The Bhagavad Gita is one of the central, holy texts for many people following the eastern spiritual tradition, and it is full of wonderfully powerful gems of wisdom – like this one:
“As unnecessary as a well is
To a village on the banks of a river,
so unnecessary are all scriptures
to someone who has seen the truth.”
Just as a little background for those who may be unfamiliar with the book, “Bhagavad Gita” translates to mean The Song of the Blessed One, and it stands as book six of India’s national epic, the Mahabharata. The verse above is a translation rendered by Stephen Mitchell.
The Gita depicts a dialogue between a great Indian clan leader and warrior, Arjuna, and his charioteer, Krishna, on the eve of a great battle [Unbeknownst to Arjuna, Krishna is an incarnation of the Supreme Deity). As far as spiritual/philosophical thought goes, the portion quoted above runs pretty deep.
“Seeing the truth” means that you have intimately connected with and/or experienced, in a very personal way, the power that many choose to call “God.”
Such an occurrence has absolutely nothing to do with one’s religion, or church, or scriptures one may choose to follow. They can be tools – a framework through which one may receive teachings and guidance that open the door to a true encounter with that higher power – but one could have no knowledge of any of them and still have that personal experience with God; maybe while you are just sitting in the woods listening to the birds sing, or holding a baby.
It is an unfortunate fact that many people never have such an experience, which reduces their “spirituality” to nothing more than an exercise in semantics and doctrines. A surprising amount of hate can come from one who is trapped in a religious doctrine. Here’s a catchy phrase that just popped into my mind . . . seriously, it just did:
“If you hate, re-evaluate.”
That’s pretty cool. I like it.
Am I, or the writer of the Gita suggesting that everyone throw away their sacred texts? No; they are very valuable, a means to an end – but NOT the end, itself.
The end for which most of them are designed is to guide one to that intimate and blissfully peaceful union with Creation that all who are on a spiritual path are seeking.
When you reach that place, you no longer need a scripture. You, in a sense, are the scripture. You are then one with all that is, a state that grants you freedom from doctrines, texts and scriptures.
That is the goal, the prize, and the only “way” that matters. I hope that you attain it.
Many Blessings To All…
LOTD
March 12, 2012 at 02:21
_/♥\_