not, then let them take care. That is how it is going."
Now we've all agreed upon this that being a sincere atheist is better than being dead-minded believers. But, how is growing technology helping people be more spiritual? How is materialistic prosperity helping people to be more spiritual?
In our earlier blogs and even in our philosophy video, we had concluded that one asks deeper questions of life only when one is extremely curious to know or extremely miserable and suffering the complexities of life. These are the two possibilities.
Now, by seeking momentory pleasures in materialistic possessions, we quickly understand ourselves that we aren't gonna get that eternal ultimate bliss in these trifling things. We understand that we're made for something more divine and more grand. Even in four ashrams of life, four stages of life, our rishis have advised us to experience Grihast Ashram first and then renounce social life.
Thus, yet again Vivekananda had put emphasis on firstly uplifting the poors, serving the needy and doing good to country at large by feeding the people proper food, giving them education, all kinds of resources etc. "An empty stomach is no good for religion." He firmly believed that still the idea of monkhood remains in the very veins of Indians. Hence, he believed that after enjoying these material things properly, our Indians will naturally develop renunciation!
The proof of this is western world. We Indians are struggling to get better lifestyles and those westerners, the americans and british are getting attracted towards our religion naturally. In every locality they have Yoga Classes going on. Buddhism too has greatly caught the eyes of westerners. Even the ISCKON movement of Srila Prabhupada. You can search on the internet hundreds of westerners dancing while playing khol and harmonium chanting Hare Ram, Hare Krishna... with shaven heads and khadi clothes. Ananda Sangha of Swami Yogananda Paramhansa, Ramkrishna Mission and Vedanta Society etc are some of the inmumerable Vedantic missionary socities working there. Vivekananda himself, from 1893 to 1897 chose America and Britain to preach Vedanta, Upanishads in the light of his guru Sri Ramkrishna. Why? Because India at that time was unfortunately under the foot of another race and lacked even basic food. The poor peasants of India had forgotten that they too are humans.
Drenching in money, west was now in the hunger of spirituality. Thus Vivekananda went there, proudltly represented the Vedantic Religion in World's Parliament of Religions and preached there for 4-5 years. Think how much difficulties he must have taken in travelling, preaching foreign religion to a strange land for money. The money and the support he got was fabulous. With that he established Ramkrishna Mission and Math to finally uplift Indians. You see, Vivekananda went there penniless, but his knowledge earned him the highest respects in west. Here in India you are as worthy as a fly if you dont have money. Indians began to listen Vivekananda seriously only when they heard that he had shook up the godlike americans and britishers with his knowledge.
Therefore we conclude, India at its present state is recovering its lost momentum after its independence. Lets see if India is able to prosper materially in 50-100 years. If this happens then maybe India too will generate mass spiritual hunger in around 150 years. The only way to fasten this process is to wait for some other Vivekananda for India.
But overall I see as clear as daylight that Indians coming in contact witg technology has brewed spirituality in them. You see the WhatsApp statuses of our elders? How deeply philosophical they are. Poems, shayaris, messages with spiritual knowledge are getting forwarded very quickly. I remember few of them. One was on the summary of the all 18 chapters of Bhagvat Geeta in 18 lines. The other one was of the free book links of all the scriptures, philosophical books etc. Very good. Overall progress is quite remarkable.
Let us hope in future of India that may she master material and spiritual both the aspects of life.
With fervant hopes for India's revival,
Daksh Parekh.
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