A Story about Religion
May. 15th, 2006 09:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kokopelleHere is a story showing the relation between awareness and religion:
There was a man who invented the art of making fire. He took his tools and went to a tribe in the north, where it was very cold, bitterly cold. The taught the people there to make fire. The people were very interested. He showed them the uses to which they could put the fire – they could cook, could keep themselves warm, etc. They were so grateful that they had learned the art of making fire. But before they could express their gratitude to the man, he disappeared. He wasn’t concerned with their recognition or gratitude; he was concerned with their well-being. He went to another tribe, where he again began to show them the value of his invention. People were interested there too, a bit too interested for the peace of mind of their priests, who began to notice that the man was drawing crowds and the priests were losing their popularity. So they decided to do away with him. They poisoned him, crucified him, put it any way you like. Afterwards they were afraid that the people might turn against them, but the priests were very wise, very wily. Do you know what they did? The priests had a portrait of the man made and mounted it above the main alter of the temple. The instruments for making fire were placed in front of the portrait, and the people were taught to revere the portrait and pay reverence to the instruments of fire, which they dutifully did for centuries. The veneration and the worship went on, but there was no fire.
The world does not lack from religion; it lacks from love and awareness. The world does not lack from veneration and worship; it lacks from love and awareness. Love can only be generated through awareness. Turn on the light of awareness and the darkness will disappear. Happiness is not something you acquire through religion. Love is not something you have through a sacrament. Love is something that has you. Surrender to the reality of the world to experience love.
There was a man who invented the art of making fire. He took his tools and went to a tribe in the north, where it was very cold, bitterly cold. The taught the people there to make fire. The people were very interested. He showed them the uses to which they could put the fire – they could cook, could keep themselves warm, etc. They were so grateful that they had learned the art of making fire. But before they could express their gratitude to the man, he disappeared. He wasn’t concerned with their recognition or gratitude; he was concerned with their well-being. He went to another tribe, where he again began to show them the value of his invention. People were interested there too, a bit too interested for the peace of mind of their priests, who began to notice that the man was drawing crowds and the priests were losing their popularity. So they decided to do away with him. They poisoned him, crucified him, put it any way you like. Afterwards they were afraid that the people might turn against them, but the priests were very wise, very wily. Do you know what they did? The priests had a portrait of the man made and mounted it above the main alter of the temple. The instruments for making fire were placed in front of the portrait, and the people were taught to revere the portrait and pay reverence to the instruments of fire, which they dutifully did for centuries. The veneration and the worship went on, but there was no fire.
The world does not lack from religion; it lacks from love and awareness. The world does not lack from veneration and worship; it lacks from love and awareness. Love can only be generated through awareness. Turn on the light of awareness and the darkness will disappear. Happiness is not something you acquire through religion. Love is not something you have through a sacrament. Love is something that has you. Surrender to the reality of the world to experience love.
