Religion and Truth

“All religious forms are manifestations of the great cosmic, universal, infinite religion latent in every atom of the cosmos.”
― Samael Aun Weor – The Perfect Matrimony

Religion (from Latin religare to bind back, implying obligation; or from relegere to select, distinguish among various elements for the choosing of the best; ponder.)

In theosophy individual religion of conduct means faith in his own essential divinity as a source of wisdom and an unerring and infallible guide in conduct; an ever-growing realization of that truth, an ever-growing consciousness of one’s spiritual identity with the divine in nature; and constant devotion to the ideals thus inspired.

Religion means a self sacrificing devotion to truth, a resolve to live in harmony with all other lives, a sacrificing of the personal self to the greater self.

In theosophy there is no divorce between the devotional and speculative functions of the mind; science and philosophy do not conflict with the innate sense of rectitude. Ethics are not based on expediency, a social compact, or a special revelation, but are inherent in the laws of the universe.

The ancient wisdom is the quintessence of all religions, the universal parent-source of all faiths; and in proportion as each great world religion rises to the height of its own possibilities, so will the external divergences among the different faiths of mankind blend into the original fundamental unity.

Any genuine religion, mystical tradition, or type of spirituality is an attempt to communicate something of value and importance, which is that there is a purpose to life that one can experience for oneself.

The main traditions that we study here are Hinduism, Judaism, and the reform of those religions which came later, which are Buddhism and Christianity. We study all religions, but these are the four main ones we are interested in.

There are people all over the world that study the religion that they grew up with, or the religion that they became attracted to during their life. All of those traditions are very beautiful and have a great deal of knowledge that they express to humanity.

But unfortunately, people do not see religions for what they truly are. Over many centuries, religions have become a mere belief, something that people follow, respect, study and believe in, but rarely experience. It is very rare, sadly, to find anyone who has true experience of what the religions are teaching. Yet, that is their purpose: to guide us to experience what they teach.

In this tradition, the experience of religion is our primary goal. Our primary interest is learning the practical value of each religion.

Now in the case of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity, all of them in their essence teach exactly the same thing. On the surface they can appear different, but in their heart they are exactly the same.

They are attempting to convey the experience of a higher way of living, something that cannot be communicated in words. Each religion is like the expression of direct mystical experience with the divine.

Jesus was a vessel for that spirit which came in order to teach the same thing, the same religion, the same truth in different places. As an example: in India we find the Lord Krishna, who taught the same truth, in different levels of course, according to its own vessel. The vessel of Krishna who is one with that Spirit and is that same Spirit itself is the Bodhisattva; the Bodhisattva of Krishna is of course Arjuna, who we find in the Bhagavad Gita.

Arjuna is the one who is talking to the Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, but you have to understand that Arjuna is the bodhisattva of Krishna. So, Krishna is the master of Arjuna. Krishna is the master and Arjuna is the Bodhisattva, who is learning from him and is at the same time teaching to others through the same.

The thing is that when we talk about this spiritual prophecy, or this intelligence that is able to incarnate in many places in order to establish the religion or the way to union with God of that time and place, this concept is understood in the western world, through the Bible, but in a very incomplete way.

Indeed, in the West there is a lot of ignorance related with this spirit, because in many different places this spirit has received many names. Among the Tibetans, for instance, Christ is known as Avalokiteshvara; you find that name in the Buddhist Pantheon.

Among the Taoists you find Kwan Yin. Kwan Yin is of course, according to the Tao, the “subtle voice,” or the “sweet voice,” in other words, the verb, the word, Logos.

Among the Mayans, they call this spirit, Kukulkan. The word “Kukul” means bird and “Kan” means serpent. So, when you say Kukulkan, this means the “bird-serpent.” That spirit, the “bird-serpent” in Aztec language or Nahua, is Quetzalcoatl.

There among the Peruvians, the Incas of Peru they call him Viracocha. Viracocha is the same Vishnu, the Lord. Of course, Chokmah חכמה, in the Kabbalah as you know means “Wisdom” and this is related with this spirit of wisdom.

All religions are precious stones strung on the golden thread of Divinity.

All religions conserve the eternal values. False religions do not exist.

All religions are necessary; all religions fulfill their mission in life.

It is absurd to state that our neighbor’s religion is useless and that only ours is authentic. If the neighbor’s religion is not good then my religion is not good either because the values are always the same.

It is stupid to state that the religion of the indigenous tribes of America is idolatry because they too have the right to say that our religion is idolatry. If we laugh at them, they can also laugh at us. If we say that they adore or that they adored idols, then they too can say that we adore idols.

We cannot discredit the religion of others without discrediting ours as well because the principles are always the same. All religions have the same principles.

Under the sun, every religion is born, grows, develops, multiplies into many sects, and dies. This is how it has always been and will always be.

Religious principles never die. The religious forms can die, but the religious principles, in other words, the eternal values, can never die. They continue; they are re-dressed with new forms.

Religion is inherent to life in the same manner that humidity is to water.

It is worthwhile to study all religions. The comparative study of religions leads one to comprehend that all religions conserve the eternal values, that no religion is false, that all are true.

The word religion comes from the Latin word religare, which implies “to link or bind or union of the Soul to God.”

“As the blazing fire reduces wood to ashes; similarly, the fire of Self-knowledge reduces all bonds of karma to ashes…”
― Krishna – Bhagavad-gita 4:36-37

The eternal values embodied in the world’s religions express the essential requirements for the consciousness to enter into the light and fully realize the purpose of living.

In other words, the heart message of every religion seeks to awaken the consciousness and eliminate suffering, so that the eternal light may be known through our own direct experience.

Swami Vivekananda said:

“All the words spoken at this parliament come to the common conclusion that the brotherhood of man is the much-to-be-desired end. Much has been said for this brotherhood as being a natural condition, since we are all children of one God. Now, there are sects that do not admit of the existence of God — that is, a Personal God. Unless we wish to leave those sects out in the cold — and in that case our brotherhood will not be universal — we must have our platform broad enough to embrace all mankind. It has been said here that we should do good to our fellow men, because every bad or mean deed reacts on the doer. This appears to me to savour of the shopkeeper — ourselves first, our brothers afterwards. I think we should love our brother whether we believe in the universal fatherhood of God or not, because every religion and every creed recognizes man as divine, and you should do him no harm that you might not injure that which is divine in him.”
— Swami Vivekananda (Report of a lecture in the Chicago Sunday Herald, September 24, 1893)

Writing a century ago, when the word had not acquired today’s mixed connotations, H.P. Blavatsky defined occultism as “altruism pure and simple” — the divine wisdom or hidden theosophy within all religions.

Theosophy or the wisdom-religion is the study of the ancient wisdom of the gods, and comprises in any one period that particular portion of knowledge which has been delivered to those who study it; whereas occultism in any age is that portion of the ancient wisdom dealing with matters which at such time are secret, hid, and unknown to the multitude.

“In the beginning of time, or rather, in the childhood of the fifth Race, “the whole earth was of one lip and of one speech,” saith chapter XI of Genesis. Read esoterically, this means that mankind had one universal doctrine, a philosophy, common to all; and that men were bound by one religion, whether this term be derived from the Latin word relegere, “to gather, or be united” in speech or in thought, from religens, “revering the gods,” or, from religare, “to be bound fast together.” Take it one way or the other, it means most undeniably and plainly that our forefathers from beyond the “flood” accepted in common one truth – i.e., they believed in that aggregate of subjective and objective facts which form the consistent, logical and harmonious whole called by us the Wisdom Religion.”
― Helena Petrovna Blavatsky – Collective Writings (The Essentials of Religion)

Buddhism and Adwaitism — are as much religions as any theistic system.

Thus, religion, philosophy, and science compose one triform method of understanding — the nature of Nature, of Universal Nature, and its multiform and multifold workings; and not one of these three activities of the human spirit can be separated from the other two if we wish to gain a true picture of things as they are in themselves.

For Science is an operation of the human spirit mind in its endeavor to understand the How of things — not any particular science whatsoever, but the thing in itself, science per se — ordered and classified knowledge, based on research and experimentation.

Philosophy is that same striving of the human spirit to understand not merely the How of things, but the Why of things — why things are as they are.

And, lastly, Religion is that same striving of the human spirit towards union with the COSMIC ALL, involving an endlessly growing self conscious identification with the Cosmic Realities therein — commonly and so feebly called by men, ‘God’ or gods.

These three children — functions and activities — of man’s spirit-soul all have one tendency, one trend, because all are working towards one objective. This is to reach the Heart of Things, Truth, Reality, and to become united therewith.

The scientist seeks truth; the philosopher searches for reality; the religionist yearns for union with the Divine; but are these three not essentially one? Is there any essential difference as among Truth, Reality, and union with Divine Wisdom and Love? It is only in the methods of attainment by which the three differ.

Their object is but one. Moreover, as becomes abundantly obvious, Science should be as spiritual and as philosophical as Philosophy should be religious and scientific and as Religion should be scientific and philosophical.

What is the origin of the word ‘religion’?

It is usual among modern Europeans to derive the word ‘religion’ from the Latin verb meaning ‘to bind back,’ or ‘to fasten’—religare.

But there is another and perhaps a better derivation, which is the one that Cicero, the great Roman statesman, poet, and philosopher chooses; and, a Roman himself and a scholar, he unquestionably had a deeper knowledge of his own native tongue and its subtilties of meaning than even the ablest scholar has today.

This other derivation comes from a Latin root meaning to select, to choose, from which likewise, by the way, comes the word lex — ‘law,’ that course of conduct or rule of action which is chosen as the best, and is therefore followed: in other words, that rule of action which is the best of its kind, as ascertained by selection, by trial, and by proof.

Typically scientific is this in idea, even in our day.

Satyan nasti paro dharmah, usually translated:

“There is no religion higher than truth” — adopted from the motto of the Maharaja of Benares. Motto of the Theosophical Society.

“Truth is one; sages call it by various names.”
— Rig Veda

As human beings perceive the glory of the Vedanta, all abracadabras fall off of themselves. This has been my uniform experience. Whenever mankind attains a higher vision, the lower vision disappears of itself.

“There is no God higher than truth.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

The word Satya (Truth) is derived from Sat which means ‘being.’ Nothing is or exists in reality except Truth. That is why Sat or Truth is perhaps the most important name of God. In fact it is more correct to say that Truth is God than to say God is truth. On deeper thinking, however it will be realized that Sat or Satya is the only correct and fully sign fact name for God.

“Truth alone triumphs, not untruth. Through truth alone lies the way to God.”

May the Sat in you be always your infallible guide! May He speedily attain to freedom and help others to attain it!

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