| The other day I was talking about the distinction | | | | that these are God-given and therefore cannot |
| in religion and spirituality. Spirituality is about | | | | be questioned. |
| liberation, and religion, as it is understood and | | | | To follow truth is to be religious; this seems to be |
| practiced, is about control. | | | | the message. These truths which sprang from |
| At the lowest level religions tend to control | | | | Vedic culture stood for individual freedom; only |
| through ignorance and blind belief. They do not | | | | such freedom can lead towards awareness and |
| wish to be questioned, because they have no | | | | liberation. Religions that tend to control through |
| answers. The Vedic culture is very clear on this. | | | | ignorance graduate into control through fear and |
| What they laid out as scriptures are the eternal | | | | greed. These are the two steps which work as |
| immutable truth, called sruti. The best that I like | | | | the basis of a number of religions, extant in the |
| about them, why only I, anyone would for that | | | | world today. |
| matter, is that they are not regulations. There are | | | | Spirituality is about losing fear and overcoming |
| no strict commandments. They are the epitome | | | | greed. Krishna advises us in the Bhagavad-Gita to |
| examples of leave it or take it. "I have said; now | | | | drop aversion and attachment, because even |
| it is up to you", is an admirable stance to take. | | | | aversion is a form of attachment, in order to |
| They are simply the guidelines for evolution, for | | | | reach Him. Unfortunately, some religions foster |
| the flowering of your consciousness. | | | | fear and greed through regulations that they |
| Sruti means 'the heard', that's all - that is, hear the | | | | impose on you. They will tell you that if you do |
| truth - to follow or not to follow, is determined by | | | | this or that, you will be a sinner and go to hell; and |
| your level of understanding or the degree of | | | | if you stay away from all such evil actions, you |
| evolvement. Do we not find the same attitude of | | | | will be redeemed and will go to heaven. |
| the universe, existence, God - call it by whatever | | | | There is no heaven and hell. They exist only in our |
| name you will? This attitude needs tremendous | | | | minds. You commit sin because you are in hell; |
| strength of character. Other than sruti, there is | | | | you do not go to hell because you commit sin. |
| another branch of truth, called smriti. | | | | Redemption is liberation and heaven, when you |
| Smriti means 'memory', that is, memorize what | | | | reach that inner awareness that you are one with |
| has been said. Memorize, because it is utilitarian | | | | all. And then the bliss that engulfs you is that |
| and essential to your living, and although the | | | | heaven. It is not any geographical location where |
| truths here are temporal in nature, they are | | | | wine, women, and extensions of worldly pleasures |
| useful to be kept or held in the mind. Even in | | | | lie in wait for you twenty-four hours a day. Such |
| smriti, there is no command, only a drawing of | | | | a place would, in fact be hell, as it would lead to |
| attention, regulated for a day-to-day living. Thus | | | | infinite boredom. |
| the regulations in smriti are changeable, as they | | | | Drop all notions of sin and merit and of hell and |
| are required to evolve with time and space - | | | | heaven and live with awareness. You will reach |
| room for modernization. There is no rigidity, there | | | | Nitya Ananda, Eternal Bliss. |
| is no compulsion, and there is no pronouncement | | | | |