• Welcome to Tamil Brahmins forums.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our Free Brahmin Community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

God, Faith and Belief

Status
Not open for further replies.
God, Faith and Belief

March 3, 2015


10499622_f120.jpg





A story....

There is a great temple with a hundred priests to look after it. One night the chief priest went to bed and dreamed that God has sent word that He will visit their temple the next day. He did not believe it, because it is difficult to come across people who are more disbelieving than the priests. He did not believe his dream for another reason, too. People who trade in religion never come to believe in religion. They only exploit religion, which never becomes their faith, their truth.


No one in the world is more faithless than one who turns faith into a means of exploitation. So the chief priest could not believe that God would really come to this temple. The priest had never believed in such things, although he had been a priest for long years. He had worshipped God for long and he knew that God had never visited his temple even once. Each day he had offered food to God, and he knew that he had in reality offered it to himself. He had also prayed to God every day, but he knew well that his prayers were lost in the empty sky, because there was no one to hear them.



So he thought that the message was not true, it was just a dream, and a dream rarely turns into a reality. But then he was afraid, too, lest the dream should come true. At times what we call a dream turns into a reality and a reality as we know it proves to be a dream. Sometimes what we think to be a dream really becomes a reality. So the chief priest ultimately decided to inform his close colleagues about his last night's dream. He said to the other priests, "Although it seems to be a joke, yet I should tell you about it. Last night I dreamed that God said that he would visit us today." The other priests laughed and they said, "Are you mad that you believe in dreams? However, don't tell others about it; otherwise they will take you to be crazy." But the head priest said, "In case He should come, we should be prepared for it. There is no harm if He does not turn up, but if at all He comes, we will not be found wanting."






10499646_f260.jpg








So the whole temple and its premises were scrubbed, washed and cleaned thoroughly. It was decorated with flowers and flags and festoons. Lamps were lit and incense burned. Perfumes were sprayed and every kind of preparation made. The priests tired themselves out in the course of the day, but God did not turn up. Every now and then they looked up the road, they were disappointed, and they said, "Dream is a dream after all; God is not going to come. We were fools to believe so. It was good that we did not inform the people of the town; otherwise they would have simply laughed at us." By evening the priests gave up all hope, and they said, "Let us now eat the sumptuous food cooked for God.


It has ever been so: what we offer to God is consumed by us in the end. No one is going to turn up. We were crazy enough to believe in a dream. The irony is that we knowingly made fools of ourselves. If others go mad, they can be excused, because they don't know. But we know God never comes. Where is God? There is this idol in the temple; it is all there is to it. And it is our business, our profession to worship him." And then they ate well and went to bed early as they were tired. When it was midnight a chariot pulled up at the gate of the temple, and its sound was heard.






10499654_f260.jpg







One of the sleeping priests heard it and thought that it was God's chariot. He shouted to others, "Listen friends and wake up. It seems He, whom we expected all day, has arrived at long last. The noise of the chariot is heard." The other priests snubbed him saying, "Shut up, you crazy one. We have had enough of madness all through the day, now that it is night let us sleep well. It is not the sound of a chariot, but the rumblings of the clouds in the skies." So they explained the thing away and returned to their beds. Then the chariot halted at the gate, and someone climbed the steps of the temple and knocked at its door.


And again one of the priests woke up from sleep and shouted to his associates, "It seems the guest has arrived whom we awaited the whole day long. He is knocking at the door." The other priests berated him as they had done with the first. They said, "Are you not crazy? Won't you allow us to sleep? It is just the dash of winds against the door and not a knock of a caller." So they again rationalized and went back to their beds. The next morning they woke up and walked to the gates of the temple.


And they were astounded to see a few footprints on the steps of the temple. Surely enough someone had climbed them during the night. And then they noticed some marks of a chariot's wheels on the road, and there was now no doubt at all that a chariot had arrived at the gate in the night. And strangely enough the footprints on the steps were absolutely uncommon and unknown. Now the priests burst into tears and fell down and began to roll on the ground where the chariot had halted. And soon the whole village was at the temple's gates.


Everybody in the crowd asked with bewilderment, "What is the matter?" The priests said, "Don't ask what the matter is. God knocked at the door of our temple last night, but we rationalized everything. We are now damned. He knocked at the door and we thought that it was the flapping sound of the winds. His chariot came, and we thought that it was the rumble of thunder in the sky. The truth is that we did not understand anything. We only explained them away, because we wanted to enjoy our sleep."



God knocks at every door. His grace visits every home. But our doors are shut. And even when we hear a knock we immediately rationalize it and explain it away. In the old days they said that "A guest is God". There is a slight mistake in this maxim. The truth is that God is the guest. God is waiting as a guest at our doorsteps, but the door is closed. His grace is equally available to all. Therefore don't ask whether one attains through His grace; one attains through His grace alone. And as far as our efforts are concerned, they are a help in opening the door, in removing the hurdles from the way. When He comes, He comes on His own accord.


http://mrinalinieroole1.hubpages.com/hub/god-is-the-guest
 
Whenever I tell a story to my grand son, at the end he will tell on his own the moral of the story.
Now I waiting for him to hear and tell me the moral.
 
God knocks at every door. His grace visits every home. But our doors are shut.

http://mrinalinieroole1.hubpages.com/hub/god-is-the-guest


Reminds me of a song from Men at Work pop group:

Who can it be knocking at my door?
Go 'way, don't come 'round here no more
Can't you see that it's late at night?
I'm very tired and I'm not feeling right


All I wish is to be alone
Stay away, don't you invade my home
Best off if you hang outside
Don't come in, I'll only run and hide


Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?


Who can it be knocking at my door?
Make no sound, tip-toe across the floor
If he hears, he'll knock all day
I'll be trapped and here I'll have to stay


I've done no harm, I keep to myself
There's nothing wrong with my state of mental health
I like it here with my childhood friend
Here they come, those feelings again


Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?


Is it the man come to take me away?
Why do they follow me?
It's not the future that I can see
It's just my fantasy


Oh, who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?



Read more: Men At Work - Who Can It Be Now? Lyrics | MetroLyrics
 

Who can it be knocking at my door?
Go 'way, don't come 'round here no more
Can't you see that it's late at night?
I'm very tired and I'm not feeling right

All I wish is to be alone
Stay away, don't you invade my home
Best off if you hang outside
Don't come in, I'll only run and hide
God did not knock at every door. He simply visits every home. Our doors are not shut.... only kept wide open; but we are fast asleep.
 
This seems to be alien to our Hindu beliefs. For us God is amnipresent and ever-present and so He just does not have to come knocking at every door at night. On the contrary, we believe late night is the time for eerie ghosts and other evil spirits to roam about, since sun's rays will make them powerless.

Though this story has a moral, it is the sad truth that most people in our country are not at all sincere in their duties and are generally highly susceptible to corruption. That is the main reason we have not progressed in the last 7 decades, despite Independence.
 
This seems to be alien to our Hindu beliefs. For us God is amnipresent and ever-present and so He just does not have to come knocking at every door at night. On the contrary, we believe late night is the time for eerie ghosts and other evil spirits to roam about, since sun's rays will make them powerless.

Though this story has a moral, it is the sad truth that most people in our country are not at all sincere in their duties and are generally highly susceptible to corruption. That is the main reason we have not progressed in the last 7 decades, despite Independence.

Yes Sir,

The all pervading God is omnipresent:; but as a helpless,mute and silent spectator.
 
Yes Sir,

The all pervading God is omnipresent:; but as a helpless,mute and silent spectator.

Shri yesmohan,

The feeling that God is, somehow, "helpless, mute and silent spectator" comes because no religion teaches us correctly about God. God merely causes this otherwise perishable body to form, grow in the mother's womb and outside, and live for several years. The moment the god inside us leaves the body (because the body can no longer function — just like car whose engine is irreparably broken down —) this body begins to rot and, in about two months or so becomes the skeleton in the coffins.

We come down with a lot of accounts to square up, mostly karmas for which the results are to be experienced by us. No power can interfere and help us in that, except our own good deeds. But religions will, uniformly, try to hide this because, for them, idol-worship, astrological parihArama etc., etc., generate the moneys.
 
Shri yesmohan,

But religions will, uniformly, try to hide this because, for them, idol-worship, astrological parihArama etc., etc., generate the moneys.

Astrological parihArams thrive well with a coordination and mutual understanding of astrologers and priests.
 
Shri yesmohan,


We come down with a lot of accounts to square up, mostly karmas for which the results are to be experienced by us. No power can interfere and help us in that, except our own good deeds. But religions will, uniformly, try to hide this because, for them, idol-worship, astrological parihArama etc., etc., generate the moneys.

Sri Sangom Sir,

Two questions here. (i) What are good deeds...... (ii) How do we infer that our good deeds have helped us, because there is no availability of clear evidence that they did help.
 
hi

here 2 things...somebody god as saguna upasana with puja/rituals....another nirguna upasana....just do good karma/meditation etc..

these 2 different paths always there in hinduism.....the same advaita sankarachaya told BAJA GOVINDAM.....same acharya told..

NETI NETI....so its indvidual choice...the bridge is required to cross the river......then the SAME BRIDGE useless....so somebody

attach with bridge.....somebody not....
 
Shri yesmohan,

The feeling that God is, somehow, "helpless, mute and silent spectator" comes because no religion teaches us correctly about God. God merely causes this otherwise perishable body to form, grow in the mother's womb and outside, and live for several years. The moment the god inside us leaves the body (because the body can no longer function — just like car whose engine is irreparably broken down —) this body begins to rot and, in about two months or so becomes the skeleton in the coffins.

We come down with a lot of accounts to square up, mostly karmas for which the results are to be experienced by us. No power can interfere and help us in that, except our own good deeds. But religions will, uniformly, try to hide this because, for them, idol-worship, astrological parihArama etc., etc., generate the moneys.

The god inside us - is this a conscious, able entity or just a force, like "electricity" which will light the "bulb" if "other things" required are set right?

If it is a conscious & able entity that is common (both inside and outside), why is that the god inside us makes everyone to think differently, and opposingly to the extent of hatred and deceit. Does it lose its "character" once it is inside?
 
The god inside us - is this a conscious, able entity or just a force, like "electricity" which will light the "bulb" if "other things" required are set right?

If it is a conscious & able entity that is common (both inside and outside), why is that the god inside us makes everyone to think differently, and opposingly to the extent of hatred and deceit. Does it lose its "character" once it is inside?

From whatever I have learned on advaita and other texts, this entity is not a conscious or thinking entity but is more like the electricity which you mention.

It is not the god inside which makes each one of us so different, but the load of unexpired actions or karmas in each one of us which causes this. god does not lose any of its character, inside or outside our body.
 
From whatever I have learned on advaita and other texts, this entity is not a conscious or thinking entity but is more like the electricity which you mention.

It is not the god inside which makes each one of us so different, but the load of unexpired actions or karmas in each one of us which causes this. god does not lose any of its character, inside or outside our body.
Sir, I have noticed that you seem to favour a mass of consciousness or universal support system that supports the seen and unseen, but you have somehow inserted karma in it. This somehow jars the logic. What is this karma? How is it measured? How does it devolve and how does it identiry the victim (being)? Where does it hover in between births if there is a rebirth (karma should mandate rebirth)? Lot of questions that cannot be answered.

It would appear sir that this "karma" itself wouldnt stand the scrutiny of logic. Dont you think so?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest ads

Back
Top