[Advaita-l] Religion that I am born into

[K Kathirasan NCS]

Namaste Lathaji,

Although your words are comforting to read, I find it difficult reconcile it
with the teachings of our Advaita Acharyas. We as Vedantins know for sure
that Jnana alone confers Moksha. Are you implying that there are sampradayas
within the fold of Christianity that can impart Atma-Vidya? If my prarabdha
karma dictates that I be born in a non-Hindu family, why can't I use my
Agamya Karma to change my lifestyle? Why should we empower Prarabdha Karma
when we find ourselves in a situation where the attainment of Moksha is not
conducive? I think we are giving undue importance to fate rather than
free-will. The whole Vedic tradition is based on free-will driven karmas
where we CHOOSE to do the right thing. 

Aren't we betraying the very teaching we subscribe to when we say that we
should stick to the religion we are born in because of our prarabdha?
Didin't Shankara convert the Buddhists and Mimamsikas of his times to
Vaidika Dharma? 

best regards,
K Kathirasan

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	latha vidya [SMTP:lathavidya at yahoo.co.in]
> Sent:	Wednesday, March 17, 2004 3:16 PM
> To:	A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
> Subject:	[Advaita-l] Religion that I am born into
> 
>  
> Hari Om,
> 
> Namaste.
> 
> People should not mislead others into believing that they can convert to
> any religion as their limited intellectual and reasoning directs. Birth
> into a particular religion is not an accident. My past deeds decide my
> eligibility to be born into a particular religion that becomes my
> Swadharma and my Parama Dharma. My birth religion, be it Christianity,
> Hinduism or Sikhism or whichever, has the capacity to take me to the
> highest level of spiritually. I need to have total faith in the religion
> that I am born into. With the limited intelligence and perception that I
> am endowed with I can not measure the depth of my religion. It is sheer
> ignorance on my part to belittle one religion and keep the other on a
> pedestal. If I am destined to reach the Highest state of spirituality and
> I strive with sincere effort towards that goal I can attain that state
> irrespective of the religion that I am born into. Have we not heard of so
> many people from varied religious backgrounds attaining
>  enlightenment??
> 
> Sringeri Acharya Sri Sri Chandrashekhara Bharathi Swamiji had once guided
> a Christian seeker who had come to Him seeking to embrace Hinduism that
> there was no true objective (Purushartha) attained by embracing a religion
> outside of one's birth. Instead of converting one self into another
> religion, why not seek to study one's own scripture  indepth with the help
> of a Teacher and follow its tenets with all Bhakthi and Shradhdha and
> reach the goal? Parama Purushartha or the main objective of this human
> birth can be realized by striving towards perfection in one's own
> religion. There is more purpose and meaning achieved by becoming a better
> Hindu or a better Christian or a better Sikh than getting converted to
> another religion and get left in the lurch - neither here nor there.
> 
>  
> 
> Namaste,
> Latha Vidyaranya
> 
> 
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