True religion is a private affair with God.
Thus, there are as many religions in the world, as there are individuals.
I am the starting point of my religion.
I am its end point too.
Hence, my life is the way.
Not a set of dogmas imposed upon me by others.
Not a religious club with rules and regulations to which I was unwittingly born into.
Hence I must gather my wits about me and arrive at a sanity of thought and discover my own religion, as it suits and resonates within me.
The life in-between that I live is my religion.
Or rather the living of my life is my religion.
Hence it concerns no-one else.
My understanding of life, is the basis for my religion.
Hence it is an ever evolving process.
As my understanding of life grows and evolves, my religion too correspondingly evolves.
Thus I do not stagnate psychologically and thereby do not live and practice an infantile religion socially imposed upon me by a fragile society with dogmatic belief systems and practices, which would cripple my spiritual growth and dialogue with God forever.
My concern is with God, not with a religion or any religion.
Hence my knowledge of God, paves the way for the good understanding of my religion.
This understanding is based on wisdom-knowledge.
Hence first acquire this knowledge.
If not you will live like a religious fool.
It was this wisdom-knowledge, which was presented and taught to ARJUNA by Lord KRISHNA in the Bhagavad Gita.
So too also JESUS presented this wisdom in the four Gospels of the Bible.
Buddha taught this wisdom in his sermons.
None of the three taught a bundle of superstitious religious nonsense as a basis for their teachings.
These teachings have a universal content equally applicable to one and all.
They did not invent or create a religion or a creed.
WHY? It is needless.
Because the living of life itself is a religion.
For which daily actions are the rituals.
These actions, if done religiously would sanctify one.
Thus the process of SANCTIFICATION would naturally occur.
Hence the day to day living of life is sacred.
Hence one of the most remarkable and powerful statements in the world was made by Jesus.
He said; “I AM THE WAY.” That is;
“I” Awareness is the WAY.
For, GOD IS WITHIN.
To be AWARE of God within.
For, God and I are one. For we are one and not two.
As, God is in me and I am in God.
Jesus declares to all believers; (in Gospel of John 17.21-23)
“FATHER, THAT ALL OF THEM MAY BE ONE, JUST AS YOU ARE IN ME AND I AM IN YOU, MAY THEY ALSO BE IN US.
Thus signifying a unique TRINITY of oneness of man, God and Jesus.
HOW? And WHERE?
This is the crux of true religion.
Hence maintaining this “I” awareness is the crux of religion, which actualises the oneness of man with God.
Thus the Bhagavad Gita speaks of this “I” as the ATMAN within.
The ATMAN within is the core and the centre of your true existence.
Hence be centred in your true being.
When you are centred, you are God-centred.
How many centres could you have?
Only one.
Therefore, when you are centred you are automatically GOD-CENTRED.
Thereafter, being GOD-centred live your life and go through your life operations.
Now you are living in God.
Furthermore, living so, become GOD-AWARE.
WHY?
Because you had forgotten or lost this awareness that you are God, even though God is within you.
God’s being-ness and nature of existence is invisibly present within you.
Hence be consciously aware of this fact and live your life.
Doing so and being so, one fine day, the God experience will transpire within.
In order to facilitate this Truth to transpire within you, that is why Jesus said;
“I AM THE WAY”.
I-AWARENESS is the WAY.
“I” is the ATMAN within you.
Thus I-Awareness is ATMAN-Awareness.
The entire teaching of the Bhagavad Gita is on this Atman-Awareness.
“I AM THE WAY” also means, MY LIFE IS THE WAY.
Thus your life which is unique is your religion.
Thus everyone has his or her own unique religion.
Thus religion is no big deal.
You don’t have to subscribe to any creed, doctrines or belief systems to do this.
Just dump them.
The more you do so, the more will you be free to repose and abide in the ATMAN (within).
Then get on with life, get your act together and live your life in whatever way it befits thee.
But don’t get crippled and jammed by a belief system.
You have to discard all, to be the ATMAN.
The word ATMAN itself. Indicates the WAY TO THE ATMAN???
The Germans understand this.
Buddha taught this.
The Gita and the Upanishads mention this.
So they all resonate together and speak the same language of Salvation for mortal man, to be immortal.
Thus, I come back to the same statement mentioned earlier.
“I AM THE WAY”.
My life is the WAY.
The living of my life is the WAY.
Live your life with the ATMAN-AWARENESS.
Thus was it taught in the Bhagavad Gita.
Live your life in a perfect manner.
However lowly or humble you are, live like a god.
Because you are a god in human disguise.
To effect this, “BE YOU PERFECT AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT” (Gospel of Matthew 5.48).
By this you will become a living god.
To be PERFECT should be the IDEAL of every god loving man or woman.
Be a perfect individual.
Perfect in all what you are.
Then it is a job well done.
By that your KARMAS will be over.
Then it is a life lived well.
By that your life in the universe will be over.
When the above two are done well, you will attain Salvation.
Salvation from what?
From human bondage.
And attain the godly state of being as the DIVINE.
Hence, whatever be your status, be a perfect man or woman; or a perfect husband, or a perfect wife; or a perfect employer, or a perfect employee.
Thus is the WAY to your INNER KINGDOM OF GOD WITHIN.
To effect this, the OUTER KINGDOM of mother EARTH has been provided for you, for your soul-growth.
Hence, do all your actions in the outer kingdom correctly, nobly and well.
Respect nature, respect all life and respect all beings on planet Earth.
Do not abuse any; do not ill-treat any.
Be correct and just with one and all.
Thus will you attain the outer kingdom of God.
That is why it is mentioned in the Hindu scripture;
“YAGNO VAI VISHNU”.
VISHNU means the all-pervasive mother Earth, which is an intrinsic part of the Universe.
We are here concerned only with the planet Earth.
The other planets and stars in the firmament are doing their respective jobs and will take care of themselves.
Don’t be concerned about them.
Your jurisdiction is here on planet Earth.
Hence don’t waste your time and resources with the Astrologers.
They can only predict your stars.
And not influence and alter their set positions.
How can they? For it is not in their hands.
Nor can the pagan priests mollify the gods and grease their palms to favour you.
Are the gods so corrupt as to be susceptible to your flattery and offerings?
Have some sense.
The planets, the stars and the gods proceed in their SET WAYS, as set by the Almighty.
Hence have the good sense to accept, correct yourself and proceed in the course set for you.
Thus the GREAT BEING (GOD) became the planet Earth.
Hence planet Earth is sacred.
COSMOS is the manifest appearance of the un-manifest Divine. This is the meaning of the word VISHNU.
It took its formation as a great sacrifice from God. That is why the expression;
“YAGNO VAI VISHNU”.
It became the planet Earth as a sacrifice.
Therefore, it being so, you too should respectfully do all your enjoined actions, in whatever capacity you are and are placed in life AS A SACRIFICE.
By this attitude benediction will transpire in your life.
This is the law of life.
By this process, you will obtain the outer kingdom of God.
Thereafter ONLY, the inner kingdom will be yours or will be available to you.
AS YOU NOW MERIT IT.
Jesus was a genius. By using the expression ‘the Kingdom of God’, he thereby included both the outer and the inner kingdoms.
The outer implies the perfection of life in the outside manifest world.
And the inner implies the perfection of the mind world within.
The two together will make you perfect and merit the grace and benediction of God.
Hence perform all your actions in life as a sacrifice.
As a sacrifice to the Great Being (GOD), who has ordained each action for every being.
A mother taking care of her new born babe is doing a great sacrifice.
So also, each and every man going out to work to take care of his family is doing a sacrifice.
A farmer tilling his soil is performing a great sacrifice, with his toil and sweat.
He is feeding the human race with the abundance of food that he grows.
It is the NOBLEST profession in the world.
But modern man disdains it.
He wants the artificial glamour of the city life.
If you want to live a happily married life, marry a farmer’s daughter.
She is well brought up and is also of good disposition.
Why?
Because she has been nurtured in the soil of the Earth and has been tempered by the peace of the Earth.
Pearl S. Buck won a ‘nobel prize’ for her book on “THE GOOD EARTH”.
Wherever you go, you will find the Good Earth at peace with herself.
Nature has a soothing, calming influence upon one.
That is why the BRIHADARANYA UPANISHAD says;
“DHYAYATI IVA PRITIVI”- as if the Earth meditates.
When one is calm and serene and is at peace, then it seems as if one is in meditation.
Hence, when you are in nature, it calmly leads you to God and to be in tune with yourself.
Both are the same.
To be finely tuned to the inner self within.
This is the total essence of True Religion or the inner life of the Spirit.
To dwell in God, whose Spirit unseen, dwelleth within you.
When you see a little child, a little sparrow, a little deer (fawn), a little puppy, or even a cub of a tiger, there is an immediate sense of love, compassion and tenderness flowing out of you.
This is intrinsic to your nature.
Where did it come from??
From within.
So why don’t you allow these qualities to blossom.
You will become a beautiful soul.
You will be happy.
To be happy with the tender beauty of nature manifest all around.
To be happy with yourself.
To be happy with others.
This you will be, when you have compassion and love.
When you have love you will be happy with yourself and with all life forms.
This is what is meant by loving and adoring VISHNU.
Vishnu means nature in all its forms.
Respecting and interacting lovingly with nature in all its forms.
Performing your enjoined duties, functions and actions dutifully and lovingly.
Thus, when you so live, the outer kingdom of God has been attained by you.
This will pave the way for the inner kingdom to transpire within.
By all this, you will find a beautiful world.
Hence don’t make yourself ugly with hatred, venom and anger.
But flower out and bloom like a beautiful flower
Once Buddha gave a beautiful sermon.
As was his custom, he gave a daily teaching.
On that day, the teaching was brief and short.
He lifted a flower, raised it, and showed it to the assembled aspirants awaiting an instruction.
Only MAHAKASHYAP smiled.
For, he had already bloomed into Enlightenment.
The message was; like a flower bloom into Enlightenment.
The flower was a bud before, thereafter it blossomed and bloomed into a beautiful flower.
So also you too, who is a bud now should bloom into Enlightenment.
For which purpose, the outer kingdom of God is the means, which provides you with the necessary tools for your daily worship in the manifest body of God which is mother Earth, otherwise termed as Vishnu.
All your daily actions and duties in life are to be performed as a worship.
To be performed perfectly, well and lovingly.
This is the real ritual done in the mystical body of God, which will sanctify you.
THE UNIVERSE IS THE MYSTICAL BODY OF GOD.
Thus, in the due course of life, will you bloom into Enlightenment.
That is why Jesus said, the perfection gained in the outer world, will induce the perfection within.
That is why, the Hindu mythological god VISHNU is beautifully adorned.
So that you too could be a Vishnu, when you are similarly adorned with VIRTUES.
Every virtue that you possess is a gem, which will glorify your being to eternal life.
You are the goblet studded and adorned with jewels, from which you will have to drink the DIVINE nectar to attain life immortal.
This truth is symbolically displayed in a church ritual during the sacrament ceremony in a church. That is why the goblet is studded with gems.
The living of life itself is a ceremony.
This is the real ritual.
This is the REAL YAGNA-sacrifice occurring daily in your life.
This is the real worship, wherein you get sanctified.
This is where the REAL WORSHIP OF VISHNU is transpiring. The outer world.
The whole of nature outside is manifest Vishnu, wherein in every single act of yours the worship of Vishnu is naturally occurring.
God has manifested two temples.
One the outer, and the other the inner.
The entire cosmos with all its beings is the outer temple of God.
Hence with REVERENCE, live your life.
This is true piety.
Not to build a temple and install a stone image of whatever and worship therein.
By this you get DEFOCUSED from the real intent and thrust of life.
Thus the outer kingdom of God, referred to as VISHNU is sacred.
The scripture declares;
SA YAGNO BABHUWA = The Divine became YAGNA.
And YAGNO VII VISHNU = YAGNA indeed is VISHNU.
It means, the Divine as a great sacrifice became VISHNU, the outer kingdom of God.
And this outer kingdom is the manifest universe which transpired in the Being of God.
For what purpose?
So that you can experience life in the manifest universe and thereby become proficient to experience the unmanifest Divine present in the cosmos and also in your mind.
Thus the outer and the inner kingdom of God is accomplished in your DIVINE experience.
That is why in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna alludes to this fact in the 13th chapter and uses the word KSHETRA – FIELD for the outer kingdom.
It is the field in which the Divine gets manifest.
The outer field, is the cosmos.
The inner field is the ANTAKARANA – MIND.
It is also the field wherein the Divine experience will transpire.
Thus one secures both the outer and inner kingdom of God.
Thus, for this process to transpire in one’s life, one must first secure perfection in the outer field of operation.
Then the inner is gained.
The inner is based on the outer. Thus declares Jesus.
Hence live your life lovingly, with no hatred, anger and venom towards any living form. Have respect for one and all, with no ill-will for any.
Perform your actions and functions dutifully.
Thus will you secure the outer-kingdom.
Do not abuse, exploit, ill-treat, harm or injure any.
If you do you will get it back.
It is the law of life.
What you sow, so will you reap.
If you sow hatred, you will receive it a hundred fold.
And if you sow love, you will receive God and everlasting happiness.