[Advaita-l] Religion that I am born into

[Srikrishna Ghadiyaram]

hariH Om !!

--- latha vidya <lathavidya at yahoo.co.in> wrote:
>  
> People should not mislead others into believing that
> they can convert to any religion as their limited
> intellectual and reasoning directs.

Is the intellectual and reasoning ability of those who
say 'stick to your own religion', unlimited ?

> Birth into a
> particular religion is not an accident. My past
> deeds decide my eligibility to be born into a
> particular religion that becomes my Swadharma and my
> Parama Dharma. 

If you advocate so much that 'birth' into a specific
religious background is because of 'past deeds', why
can not you advocate that the tendency and interest to
choose a different religious practice is also because
of 'past deeds' ?

If one's 'past deeds' were so much binding and guiding
one, then one should have so chosen to 'stick' to
religion of birth all the time. But, it is not the
case.

Religion is 'man made'. No question of eligibility or
otherwise. 

> My birth religion, be it
> Christianity, Hinduism or Sikhism or whichever, has
> the capacity to take me to the highest level of
> spiritually. I need to have total faith in the
> religion that I am born into. 

> With the limited
> intelligence and perception that I am endowed with I
> can not measure the depth of my religion. 

All philosophical speculation is intellectual. If not,
you can not endorse that 'advaita' is better than
'dvaita' etc. as many in this list believe.

> It is
> sheer ignorance on my part to belittle one religion
> and keep the other on a pedestal. 

In the process of evolution, comparison is a must.

> If I am destined
> to reach the Highest state of spirituality and I
> strive with sincere effort towards that goal I can
> attain that state irrespective of the religion that
> I am born into. 

When you agree that if I am 'destined to', then why
ifs and buts such as 'I strive with sincere effort'.
Who is propelling that 'effort' ? 

If one is 'destined' to change religion, one will
change. Why prescribe some rules about it ? and preach
them not to, unless one can agree that 'being
preached' and 'preaching' is one's destiny ?

> Have we not heard of so many people
> from varied religious backgrounds attaining
>  enlightenment??
> 

So, being born into a religion is of no consequence
and 'past deeds' have no connection to 'enlightenment'
!! ?? 

> Sringeri Acharya Sri Sri Chandrashekhara Bharathi
> Swamiji had once guided a Christian seeker who had
> come to Him seeking to embrace Hinduism that there
> was no true objective (Purushartha) attained by
> embracing a religion outside of one’s birth. 

Yes, everyone agrees that 'true enquiry' has no
requirement of any religion.

> Instead
> of converting one self into another religion, why
> not seek to study one’s own scripture  indepth with
> the help of a Teacher and follow its tenets with all
> Bhakthi and Shradhdha and reach the goal? 

Such questions can only try to bring out the real
drive/reason for change. Change itself can not be
stopped. Sure one can study one's religious scripture.
If truth be the same every where then by changing
scripture, nothing is lost any way.

> Parama
> Purushartha or the main objective of this human
> birth can be realized by striving towards perfection
> in one’s own religion. There is more purpose and
> meaning achieved by becoming a better Hindu or a
> better Christian or a better Sikh than getting
> converted to another religion and get left in the
> lurch – neither here nor there.
> 

There is no-where to go. If that is the truth, then
any religion is the same. If one is driven to choose
some thing else, and it 'works out', it is not because
one wants it this way or that way, it has to be
accepted that it is the result of 'past deeds' as you
put it.

Let those who want to promote 'change', promote and
let those who want to 'prevent', prevent.

Om Namo Narayanaya !!

Srikrishna


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