From: tli96tEyg@EPN.com   
      
   THE RISE OF SPIRITUALITY AND FALL OF DOGMA   
   ------------------------------------------   
      
   "What is dogma? Dogma is a preconceived idea which forbids human   
   beings to outstep the limits of that idea or object. In this   
   situation the human intellect cannot freely function. Some people   
   say, "All right, we may not get the maximum utilization of our   
   intellect, yet we can have at least ten to twenty percent of its   
   services." My considered opinion is that where there is dogma, even   
   ten to twenty percent of the human intellect cannot be properly   
   utilized; and the meagre amount of intellect used is not something   
   worthwhile. The greatest treasure of human beings is their psychic   
   faculty, or their intellect. When I cannot utilize this precious   
   intellect to its fullest advantage -- what more tragic situation   
   could there be than this! So we need the liberation of the human   
   mind, and even before this we need the liberation of the human   
   intellect.   
      
   Let me further explain what dogma is. Suppose the intellect wants to   
   follow a particular path; in the meantime dogma comes from all sides   
   and forbids it, "Oh no, no! Don't take a single step further on that   
   side. If you do, you'll be burnt in eternal hell-fire. You'll be   
   doomed to hell for eternity." When the intellect wants to make the   
   fullest utilization of mundane wealth, dogma comes in and says, as   
   it were, "Oh no -- you must not do it. It is harmful for human   
   beings, it is sheer blasphemy. It will lead to the degradation of   
   humanity."" (LIBERATION FROM STATICITY, NEOHUMANISM IN A NUTSHELL 1,   
   A Few Problems Solved Part 4, 28 January 1980)   
      
   To overcome dogma it is necessary to realise the trifarious nature   
   of human beings.   
      
   "Now human expressions are trifarious -- physical expression,   
   psychic expression and spiritual expression. The spiritual   
   expression is the highest and subtlest expression of human   
   existence. And here lies the speciality of humans. In the physical   
   stratum each and every human being is special. Nobody is just like   
   others. Even in a small family, brothers and sisters vary from one   
   another. No two face-cuttings are the same. On the psychic level   
   humans are divided into several kinds of ideologies, and they fight   
   amongst themselves, just for ideology, and ideology remains in some   
   sphere of abstraction, and they quarrel amongst themselves. They   
   quarrel regarding religion, regarding different isms with different   
   views, regarding sports. One person will say, "My team will win,"   
   while another will say, "But my team can fight" -- in football or   
   any other sport. And there was one very important play in Spain,   
   toros or something like that -- "bullfighting". People were very   
   much interested in it, and they, the fans, used to fight amongst   
   themselves, and it is not a physical fight, it is a psychic fight.   
   But in the realm of spirituality there cannot be any fight, because   
   the Supreme Goal is one, a singular entity.   
      
   So spiritualism, rather spirituality, is not only the highest and   
   noblest human speciality, but is the only unifying point, the only   
   unifying platform, for the entire human society. There may be so   
   many human races — Negroid, Austric, Mongoloid, Caucasian. Amongst   
   Mongolians there are so many Malays, Japano- and Sino- blendings,   
   Tibeto-Indians, so many of those. Amongst Caucasians there are   
   Nordics, Scandinavians; Alpines in middle Europe; Mediterraneans in   
   Italy, south France, Spain and Portugal. But human society is a   
   singular entity -- humans belong to the same society. So here the   
   Supreme Noumenal Entity is the spiritual nave. Now humans of this   
   last portion of the twentieth century should strengthen that nave,   
   should strengthen that Supreme Noumenal Entity, and on the basis of   
   this Supreme Noumenal Entity lies their universal fraternity -- they   
   are children of the same Supreme Father. The Supreme Progenitor is   
   one; His children are many in number. If the children quarrel   
   amongst themselves on petty affairs, this will certainly not satisfy   
   the Supreme Father. He has given humans, that is, the human body, a   
   developed cranium, a developed brain, developed nerve cells and   
   nerve fibres. Humans should utilize them properly. There should be   
   maximum utilization of all your assets, and by utilizing your   
   assets, you, in your individual and collective capacities, will be   
   assets to human society." (Human Expressions, HUMAN EXPRESSIONS AND   
   HUMAN MOVEMENTS, A'NANDA VACANA'MRTAM  PART 30, 31 May 1979 evening,   
   Valencia)   
      
   So it can be seen that the spiritual yearning and its development is   
   what gives individuals and society a proper desideratum.   
      
   "The first point is that the desideratum must be correct. If someone   
   imagines that their desideratum is to become rich or famous, or even   
   if they aspire to have a post-mortem gate pass to the mythological   
   kingdom of heaven, then surely this can prove very dangerous. But   
   even if the desideratum is correct -- that is, the attainment of   
   perfection, or oneness with God -- even then that cannot be a stable   
   source for our existential stamina. Imagine that one is guiding his   
   or her lifeboat in the vast ocean by means of the pole-star. That is   
   all right. But what happens if the sky of our life becomes covered   
   by clouds? In fact, there are many clouds -- psychic/mental   
   propensities, the potential reactions to past actions, mental   
   fetters and internal enemies respectively. Thus even the correct   
   desideratum is still not dependable.   
      
   Through psycho-spiritual practices all the clouds may be removed   
   from the sky of our life, and in that event the clear vision of our   
   desideratum allows us to proceed unerringly on the path of spiritual   
   liberation. And finally all bondages through action may be   
   eliminated by the three-fold approach of ideation on God, surrender   
   of the vanity of actions, and detachment regarding the results of   
   our work." (THE ORIGIN OF EXISTENTIAL STAMINA, A Few Problems Solved   
   Part 8, October 1986, Calcutta)   
      
   To attain God requires a pure focus.  It is a domestic and personal   
   relationship that needs to be developed and felt.  Religions   
   commonly try to instil fear of God.  But spirituality says no to   
   fear and states that devotion is the way.  The fear psychology is   
   one that is merely manipulative and used to control people to meet   
   the ends of religious divisiveness.  Love for God ignores the fear   
   complex.   
      
   "And one should not be afraid of God, one should not be God-fearing -   
    one must be God-loving.  One must not be afraid of hell and one   
   must not have any charm or fascination for the so-called heaven.   
   One must know that one has come from that Supreme progenitor and the   
   culminating point of all sorts of movements is that Supreme Father.   
   Everything cometh from Him, and everything goeth back to Him.  The   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)