Brian’s Reflection: Thursday, July 23, 2009

A person is what his shraddha is.

- The Bhagavad Gita [17:3]


The brilliant translator Eknath Easwaran says that the concept of shraddha is an untranslatable concept. But, that the nearest English equivalent is “faith”. But, that it means much more. He says that it means “ ‘that which is placed in the heart’ – all the beliefs that we hold so deeply that we never think to question them. It is the set of values, axioms, prejudices, and prepossessions that colours our perceptions, governs our thinking, dictates our responses, and shapes our lives, generally without our even being aware of its presence and power.”

The Bible says basically the same thing: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

So: it is clearly crucial what is “in our hearts”. Depending what is in our hearts, what our “faith” is, determines the power we have either to heal or to harm. Including ourselves. A person with a serious illness believes that she has a contribution to make to the world and so recovers; another believes her life is worthless and dies.

Our lives are an eloquent expression of our belief: what we deem worth having, doing, attaining, being. What we strive for shows what we value: we back our shraddha with our time, our energy, our very lives.

“Faith” is not some groundless belief in some fantasy, as many believers – Christian or others – seem to exhibit today - especially in America. Faith is exactly the opposite. “Faith” is principles we have hard won, after much thought and examination – hopefully! “Faith” is what we are willing to give our Life for. As Jesus did, Gandhi did, Oscar Wilde did – so many many others.

I worry. I see many hearts and minds in America and in the World being filled with hate, prejudice, narrow-mindedness, contempt, militarism, greed. And these, perversely, as part of some religious “faith”! Madrassas, charter schools, religious schools – many of which thrive on the support of close-minded supporters. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Jesus is clear: “faith” is belief in our unity with the God of Love and each other, belief in Compassion, Justice, selfless service in love. The Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita (“The Song of the Lord”), The Gospel, the Buddha, all agree.

Is it not time to cleanse the inner temple of false principles of “faith”, and re-establish what the authentic ancient truths have taught?

Brian+