DISCOURSES & TALKS BY MEHER BABA

 

TRUTH IN RELIGION

 

 

 

22nd June, 1926

 

The topic then turned to the American Christian Mission and the Salvation Army — two organizations which were doing their utmost to convert people to Christianity, declaring it to be the only sure road to salvation. Baba asked, "Why all this? Why shake the faith of people of other religions and induce them to give up their own religion? Is religion the Truth or even a way to the Truth?"

 

Baba then elucidated:

 

Truth has nothing in the least to do with religion. It is far, far beyond the limited and bare dictates and doctrines of a religion. Truth is bare and simple in its requirement that you give up maya — particularly lust, anger and greed. Anybody can aspire and attain to the Truth. There are no caste distinctions or prejudices there.

 

Muslims say that Realization can only be obtained through the Mohammedan religion [Islam], and they bring forth the silly arguments of shariat, insisting on circumcision and so forth. How ridiculous! Do any of you know why Muslims practice circumcision? Their great Prophet Muhammad propagated the divine doctrine of "cutting their mind, maya and sanskaras," that is, keeping their minds, which are ever wandering in worldly maya, in check. He told them to be aloof and away from the clutches of maya and to destroy their sanskaras as much as possible. But since they were unable to grasp the deep meaning of this divine doctrine given by their Prophet, they or some fine theologians invented and preached "cutting of the foreskin" and so forth. And the people blindly accepted and followed these doctrines as if they had been given by their own Prophet, and they lay particular stress on the same. How ridiculously reverse from the real and original doctrine taught by their great Prophet!

 

The same is true in every religion — the Parsis and their kusti, the Christians and their baptism. So also, the Christian philosophy espoused by the present-day so-called "ministers," to the effect that "salvation" can be had only by accepting the faith of Christ and by undergoing baptism, that all non-believers in Christianity are "heathens," and so on. What is the meaning of all these practices in the sacred name of religion?

 

If it is not a sin to make others doubtful of their religion, it is surely a great weakness, or rather cowardice. What earthly benefit is there in increasing the number of people who believe in a particular faith and boasting before the world that their faith has so many thousands or even lakhs (millions) of followers? Is the merit of a religion to be measured by a count of numbers of its believers and followers?

 

If you give the poor, needy, destitute, and illiterate teeming millions of India the little inducement of some good food, clothing, and money, they would agree to accept and embrace any creed! And then they would leave it again and accept another creed if some better inducement is offered them from another faith! What's great in all of this? Nothing!

 

Continuing, Baba advised:

 

I say, therefore: Will [control] your mind; lead a pure, clean, and virtuous life; remove low desires; follow One who has realized God; and then you are saved. "Following" in this sense does not mean giving up your own creed or religion. The mind is to be renounced!

If you try to set green grass on fire, it will not burn. But if you set a match to a haystack, it will immediately catch fire and burn to ash. The haystack symbolizes the accumulation of sanskaras. In order for green grass to dry, it has to be kept near a fire. This means that in order to destroy one's sanskaras, a person should stay with a Sadguru in whom the divine knowledge is always burning. In his contact and company, sanskaras accumulate but also dry. Finally, with the flame of his grace, he sets fire to and uproots all one's sanskaras. Even red sanskaras of lust and anger, which are the fastest growing and most deeply rooted, are nothing to worry about if you have contact with a Sadguru.

 

What a time [Kali Yuga] we live in! Such barbarous, brutal bloodshed for religion on one side, and then the "forced Avatar" [Krishnamurti] and associated prejudices on the other!

 

See the horror done in the name of religion. Look at the recent riots in Delhi born out of ignorance and cruelty occurring between Hindus and Muslims over such childish and trivial causes, all for the sake of religion. At the same time, many false prophets have appeared and hypocrisy is rampant. People nowadays want religious doctrines to suit their own tastes and ideas of life, and the crafty leaders who observe all this and preach accordingly find thousands of followers, while the real workers and sincere believers in Truth and "religion" in the real sense of the word have a hard time impressing their high ideals on the minds of their listeners and turning them towards the same. Such is the 20th century, with all its so-called "civilization," its daily advances and inventions in the sciences.

 

Lord Meher On-line page 680

Lord Meher Vol.3 p.817-8