The Beauty of Hinduism
The beauty of Hinduism is that it accepts all schools of thought. It has an overview that is not materialistic and has spans of time extending to aeons - indicating the broadness of its philosophy. Nobody in Hinduism seeks an explanation, nobody offers it. It spans from creation to dissolution - reflecting scientific thought of today. Similarly it does not limit life to one lifetime but to several stretching another thought of evolution - from the lowest to the highest - from the cell to the Supreme. It speaks of several planes of existence just as today's scientists talk of several dimensions (11 if I am not wrong). Its basic laws seek to understand the dilemma of the human caught in the human form and in this lifetime who wishes to evolve in the best possible way and with a definite aim in mind. To understand why it imposes moral and spiritual rules one has to understand this in its entirety. It changes the way society changes and therefore the present society can criticize its archaic laws without understanding the needs of the earlier society. It realizes that all minds are not the same, therefore it dishes out a plate for every taste; once again enabling a critic to criticize the one he does not like. It is not bothered as Sri Ramakrishna wonderfully puts it, "The Supreme Being is uninvolved. If one craves Him, He says fine; if one does not, He says fine. It is up to the being involved to evolve or stagnate, even go down." It is said in the Upanishad's, "There are two birds in a tree. One sits and watches. The other eats the fruits. When it eats bitter, it feels unhappy. When it eats sweet, it is happy. Perchance the fruits are extremely or consecutively bitter it pauses to reflect and then observes the other bird that simply watches. After observing that come what may it cannot avoid bitter fruits, it seeks answers from the other bird. The other bird instructs it to reflect on life. At the end of reflection the second bird realizes that the other bird is but its own higher self." Realization complete. Simple is it not? But try telling that to one that is intent to eat the fruits and waits for sweet fruits to come its way! Therefore the world is varied, springing from eternal desires that drives the economy. The one that has tasted a vile fruit will realize the value of the allegory. You do not enjoy the world, the world enjoys you. The day you realize that you will desperately seek a way out of the maize. Hinduism is ever present and ready to help. It tells you how to live in the world without entangling yourself and when you are done it shows the way out - a term called moksha - liberation from the cycle of birth and death - going and coming. But then one has to wait for the right bitter fruit or wisen up to the situation and avoid a trap. There is a choice.
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