Righteousness as path to ‘See, realize and experience’; not just believe

1. In the Holy Avesta of Zoroastrian, “Righteousness” is highly praised and is described as truth, holiness, and pristine purity. It says: Purity of the mind and the body is the most excellent wealth and happiness of this world; That happiness which is highest in the matter of truth is attained to that person; The foremost thing which mankind ought to acquire after having born in this world is Truth.

While getting up from sleep one should acquire truth-Righteousness, and holding fast to it should carry on his daily affairs and business. It is futile to pray on one hand and to utter falsehood and deceive on the other hand.

2. Righteousness is the only Direct, Universal Way to our Highest and Best Goal aka God: An adventurer and a God man have just returned from the Himalayas. Their experiences, stories, illustrations, talks get noted and journeys mapped; shoddily or otherwise.

All the flowers, animals they saw become our arts and Coffee books, and the Spiritual experiences they encountered, become our Scriptures. We approach them to hear directly from them about their experiences and they say, we’ve tried our best to describe it all as clearly as we could.

But how can we ever convey to you the experiences, the intense joy, the exhilaration, the strange feelings that flooded our heart when we saw those exotic fauna, flowers, mountains, wild rivers, and sensed the dangers being close to wild animals and the Blissful Divine vision of God! They exhort us to not just believe but go out and find out for yourselves!

3. However, most of us are lazy and not adventurous, not interested, and not passionate enough to strive to seek righteousness and find for ourselves. We just find it easier to Believe in this or that or just seek to enjoy!

Of course, some of us are otherwise smart and take the master records of the adventures, get it framed and worship it and such become our Preachers, experts in chanting, remembering, interpreting their scriptural version of an infinite God-experience and idea! We forget that real adventure is to go and experience it ourselves and similarly, Religion is being Righteous first, then directly experiencing, realizing, becoming That; not just Believing in that.

4. A story goes that after many years of strivings, a “seeker” discovered the art of befriending God and an “inventor” found how to make fire! They went back to their respective Tribes and initiated their people into the art of finding ‘God’ and making ‘Fire’. The people became so absorbed in this novelty that it did not occur to them to thank the Seeker or the Inventor, who quietly slipped away.

But some of the local tribal preachers, jealous of the novel new ideas, asked people not to use the new ideas. Instead seeing their hold on the people, had them assassinated. And then, to allay any suspicion of the crime, they had a portrait of the Great Seeker and Inventor enthroned upon the main altar of the temple; and a ritual worship designed so that their name would be revered, and memory kept alive.

The greatest care was taken that rituals were strictly followed and the ‘tools’ for making ‘fire’ were enshrined in a casket and were said to bring healing to all who laid their hands on them with faith.

The High Priest himself undertook the task of compiling a life of the Seeker and Inventor. This became the Holy Book in which his loving kindness was offered as an example for all to emulate; their glorious deeds eulogized and superhuman nature made an article of faith. The priests saw to it that the Book was handed down to future generations, while they authoritatively interpreted the meaning of his words and the significance of his holy life and death. And they ruthlessly punished with death or excommunication anyone who deviated from their doctrine. Caught up as they were in their religious tasks, the people completely forgot the art of making fire or realizing and experiencing God directly!

5. Science and Preachers blissfully ignore the reality of Life or ‘Something like it’ that Enlivens our Body!  Religions say that a man who does not believe in God is an atheist. Vedanta says a man who does not believe in Himself is an atheist! Not believing in the glory of our own SELF within is what the Vedanta calls atheism. Religions say we must worship, pray to God in Temples etc. and God would be pleased and shower his Grace! Vedanta asserts worship God in man thru’ service! Not Charity but serve God in man!

When attacked we pray, run, defend, and ultimately, we must depend on power of our own Self! Vedanta, when properly appreciated free from its religious and scholarly moorings, tells us, I need to believe in myself first! Only when I believe in my SELF can I pray to God sincerely!

This is the life-altering message of Practical Vedanta that Vivekananda presented Globally; the reality of Infinite knowledge and power, already within us all as Life, Self, Atman, Pure Consciousness – and Righteousness in work, aka Karma Yoga, as the universal path God-wards.

Only when we have developed sufficient strength to deal with this world of work, we would have developed a strong character, a strong personality, a strong will that can qualify us to truly pray to God. When such a strong personality prays, God listens and responds.

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