Beyond Idols and Rebirths

>> The purpose of God's creation

     If God created the universe, then surely He has a purpose that should be related to Him.  I will not build a beautiful villa or the house of my dreams just to be left uninhabited.  So, the whole creation must be of great purpose to God the creator.  It is just shallow to say that a soul is caught up in a cycle of birth and rebirth and receive salvation by one's deed finally when they become human after of gamut of existence as different creatures.

     Since God created us, then why is there so much struggle of continual birth and rebirth cycles without any purpose relating to Him?  Can a person's deed save him?  Let us understand deeds in a more elaborate way.  Every law is subject to change over the period of years.  It may not have been a sin to do certain things a few decades back, but it might be now.  In India, a couple of decades back a girl talking to a boy was a big sin, but today if you even say such things, people will laugh at you.  Further, certain crimes are punishable by death in some countries, whereas, there is no capital punishment in few other countries.  To understand it better, look at the way the gay marriage issue is tossed around in the world over the period of years.

     From the above passage, we can understand that deeds securing salvation is ambiguous as it is not universal and specific.  On the other hand, when we believe that only God by His mercy, for His purpose, secures our salvation, it makes a lot of sense and gives glory to God.  I asked a person who believes in the birth and rebirth into various creatures, 'does any creature today suffer because it is existing as it is?  does a rat is suffering because it is a rat?  do try to ask a rat next time about this?'  It is stupidity to say that other creatures are suffering while they are happily adapting and following nature's orders with earnestness.  It seems to be a suffering because we are seeing with our human eyes, while the animal's condition is in the lowest consciousness to experience any suffering.  I remember a comedy play where two characters had to get into a big buffalo's costume to play a role of a buffalo onstage.  The two had to bend and carry the big costume for some time.  Then one person told the other, "friend, buffaloes are poor animals.  Look at us we are tired within ten minutes playing one and yet the poor animals are like this throughout their lifetime."  Now, that is a suffering being a buffalo with your human self inside.  If I was a man and got trapped in an animal's body with the realization of my previous life, then there would be suffering.  One person told me in this context that the Lord by His great mercy takes away the consciousness to help it not to feel the sufferings.  I laugh at it even now when I think about the person's answer.  A man even in this sinful age does not do such a gruesome thing as told by this person.  Is any person anywhere in the world today, who had committed a crime punished if he or she is not in his or her full consciousness at the time of trial.  Even people who had committed murder is preserved if he becomes insane after the act of crime.  He is taken care of until he regains his full realization of the crime.  Moreover, the person is not punished even to set an example for others.  Will you retaliate if a mentally handicapped person accidentally or playfully stamp your feet? You would forgive the person because he or she is not in a fully conscious state to understand what your retaliatory act means.  It would be like beating a wall.

      In simple words, if a person is born with the consciousness of his previous birth then there would be suffering.  It would be perfectly justified for a theology which proposes such theories.  After millions of birth later, a person in the twentieth century suddenly believes in the ideology of birth and rebirth but he or she doesn't remember their previous birth, what is the meaning? What is the benefit such a theory?  As far as you don't remember your previous birth it is as good as saying that this is your only birth and what significance is there if you haven't carried any lesson or teaching or memories from your last birth.

     Then, there is one more school of thoughts which propounds that God is unsearchable, unimaginable, infinite, and un-understandable and hence they don't ponder too much about God; we call them agnostics.  This is discouraging because all kinds of people have sought, found and understood God throughout the centuries.  I am sorry for the agnostics for I have to tell them that they haven't tried hard.  Let us look at an illustration: 'I own a big house and I am a broadminded lover of humanity.  I allowed a few homeless blind people to stay in my house.  Naturally, the blind people being grateful and started talking about me to each other.  In between, they called out to me and spoke to me, glorified me and praised me.  See, I am in that same room with them listening to their conversations.  As time passed by, they started giving me shapes.  Later, they discussed about my likes and dislikes.  They formed a clay idol and started addressing that idol with my name.  Look I was not annoyed till then because I am a lover of humanity.  But, the moment they spoke to each other about my likes and dislikes without asking me, I will be annoyed.  Then they burdened other blind people coming to me with rules and criteria, forgetting how freely they had received access to my home.  There were no rituals and traditions when they found entry into my home.  Slowly the idol took my place, slowly the rituals became valuable than me.  Initially, they just had to talk to me but now there were procedures and laws.  Further, any person trying to talk to me directly were beaten up badly by the others.' 
  

     One lady who had visited my house told me, 'don't feel bad but I didn't get any godly feeling when I entered your house, as I didn't see any idols or pictures.'  A few days later, I met the same person in the marketplace.  I asked her, ' Now this is a market place, you don't have an idol here nor a picture.  If something happened to you right now in this market place will you not call the name of God?  And if you call, will not the merciful Lord hear your pleas?  If you say He will hear then what is the significance of the idol or picture because you don't have any in the marketplace?'  My message to you is to pursue and talk to the Lord who is present everywhere and He is right next to you in the same room.  Do not reduce God to a mere photograph and an idol.  He is the Super-Soul, the great Father, present every where, in the market place, in your office and even places where there are no idols or pictures.  And He is equally powerful and mighty not only in the temple but everywhere alike.

     A myth can grow powerful swiftly and can handicap you if you give slight room to it.  One so called fake baba, a self proclaimed alleged religious specialist  spoke to a few acquaintances of mine.  Soon, the baba was threatening them with mantras and everybody seemed to be fearful by his talks.  When I interrupted, he warned me that if he utter some mantra then all my hairs would fall away right away.  I challenged him and told him that if he had the guts then let him do it and prove it to everyone.  My belief was that if he succeeds in doing that to me with some mantras then the Lord of the universe is not powerful as He claims to be and He can lose control of situations and become helpless when some mantras are uttered by anyone.  The fear of my friends were broken within seconds seeing the reaction of the fraudster.  They were out of the spell from the alleged tantrik as I spoke to him more, and soon, his hypocrisy was revealed.

     There is only one birth and everything happens in it.  This one life is so beautiful and wonderful that you have to answer for every second of your life to the mighty Father one day.  He had brought us, homeless blind people, into His own house.  Now, He is everywhere.  It is not He who will grow but we will grow slowly to know Him more and more.  If you see Him in an idol its time to see Him in your home, work place and until one day we will all see Him everywhere.  That day we will not be blind but stronger and powerful like the angels.  Do not be deceived by evil spirits but be enlightened.  Ask and it shall be given to you; knock and it shall be opened.  Be a seeker, you will be satisfied.  Praise the Lord.  God bless you and keep you.