Not To Argue & Win But To Know & Be Known
An inscription on the wall of a temple in Kerala says, "Here is a model abode, where men live like others, bereft of prejudices of caste r the rancour of religious differences." was the temple established by Sri arayana Guru in Kerala in 1888. It was the first such temple that was pened to everyone without any arrier whatsoever. Sri Narayana Guru encouraged elf-respect among those deemed to be f lower castes. He created a parallel stem of temples in which he trained and appointed socially deemed "lower aste" people as priests. As a Buddhist monk, my firm belief sthat there is only one race and one aste in society: the human race. Some them are educated and some are not ducated; some are rich and others are our, but all this is gained or lost over a fetime. The poor can become rich and merich can become poor. All people have the potential to become schooled, skilled, prosperous and enlightened. They have the potential to obtain Bodhi. Gautama Buddha said that in his system, caste was inconsequential. Action is the criterion that decides the real level of attainment of a person. In Buddha's immediate circle of disciples, there were hundreds of individuals belonging to what were then considered lower social catego- ries. One of the three men who collected and edited the Buddha's teachings was Upali, who belonged to the barber caste, and another monk, Chunda, came from ironsmith caste. Another keyword in that temple inscription is "model". These days it is extremely difficult to find a model environment or a model conduct. Wherever we go, things are either too glamorous or too bizarre. Whether it is an institution, a system or an individual, there is the need of arole odel. Very high, refined ideas and ideals are there to inspire us but without a model that one can look up to, these high philosophies remain empty words. Sri Narayana Guru started a tradition of pilgrimage which became an annual event. I recently had the opportunity to witness and participate in the 83rd Savagery pilgrimage at Varkala in Kerala. In December 2015, hundreds of thousands of devotees and followers, all attired in yellow, thronged the abode of Sri Narayana Gurudev. Sri Narayana Guru was a contemporary of MK Gandhi, and they had met each other. They had profound respect for one another. Sri Narayana Guru suggested Gandhijí take a relook at the caste system and arrange to offer privileges to members of so-called lower castes so as to build a brotherhood free of prejudices. The other legacy of Sri Naraya Guru is his efforts to bring about inter-religious harmony. He organisthe first-ever All Religions Confererin Asia in 1924 in Alwaye, Kerala. It only the second in the world after thefirst Parliament of World Religionsin Chicago, USA, in 1893. Narayana Gurudev delivered the essential mesge at Alwaye: "We meet here not to anand win but to know and be known.'The purpose of religion is to guidtowards harmony and high realisatiThere is no point being obsessed by religion. After crossingthe river by you go ahead on your way; you don'tcling to the boat, saying, "That is myboat". Narayana Gurudev said: "Religion is a matter of the mind. Nobody should say, only my religion true; all other religions are false. Theis truth inevery religion.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Lama Doboom Tulkи views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Lama Doboom Tulkи and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Not To Argue & Win But To Know & Be Known
An inscription on the wall of a temple in Kerala says, "Here is a model abode, where men live like others, bereft of prejudices of caste r the rancour of religious differences." was the temple established by Sri arayana Guru in Kerala in 1888. It was the first such temple that was pened to everyone without any arrier whatsoever. Sri Narayana Guru encouraged elf-respect among those deemed to be f lower castes. He created a parallel stem of temples in which he trained and appointed socially deemed "lower aste" people as priests. As a Buddhist monk, my firm belief sthat there is only one race and one aste in society: the human race. Some them are educated and some are not ducated; some are rich and others are our, but all this is gained or lost over a fetime. The poor can become rich and merich can become poor. All people have the potential to become schooled, skilled, prosperous and enlightened. They have the potential to obtain Bodhi. Gautama Buddha said that in his system, caste was inconsequential. Action is the criterion that decides the real level of attainment of a person. In Buddha's immediate circle of disciples, there were hundreds of individuals belonging to what were then considered lower social catego- ries. One of the three men who collected and edited the Buddha's teachings was Upali, who belonged to the barber caste, and another monk, Chunda, came from ironsmith caste. Another keyword in that temple inscription is "model". These days it is extremely difficult to find a model environment or a model conduct. Wherever we go, things are either too glamorous or too bizarre. Whether it is an institution, a system or an individual, there is the need of arole odel. Very high, refined ideas and ideals are there to inspire us but without a model that one can look up to, these high philosophies remain empty words. Sri Narayana Guru started a tradition of pilgrimage which became an annual event. I recently had the opportunity to witness and participate in the 83rd Savagery pilgrimage at Varkala in Kerala. In December 2015, hundreds of thousands of devotees and followers, all attired in yellow, thronged the abode of Sri Narayana Gurudev. Sri Narayana Guru was a contemporary of MK Gandhi, and they had met each other. They had profound respect for one another. Sri Narayana Guru suggested Gandhijí take a relook at the caste system and arrange to offer privileges to members of so-called lower castes so as to build a brotherhood free of prejudices. The other legacy of Sri Naraya Guru is his efforts to bring about inter-religious harmony. He organisthe first-ever All Religions Confererin Asia in 1924 in Alwaye, Kerala. It only the second in the world after thefirst Parliament of World Religionsin Chicago, USA, in 1893. Narayana Gurudev delivered the essential mesge at Alwaye: "We meet here not to anand win but to know and be known.'The purpose of religion is to guidtowards harmony and high realisatiThere is no point being obsessed by religion. After crossingthe river by you go ahead on your way; you don'tcling to the boat, saying, "That is myboat". Narayana Gurudev said: "Religion is a matter of the mind. Nobody should say, only my religion true; all other religions are false. Theis truth inevery religion.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Lama Doboom Tulkи views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Lama Doboom Tulkи and Speaking Tree,Times of India