| Most people find the reading of scriptures quite | | | | scripture, and follow every step of the scripture, |
| boring and illogical. They just can't understand the | | | | he can not be called religious or spiritual unless he |
| meaning of the verses. They find scriptures full of | | | | has developed faith in the scripture. |
| myths and illogical statements. Scriptures are | | | | Only a person who has understood the spirit of |
| supposed generate faith in the people about of | | | | the scripture knows that the spirit of all religions is |
| the reality of God. They are full of glory of God | | | | same. Unfortunately spirit like any other living |
| which is often explained in the form of poetries | | | | entity can never be produced in words. It has to |
| and miracles. They are full of teachings which are | | | | be understood only by intuition. Every spiritual |
| opposite of our commonsense and reasoning. For | | | | person agrees with Kahlil Gibran as he too believe |
| example, the most powerful verse of Bible is the | | | | in his famous words, |
| statement of Christ where he says, | | | | I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel |
| "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; | | | | in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I |
| but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn | | | | are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit. |
| the other to him also" (Matthew 5:39). | | | | Why Logic is Not Spiritual |
| Any logical person is sure to question the validity | | | | The fundamental principle of logic is the use of |
| of this statement of Jesus. All the laws and rules | | | | material evidence. Its realm is the world that can |
| of a civil society are designed based on the | | | | be seen and understood by the senses. However, |
| opposite policy i.e. eye for eye. Every society | | | | the visible world is merely a small manifestation of |
| punishes the evil doer by doing at least equal | | | | the reality. We all know that the eyes of the man |
| amount of evil against the person. That seems | | | | can see only a small fraction of electromagnetic |
| perfectly logical. However, no statement is as | | | | waves that lies in the visible spectrum. Yet a |
| spiritual in any religion as this single statement of | | | | logical person refuses to see the world that lies |
| Jesus. One can always argue that if evil is not | | | | beyond the perception of the senses. |
| resisted than it can destroy the whole world and | | | | Thus to see the reality of the world, one has to |
| kill all good people thereby establishing the rule of | | | | rely on the intuition that can only be known but |
| evil. For every logical person the policy of the | | | | can not be proven. Using intuition man can see |
| turning the other cheek seems to be a sure | | | | what is not known to the senses. |
| recipe for disaster. Yet this single statement | | | | Alexis Carrel, a French surgeon, biologist and |
| symbolizes the spirit of Bible and Jesus. | | | | eugenicist, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in |
| We may not be able to follow this sermon of | | | | Physiology or Medicine in 1912 explained this |
| Jesus, yet we all know that it is true even if we | | | | capability of man in the following words, |
| can never prove the truth of this sermon. This | | | | . |
| single sermon generate faith in man and God | | | | Intuition comes very close to clairvoyance; it |
| whose reason we do not know as Kahlil Gibran, | | | | appears to be the extrasensory perception of |
| the famous Sufi poet rightly said | | | | reality. |
| Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the | | | | Intuition is often also called as imagination, as it |
| reach of proof. | | | | can not be proven. It is also known as gut feeling, |
| This essentially differentiates logic with faith which | | | | sixth sense which is the foundation of knowledge |
| deals with our logical and spiritual self. Anything | | | | as intuition is the source of all knowledge. In the |
| that can be proven is logical cease to be spiritual | | | | words of Einstein, "Imagination is more important |
| as faith lies beyond the realm of proof and logic. | | | | than knowledge." |
| Essence of Gita | | | | The world of spirit clearly lies beyond the sensual |
| We are always taught that everything must be | | | | perception of man hence it is not possible to |
| done for a goal and purpose. Science too is | | | | grasp it with mind and logic. It needs to be known |
| nothing but the knowledge of the relationship | | | | only by intuition by invoking the power of soul viz. |
| between the cause and effect. Every logical | | | | the spark of spirit in each living creature of the |
| person knows the importance of planning to | | | | universe. Any attempt of verbalize the intuition |
| achieve the desired goal. Corporate, Statesmen | | | | leads to misrepresentation as intuitions can never |
| and Individuals plan strategies to achieve their goal. | | | | be represented but learned only through intuitive |
| You just don't do anything unless you want to | | | | eye of the beholder. Hence if the other person |
| achieve the desired goal. Unless you know your | | | | uses his mental faculty to understand an intuition, |
| destination, how can you even start your | | | | he finds intuition extremely illogical and fails to |
| journey? | | | | understand its true meaning. |
| Yet in Gita, the most revered book of Hinduism, | | | | Logic is the Body of Spirit |
| Lord Krishna asks people to engage in selfless | | | | It is a fact that no living creature can exist |
| action. He says (Gita 2:47) that you must engage | | | | without soul. It is also a reality that the existence |
| in action without the desire of any fruit. The path | | | | of soul is only due to the presence of body. |
| of selfless action is considered so important in | | | | Hence body and soul are not two different |
| Hinduism that one can achieve salvation purely by | | | | realities but complementary to each other. The |
| following this path in his life. This statement though | | | | same relationship exist between the logic of the |
| seems illogical to a logical person, is so important | | | | scripture and the spirit of the scripture. Scriptures |
| that Gita itself has been called by Mahatma Gandhi | | | | can look logical only to a spiritual person and not |
| as "The Gospel of Selfless Action". | | | | to a person who is yet to develop his spiritual self |
| The entire teaching of Gita can be summarized in | | | | and see the world through his spiritual eyes. |
| just single word viz. selfless action. Yet we all | | | | Scriptures are, therefore, designed or written in a |
| know that it is really impossible to follow the path | | | | way that these are full of symbolism which can |
| of selfless action and all actions have to be done | | | | never make sense to the mind. Thus man is |
| with some motive. | | | | forced to invoke his intuitional power to |
| Can there be a more illogical verse than asking | | | | understand the meaning of the scriptures. |
| people to perform all action without considering | | | | Scriptures are not like history or sciences which |
| the consequence? | | | | explains the truth in direct and logical way. They |
| Truth Needs No Proof | | | | are more similar to poems and songs which |
| While we always argue that these statements are | | | | makes no sense to logical mind yet that makes |
| not logical yet we somehow also know that these | | | | much stronger impact on the man as they |
| are true. These statements somehow represent | | | | touches their heart. In the words of Kahlil Gibran, |
| the eternal truth of the universe. The very | | | | "Faith is an oasis in the heart which can never be |
| reason that people have not lost faith on these | | | | reached by the caravan of thinking." |
| statement even after thousands of year is a sure | | | | The Logic of Spirit |
| proof of their truth. Gandhi was selected by Time | | | | Scriptures are not the ends in themselves but |
| magazine as the person of the 20th century | | | | merely a means to realize the spiritual self of the |
| mainly not because of following the twentieth | | | | person that lies beyond the world of perception |
| century (so called) logical principles of capitalism, | | | | and forms. Only by the realization of the spiritual |
| socialism or imperialism but because of his policy | | | | self which is the true self of the person, one can |
| of nonviolence which are thousands of years old. | | | | develop the capability to understand the self. It |
| Even before Christ, Buddha taught the same | | | | also makes a person realize that all people are |
| policy to the people to live a happy life. | | | | also like them only. This knowledge alone enables |
| We intuitively know that the world just can not | | | | a person to know every single person of the |
| exist by following the path contrary to it. Gandhi | | | | world purely by knowing oneself. No thinking is |
| said that if the world follows the policy of eye for | | | | involved in this process of the acquisition of the |
| an eye, soon the whole world would become blind. | | | | knowledge as it comes from within due to faith |
| Similarly, if every action is done by people only | | | | and you can know anything naturally like Kahlil |
| for the selfish reason than the world can never | | | | Gibran, |
| survive. It is our inherent desire to act selflessly | | | | I have learned silence from the talkative, |
| that bind the people in this world like glue. Yet we | | | | toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from |
| just can't prove these eternal truths though we | | | | the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those |
| know them to be true. Thus our faith in these | | | | teachers. |
| truths is not without any basis, even if the basis is | | | | If you are still using your mind, chances are that |
| devoid of any reason. | | | | you may find this statement extremely illogical. |
| Religion and Spirituality | | | | Yet this statement is profoundly spiritual as it |
| Every religion is a mix of spiritually and rituals. If | | | | speaks not only the feelings of Kahlil Gibran but |
| religion can be considered as a living person, then | | | | also of you and hence proves that everything is |
| the scriptures are like the body of the religion | | | | connected with each other not by logic but by a |
| while faith is the soul of the religion. Thus even if | | | | spirit that lies beyond the realm of reason. |
| a person has mastered every word of the | | | | |