Introduction
Religion is popular metaphysics that is an expression in sensu allegoric of what philosophy or metaphysics proper expresses in sensu strict et proprio for the benefit of that great majority of people who are not capable of thinking but only believing and are susceptible not to arguments but only to authority. I think that in today’s world and living in a Living Phenomenology which is very much existential and hermeneutical in its Methodology. I would explore My Phenomenology of Religion in this way approaching the hermeneutical-existential Phenomenology.
Nietzsche, It is the positive thinking that counts as genuinely religious thinking. It is man’s need that constitutes the essence of religion.
Schopenhauer, An attempt made at knowledge of that which is beyond nature on the given phenomenal appearance of things, the thing in itself, the study of the supra-natural. Death is first, and the most essential function of any authentic religion.
Socrates, The authentic philosophy is a preparation for death. The essential is that of a guiding star of, integrity and virtue. It is a mystery, beyond comprehensive of masses and an awe before the unknown.
Tertullian, It is thoroughly credible because it is absurd, It is certain because it is impossible.
Derrida, learning to live means learning to die.
Santiago Zabala, speaks of rebirth of religion, by death of God, and the secularization of the sacred, by deconstruction of metaphysics.
Richard Rorty and Gianni Vattimo, speak of the weak thought and the deconstruction of ontology. It is a relationship of reciprocity that is different, a gentler relationship, with innovation. It is an existential self-creation. It is the unending formation of oneself – bildung. The secularization submits to the weak thought, man finally learns to live together with himself. The man, who withdraws his attention from the world and concentrates on this world and this time, exerts himself to realize – emptying out of itself.
John Hick, Given such first hand awareness of the divine, the appropriate philosophical apologetic is a defense of the rationality of trusting and living on the basis of compelling experience of this kind. Religion is the human person’s response to the mystery of existence and quests for meaning in the midst of confusion.
Ninian Smart, Humanity is the measure of all things and devotion to human interests is the first duty of all the main purpose of religion. Metaphysics loses sight of existential problems. Meaningfulness of life is the primary end of religion. The task of phenomenology is not only solely concerned with matters of truth but also of value, feeling and needs to take into account the evocative factors.
Various Other Definitions
Mircea Eliade, The revelation of the sacred space possesses existential value for religious man, for nothing can begin and nothing can be done acquiring a fixed point. If the world is to be lived in, it must be founded. For religious man, nature always expresses something that transcends it. His survey with the sky, claims that our experience of it is necessarily religious because when we contemplate, the sky appears to us a wholly other.
Geradus Van Der Leevuw, Man’s search for Divine Power. It is the extension of life to uttermost limit. The Levels of Phenomenology implies – Experience, Understanding, and Testimony. Phenomenology knows nothing of heaven and hell. It is at home on earth, although it is at the same time sustained by love of the beyond.
Louis Dupré, The religious Attitude is always object-oriented. The religious person does not create religions but is revealed to him in a disposition to perceive a deeper reality under the appearance of objects and events. Thus, the religious attitude is always directed beyond the self. The religion is dialectical, constantly moving in a dynamic relation between mind and reality.
Religious Experience
John Smith, Experience is basically a record of human beings encounter, feeling, suffering and discoveries in one’s transaction with the world. The root of religion can be found in experience when experiencer feels experience as encounter with an objective world in the dual sense that the encounter is something objective and that what is encountered at the same time transcends the subjectivity of the individual and of any finite collection of the individuals.
William Andrew, speaks of, a human work in which the sensuous is somehow meaningful. There is a movement of actualization and revelation. The more intuitive the symbol, the more its meaning is set in the mystery of total human experience.
William James, In his major work on religion, The Varieties of Religious Experience, James attempted to account for the value of religion. The question of how it came to be what it is, is a matter of classifying religious feelings and religious tendencies with other kinds of human experience which are found to be similar to them. The emphasis, here, is on spontaneous religious emotions rather than theological interpretations. In his view, religion considers three questions: the nature and authenticity of belief, the effect of belief and the existence and nature of the object of belief.
What constitutes Religious Experience?
An experience may be occasioned by reflection on the natural world. Here one becomes aware of the unity of all things, and may even sense a spirit of nature. There can be varieties of religious experiences. Swinburne offers the following categories:
1. Experiences which the subject describes in terms of God or the supernatural, based on perception of an ordinary non-religious object. For example, A beautiful sunset / sunrise.
2. Experiences which are ‘out of the ordinary’, and public. For example, Resurrection and appearance of Jesus to the disciples.
3. Experiences which involve sensations private to the individual. For example, A dream – “Joseph’s dream – the angel spoke”
4. Experiences in which it is impossible to describe in words, yet feel that there is something to be described if only they had the words to do the describing. For example, Mystic
5. Experiences independently of perceived sensations in which one may feel that God is directly telling one what to do.
John Macquarie, Religion is the self-manifestation of Being as this is received and appropriated in the life of faith. It is a careful analytic description or to express the same idea in another way, it letting us see that which shows itself by removing that which prevents us from seeing the phenomenon as it actually gives itself.
Mariasusai Dhavamony, The inner meaning of religious phenomenon as it is lived and experienced by a religious person.
Levinas, speaks of face to face encounter, an abstract signification which cannot be comprehended.
Rudolf Otto, It is the deepest and fundamental element in all strong and sincerely felt religious emotion. It is to be found in strong, sudden ebullitions of personal piety, in the fixed and ordered solemnities of rites and liturgies, and again in the atmosphere that clings to old religious monuments and buildings, to temples and to churches. It may be peaceful and come sweeping like a gentle tide, pervading the mind with a tranquil mood of deepest worship or faster moving thrillingly vibrant and resonant, until at last it dies away and the soul resumes its profane, non-religious mood of everyday experience even violent, erupting from the depths of the soul with spasms and convulsions and leading to the strangest excitements, to intoxicated frenzy, to transport, and to ecstasy.
In a nutshell, Otto has reached the heart of the matter. He pins down this sort of experience for dissection in terms of a Latin phrase mysterium tremendum. He presents the tremendum component of the numinous that is being experienced as comprising three elements: Awefulness (inspiring awe, a sort of profound unease), Overpoweringness (that which, among other things, inspires a feeling of humility), and Energy (creating an impression of immense vigour). On the other hand he presents the Mysterium component in its turn has two elements, which he discusses at considerable length. Firstly, the numinous is experienced as, Wholly Other. It is something truly amazing, as being totally outside our normal experience. Secondly, here is the element of Fascination, which causes the subject of the experience of the numinous to be caught up in it, to be enraptured.
Conclusion
I have made a possible attempt in understanding the, ‘Phenomenology of Religion’ a board overview, by engaging myself (thought) in reading various phenomenologist and finally coming to a synthesis of my own phenomenology.
The approach which I have given slant to is simply but naturally bringing out my phenomenology of religion – The calling of subjective authenticity(I) with an objective outlook(the other, the world, the view) and sharing a genuine relationship, to the deeper meaning of the object(God), of this subject(religion).
Reflection
Jesus, the resurrected
Paul, the apostle
Laity, the faith
Romero, the witness
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Jain Saga
Kalikal Sarvagna Acharya Hemchandrasuriswarji Maharaj, The Jain Saga 1-3 (Trisastishalakapurush Charita): Brief History of Jainism, tr. Helen M. Johnson, ed. Muni Samvegayashvijay Maharaj, Ahmedabad: Acharyadev Shrimad Vijay Ramchandra Suriswarji Jain Pathashala, 2010, ` 1000.00, PB, Part 1 – pp 532, Part 2 – pp 563, Part 3 – pp 604.
It would not be far-fetched to say that a large portion of humanity (at least majority of Indians) is quite familiar with the famous and majestic 55ft granite monolithic sky-clad statue of the Jain Saint, Gomateshwara or Bahubali of Shravanabelagola Hill situated in the Hassan District of Karnataka, India (158km from Bangalore/Bengaluru). It dates back to the years 978-993 CE built by the Ganga minister and commander Chamundaraya. Jain Scriptures attest that Bahubali was the second of the one hundred sons of the first Tirthankara (spiritual victors/omniscient leaders), Lord Rishabha and King of Podanpur. Numerous pilgrims flock to this place to participate in the mahamastakabhisheka (great anointing done once in every 12th year) with milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins. This Bahubali’s story is wonderfully detailed in The Jain Saga 1 in Rsabhaswami Charitra, unit 5 of chapter one, pp 169-206.
The original Sanskrit title is Trisastisalakapurusacharitra (literally trisasti – sixty-three, salakapurush – illustrious people, charitra – lives) written by Acharya Hemchandrasuriswarji Maharaj (Vikram Era or Vikram Sambat 1145-1173; 3-583), a pioneer in Sanskrit Literature, in the 12th century of the Vikram Sambat (1089-1117 CE). King Kumarpal of Gujarat (3-546, 581) made this personal request to the Acharya (3-547, 582) to put down for posterity some of the fundamental tenets of Jainism (3-583) which he readily and willingly complied with so as to make available the ‘sermons invaluable for the comprehension of Jainism’ (1-xxvii).
The three volume-translation of The Jain Saga is a veritable treasure, a literary classic of the story of 63 illustrious persons of the Jain world (1-iv). In actuality, it comprises nine books of the Jain Scriptures and its sacred history: 24 Tirthankar, 12 Chakravarti, 9 Baldev, 9 Vasudev and 9 Prativasudev totaling to 63 in all. Perusing through the three volumes or parts, one comes across a unfathomable mine of religious truths – being the central focus, and the doctrine of karma (transmigration) blended masterfully and skillfully with other topics as well, viz., key elements of various sciences (e.g., Life, Cosmic, Karmic, Molecular, general, Social, Astronomical and Dream Sciences), life experiences (anatomy, psychology), art and architectural knowledge (elaborate descriptions of temple, cities and palaces), literature, ethics, law, stories, myths, proverbs and warfare. Furthermore, in this ‘Jain-Journey’ one discovers other topics like Logic, Metaphysics, Philosophy (e.g., Carvakas, 1-19; allusion to the Vaisesikas 2-91; Sankhya by Kapila 3-322), Philology and Theology which are dealt with in such a way as to enlighten every Jaina follower and any reader. Since the focal point of this scripture is to purify the soul to attain total freedom, the numerous myths, short stories, proverbs and parables are heavily embedded with morals.
The Jain Saga 1 (Rsabhaswami Charitra) opens with ‘The Auspicious’ page which is the opening prayer of worship and blessing made to the Tirthankars who have become arhats (emancipated). The incarnational stories, ‘complete in each form with minute and intricate knowledge and code of conduct’ (1-vi), keep the reader ever eager to continue. At the outset, the discourse (sermon) on Dharma is highly exhortative (9) followed by another one on samsara (121, 246, 423), and right knowledge-belief-conduct (122-25) which leads to the 12 vows of the layman (125). Since Jainism owes its origin as a reaction against Hinduism or Buddhism of that time, there are some apologetics (defences), viz., Exposition and refutation of the Carvaka system (19-22), statement and refutation of Ksanikavada of Buddhist doctrine (22), and the exposition and refutation of the Vedantin Maya (22-33). Some other instructive and informative stories are the following, viz., the origin of brahmans (218), the funeral ceremonies (231), the eight karmas (310), the people in the Manusyaloka (319), the inevitability of death (365), the origin of throwing bones into the Ganga after death (387), the story of disputed parentage of a boy between two women (433) which reflects the Old Testament judgment of Solomon (1Kgs 3.16), the story of hell-inhabitants (447), and the sermon on impurity of the body (466). Interestingly, Narada Muni with his craftiness finds space in all the three volumes. This volume consists of 10 chapters (1-10): chapters one and two contain 6 units respectively, while the other chapters do not.
The Jain Saga 2 (Sreyansanatha Charitra) deals with the lives of Tirthankars (11-21) and concludes with the famous and popular stories of Jaina Ramayana and Ravana. It begins with an invocation to the ‘emancipated’ Lord Sreyansa to bless all the Jaina followers. Some exhortative sermons and stories are: sermons on tenfold dharma, enlightenment and seven tattvas (61, 75, 89), story of the dove and hawk (208), sermon on the senses (229), on purity of mind (246), and the sermon on yatidharma and householders’ dharma (302). The sermon on the Kasayas (106) is enlightening in as much it details some basic human emotions as anger, forbearance, conceit, humility, deceit, sincerity, greed, contentment and the final emancipation. Further on, one comes across Ravana’s lineage (318), his birth (324), Narada Muni’s involvement (343), story of the origin of animal sacrifices (344), Rama’s lineage (373), his birth (381) and his exploits and emancipation. Noteworthy is the allocation of space given to the Ramayana story (373-500) in this volume (137 pages in all). Another detail that is usually omitted in the Ramayana stories is that ‘Sita visits Laksmana in hell’ (499) and takes him up to heaven. This Saga consists of 11 chapters (11-21): chapters 15 and 21 have 2 units each, 5 units in chapter 16, 3 units in chapter 18, 11 units in chapter 20, while the rest do not have any.
Neminatha Charitra opens the pages of The Jain Saga 3 which contains the marvelous and inspiring stories of the 22nd, 23rd and 24th Tirthankar of Jainism: Neminath, Parshvanath and Mahavirswami together with the incarnations, life, wonders and death of Krsna (114), life of Rukmini (125) and the adventures of Draupadi and Pandavas together with their cousins, Kauravas (147). It narrates also the popular story of Nala and Davadanti (72) together with the others: episode of the swan (60), garden sports (188), naga and nagini (261), two bulls (360) and story of Candana (401). Noteworthy are the 27 incarnations, life, works and emancipation of Mahavira which occupy a good portion of Part III, 272 pages in total (318-580). Among many instructions, the triratna (3 jewels) of right belief, right knowledge and right conduct is a prominent one (200). The practice of this leads one to emancipation provided one has self-control over wine, meat, butter and honey, fruits and vegetables and eating at night (200-203). The last chapter 24 narrates the illustrious story of the prominent tirthankara Mahavirswami who is ordinarily accepted (by the scholars) as the founder of Jainism. This third saga contains just 3 chapters (22-24): chapters 22 and 24 have 13 units respectively while chapter 23 just 3.
The Jain Saga 1-3 contains some salient characteristics without their enumerations here one would not do justice to this Saga. In each volume one finds a well-reflected foreword, at the outset, by a prominent personality (even two) of the Jain Society (1 – xxxi, 2 – vi, 3 – vi) who gives a brief outline of the volume thereby making it very handy for a man in the street. The editor’s ‘Preface’ (1-iv) becomes another launching pad to venture into the richness of the Saga. The publishers have done another commendable job of providing a guide to the readers and for the soft copy users in each volume (1 – xxix, 2 –iv, 3 – iv). The focal point of each story is the ‘spiritual freedom’ that transforms one to live ‘a meaningful and purposeful life’ here and to attain ‘emancipation’ hereafter (1-v). The footnotes at the end of each volume (1 – 487, 2 - 513, 3 – 584) further clarify the numerous sacred stories and instructions spread throughout the volumes. They are also very informative. There is the section of stuti or stotra (hymn of praise) after almost every ‘incarnation’ which in a way sums up the life of a tirthankara. While there is also ‘aradhana’ (worship) which however is found only in Part 3, 332. As a reader devours the pages, he/she is truly intrigued and fascinated by the ‘decorative’ usage of similes, metaphors, ‘prosperous with wisdom, loaded with emotion’ (3-ix), comparisons, hyperboles, euphemisms, antithesis, in the narrations throughout the pages of these three volumes.
Another interesting feature is the concluding note of every volume which is very eschatological: “Emancipation will surely result to the one meditating on these biographies…” (1-486), “May the [lives of]… who have been described in the preceding, give pleasure to your ears” (2-512), and all that has been described and written in the Salakapurusa ‘in a profusion of beautiful words’ (583) is for ‘instruction in dharma’, and as long as this earth with its oceans and islands, as long as the sun and the moon last, ‘may this Jain poem named Salakapurusacarita, survive on earth’ (583). And this is the belief of every devout Jain.
To give a brief biography of Acharya Hemchandrasuriswarji Maharaj: We make a retrospective journey to Gujarat of the 12th century of V.S. when the Saiva King Siddharaj Jaysingh was the powerful ruler. The Svetamber fourfold Jain Sangh became a great influence in Jaysingh’s kingdom with Acharya Vijay Devchandrasuriswarji Maharaj as its head whose humble yet brilliant disciple was the author of this Jain Saga. Acharya Hemchandrasuriswarji was born in 1145 V.S. (1089 CE) in the Vaishakh month, in Gujarat. He was named Changdev and at a very tender age was well-instructed in the ways of asceticism by his mother Pahini. So much so, at the age of nine (1154 V.S.), he became a Jain ascetic assuming the name Muni Somchandra. His spiritual-intellectual level was extraordinarily high that he mastered all the scriptures in all their different ‘combination of space, time, substance and nature’ (1-xvi) that soon he was accepted by his contemporaries as the authentic leader of Jainism. His zeal for the scriptures burned so much that he desired to ‘create new scriptures for easy understanding’ for all so that they would be liberated from the ‘universal law of Karmic bondages’ (1-vi). His zeal was rewarded none other than the goddess of knowledge Saraswati who gave him the boon to fulfil his noble desire to accomplish over ‘three and half crores stanzas’ (1-xvii). He also was bestowed with miraculous powers; thus he was given the name ‘Hemchandra’. Vimleshwar Yaksha gave him the boon to ‘maintain all promises to lighten up the religion of Jainism’. In the year 1192 V.S. (he was just 17), Hemchandra was given the charge of leading forward the Jain Sangh with the title of ‘Acharya’. Although he travelled far and wide, he preferred to settle down in Patan, N. Gujarat. Under the patronage of the Saiva King Siddharaj, he wrote a Sanskrit Grammar named Siddha-hem Sabdanushasan and reconstructed and restored Girnartirth.
Kumarpal, the king’s nephew succeeded Siddharaj to the throne and became a Jain himself at the age of 70. It is stated that the new Jain King constructed some 14,000 Jain temples, shrines and installed beautiful idol of Tirthankars (1-xix). He did not stop at this. He made his kingdom totally ‘Jain’ and thirsted more and more to deepen his Jaina knowledge. Thus he requested the Acharya to write this Saga of 34,000 stanzas in Sanskrit ‘with simple words, using all kind of grammar, composition, figures of speech, construction of sentences, the usage of appropriate words rich with illustrations of places and persons with a definite meaning to everything’ (1-xix). After completing this unique Jain Saga together with other twenty precious works (1-xx), the great Guru passed away in 1173 CE. After two months, his great patron King Kumarpal too died.
Being a ‘must read’ (1-v, 3-ix) Holy Book for a member of the Jain faith or any interested reader (‘for one and all’), many versions (and 9 translations; 1-xx) were made in the course of time some of which were not very satisfactory. The excellent translation (of course, not without some misinterpretations as pointed out by the editor of these three parts, 1: v-xv) that we deal with has been done by Late Miss Helen M. Johnson, a great lover of Indian Ancient Scriptures, between 1931-42 CE and edited masterfully by Muni Samvegayashvijay Maharaj, although as he himself attests that ‘the translated version is so precise and perfect to the point, almost never missing a single word from the original’ (1-xxi). It was through the instrumentality of Jignesh Hukmichand Shah that this Saga was made available for editing and publication (1-xxv). Moreover, Miss Helen did find the Saga rich in new linguistic material and every technicality was discussed with sadhus and Jain disciples and professors (1-xxiii) before putting them in paper.
On the other hand, being a devout Jain, a great Sanskrit scholar and a lover of English literature, the editor shows great zeal in orthodoxy (as a help to the Jain community in the first place and for anyone of good will) as he, with due respect, corrects the translator in her few misinterpretations of the Jain scriptures through numerous charts of comparison (1: vii-xv). The editor has done a highly commendable service of giving the biographies of the original author in Part 1 (xvi) and the translator’s (Miss Helen M. Johnson, xxi) as well. Above all, the ‘introduction to the story’ (1-xxvi) by the translator [Miss Helen M. Johnson] becomes an excellent and enlightening tool of comprehension as one undertakes a journey through the Saga. Something original or innovative in these guides is the use of the English word italics which in its verb form is rendered as italised (1-xxix, 2-iv, 3-iv), while the standard dictionaries usually give as italicize. I think this usage will soon be conventional in the intellectual world. The typography is very user-friendly even for the senior-citizens excepting the following: ‘discriptions’ to be ‘descriptions’ (1-iv), ‘authen ticity’[sic] to be joined as ‘authenticity’ (1-vi), ‘stared’ to be ‘started’ (1-xviii), and ‘The walked’ to be ‘He walked’ (1-xxv). Notwithstanding, through this publication, Jain literature has been enriched greatly. I too would like to join hands and re-echo that The Jain Saga is a ‘must read’ Book because it will bring about development and emancipation!
Fr Aloysius Hemrom, sdb
It would not be far-fetched to say that a large portion of humanity (at least majority of Indians) is quite familiar with the famous and majestic 55ft granite monolithic sky-clad statue of the Jain Saint, Gomateshwara or Bahubali of Shravanabelagola Hill situated in the Hassan District of Karnataka, India (158km from Bangalore/Bengaluru). It dates back to the years 978-993 CE built by the Ganga minister and commander Chamundaraya. Jain Scriptures attest that Bahubali was the second of the one hundred sons of the first Tirthankara (spiritual victors/omniscient leaders), Lord Rishabha and King of Podanpur. Numerous pilgrims flock to this place to participate in the mahamastakabhisheka (great anointing done once in every 12th year) with milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins. This Bahubali’s story is wonderfully detailed in The Jain Saga 1 in Rsabhaswami Charitra, unit 5 of chapter one, pp 169-206.
The original Sanskrit title is Trisastisalakapurusacharitra (literally trisasti – sixty-three, salakapurush – illustrious people, charitra – lives) written by Acharya Hemchandrasuriswarji Maharaj (Vikram Era or Vikram Sambat 1145-1173; 3-583), a pioneer in Sanskrit Literature, in the 12th century of the Vikram Sambat (1089-1117 CE). King Kumarpal of Gujarat (3-546, 581) made this personal request to the Acharya (3-547, 582) to put down for posterity some of the fundamental tenets of Jainism (3-583) which he readily and willingly complied with so as to make available the ‘sermons invaluable for the comprehension of Jainism’ (1-xxvii).
The three volume-translation of The Jain Saga is a veritable treasure, a literary classic of the story of 63 illustrious persons of the Jain world (1-iv). In actuality, it comprises nine books of the Jain Scriptures and its sacred history: 24 Tirthankar, 12 Chakravarti, 9 Baldev, 9 Vasudev and 9 Prativasudev totaling to 63 in all. Perusing through the three volumes or parts, one comes across a unfathomable mine of religious truths – being the central focus, and the doctrine of karma (transmigration) blended masterfully and skillfully with other topics as well, viz., key elements of various sciences (e.g., Life, Cosmic, Karmic, Molecular, general, Social, Astronomical and Dream Sciences), life experiences (anatomy, psychology), art and architectural knowledge (elaborate descriptions of temple, cities and palaces), literature, ethics, law, stories, myths, proverbs and warfare. Furthermore, in this ‘Jain-Journey’ one discovers other topics like Logic, Metaphysics, Philosophy (e.g., Carvakas, 1-19; allusion to the Vaisesikas 2-91; Sankhya by Kapila 3-322), Philology and Theology which are dealt with in such a way as to enlighten every Jaina follower and any reader. Since the focal point of this scripture is to purify the soul to attain total freedom, the numerous myths, short stories, proverbs and parables are heavily embedded with morals.
The Jain Saga 1 (Rsabhaswami Charitra) opens with ‘The Auspicious’ page which is the opening prayer of worship and blessing made to the Tirthankars who have become arhats (emancipated). The incarnational stories, ‘complete in each form with minute and intricate knowledge and code of conduct’ (1-vi), keep the reader ever eager to continue. At the outset, the discourse (sermon) on Dharma is highly exhortative (9) followed by another one on samsara (121, 246, 423), and right knowledge-belief-conduct (122-25) which leads to the 12 vows of the layman (125). Since Jainism owes its origin as a reaction against Hinduism or Buddhism of that time, there are some apologetics (defences), viz., Exposition and refutation of the Carvaka system (19-22), statement and refutation of Ksanikavada of Buddhist doctrine (22), and the exposition and refutation of the Vedantin Maya (22-33). Some other instructive and informative stories are the following, viz., the origin of brahmans (218), the funeral ceremonies (231), the eight karmas (310), the people in the Manusyaloka (319), the inevitability of death (365), the origin of throwing bones into the Ganga after death (387), the story of disputed parentage of a boy between two women (433) which reflects the Old Testament judgment of Solomon (1Kgs 3.16), the story of hell-inhabitants (447), and the sermon on impurity of the body (466). Interestingly, Narada Muni with his craftiness finds space in all the three volumes. This volume consists of 10 chapters (1-10): chapters one and two contain 6 units respectively, while the other chapters do not.
The Jain Saga 2 (Sreyansanatha Charitra) deals with the lives of Tirthankars (11-21) and concludes with the famous and popular stories of Jaina Ramayana and Ravana. It begins with an invocation to the ‘emancipated’ Lord Sreyansa to bless all the Jaina followers. Some exhortative sermons and stories are: sermons on tenfold dharma, enlightenment and seven tattvas (61, 75, 89), story of the dove and hawk (208), sermon on the senses (229), on purity of mind (246), and the sermon on yatidharma and householders’ dharma (302). The sermon on the Kasayas (106) is enlightening in as much it details some basic human emotions as anger, forbearance, conceit, humility, deceit, sincerity, greed, contentment and the final emancipation. Further on, one comes across Ravana’s lineage (318), his birth (324), Narada Muni’s involvement (343), story of the origin of animal sacrifices (344), Rama’s lineage (373), his birth (381) and his exploits and emancipation. Noteworthy is the allocation of space given to the Ramayana story (373-500) in this volume (137 pages in all). Another detail that is usually omitted in the Ramayana stories is that ‘Sita visits Laksmana in hell’ (499) and takes him up to heaven. This Saga consists of 11 chapters (11-21): chapters 15 and 21 have 2 units each, 5 units in chapter 16, 3 units in chapter 18, 11 units in chapter 20, while the rest do not have any.
Neminatha Charitra opens the pages of The Jain Saga 3 which contains the marvelous and inspiring stories of the 22nd, 23rd and 24th Tirthankar of Jainism: Neminath, Parshvanath and Mahavirswami together with the incarnations, life, wonders and death of Krsna (114), life of Rukmini (125) and the adventures of Draupadi and Pandavas together with their cousins, Kauravas (147). It narrates also the popular story of Nala and Davadanti (72) together with the others: episode of the swan (60), garden sports (188), naga and nagini (261), two bulls (360) and story of Candana (401). Noteworthy are the 27 incarnations, life, works and emancipation of Mahavira which occupy a good portion of Part III, 272 pages in total (318-580). Among many instructions, the triratna (3 jewels) of right belief, right knowledge and right conduct is a prominent one (200). The practice of this leads one to emancipation provided one has self-control over wine, meat, butter and honey, fruits and vegetables and eating at night (200-203). The last chapter 24 narrates the illustrious story of the prominent tirthankara Mahavirswami who is ordinarily accepted (by the scholars) as the founder of Jainism. This third saga contains just 3 chapters (22-24): chapters 22 and 24 have 13 units respectively while chapter 23 just 3.
The Jain Saga 1-3 contains some salient characteristics without their enumerations here one would not do justice to this Saga. In each volume one finds a well-reflected foreword, at the outset, by a prominent personality (even two) of the Jain Society (1 – xxxi, 2 – vi, 3 – vi) who gives a brief outline of the volume thereby making it very handy for a man in the street. The editor’s ‘Preface’ (1-iv) becomes another launching pad to venture into the richness of the Saga. The publishers have done another commendable job of providing a guide to the readers and for the soft copy users in each volume (1 – xxix, 2 –iv, 3 – iv). The focal point of each story is the ‘spiritual freedom’ that transforms one to live ‘a meaningful and purposeful life’ here and to attain ‘emancipation’ hereafter (1-v). The footnotes at the end of each volume (1 – 487, 2 - 513, 3 – 584) further clarify the numerous sacred stories and instructions spread throughout the volumes. They are also very informative. There is the section of stuti or stotra (hymn of praise) after almost every ‘incarnation’ which in a way sums up the life of a tirthankara. While there is also ‘aradhana’ (worship) which however is found only in Part 3, 332. As a reader devours the pages, he/she is truly intrigued and fascinated by the ‘decorative’ usage of similes, metaphors, ‘prosperous with wisdom, loaded with emotion’ (3-ix), comparisons, hyperboles, euphemisms, antithesis, in the narrations throughout the pages of these three volumes.
Another interesting feature is the concluding note of every volume which is very eschatological: “Emancipation will surely result to the one meditating on these biographies…” (1-486), “May the [lives of]… who have been described in the preceding, give pleasure to your ears” (2-512), and all that has been described and written in the Salakapurusa ‘in a profusion of beautiful words’ (583) is for ‘instruction in dharma’, and as long as this earth with its oceans and islands, as long as the sun and the moon last, ‘may this Jain poem named Salakapurusacarita, survive on earth’ (583). And this is the belief of every devout Jain.
To give a brief biography of Acharya Hemchandrasuriswarji Maharaj: We make a retrospective journey to Gujarat of the 12th century of V.S. when the Saiva King Siddharaj Jaysingh was the powerful ruler. The Svetamber fourfold Jain Sangh became a great influence in Jaysingh’s kingdom with Acharya Vijay Devchandrasuriswarji Maharaj as its head whose humble yet brilliant disciple was the author of this Jain Saga. Acharya Hemchandrasuriswarji was born in 1145 V.S. (1089 CE) in the Vaishakh month, in Gujarat. He was named Changdev and at a very tender age was well-instructed in the ways of asceticism by his mother Pahini. So much so, at the age of nine (1154 V.S.), he became a Jain ascetic assuming the name Muni Somchandra. His spiritual-intellectual level was extraordinarily high that he mastered all the scriptures in all their different ‘combination of space, time, substance and nature’ (1-xvi) that soon he was accepted by his contemporaries as the authentic leader of Jainism. His zeal for the scriptures burned so much that he desired to ‘create new scriptures for easy understanding’ for all so that they would be liberated from the ‘universal law of Karmic bondages’ (1-vi). His zeal was rewarded none other than the goddess of knowledge Saraswati who gave him the boon to fulfil his noble desire to accomplish over ‘three and half crores stanzas’ (1-xvii). He also was bestowed with miraculous powers; thus he was given the name ‘Hemchandra’. Vimleshwar Yaksha gave him the boon to ‘maintain all promises to lighten up the religion of Jainism’. In the year 1192 V.S. (he was just 17), Hemchandra was given the charge of leading forward the Jain Sangh with the title of ‘Acharya’. Although he travelled far and wide, he preferred to settle down in Patan, N. Gujarat. Under the patronage of the Saiva King Siddharaj, he wrote a Sanskrit Grammar named Siddha-hem Sabdanushasan and reconstructed and restored Girnartirth.
Kumarpal, the king’s nephew succeeded Siddharaj to the throne and became a Jain himself at the age of 70. It is stated that the new Jain King constructed some 14,000 Jain temples, shrines and installed beautiful idol of Tirthankars (1-xix). He did not stop at this. He made his kingdom totally ‘Jain’ and thirsted more and more to deepen his Jaina knowledge. Thus he requested the Acharya to write this Saga of 34,000 stanzas in Sanskrit ‘with simple words, using all kind of grammar, composition, figures of speech, construction of sentences, the usage of appropriate words rich with illustrations of places and persons with a definite meaning to everything’ (1-xix). After completing this unique Jain Saga together with other twenty precious works (1-xx), the great Guru passed away in 1173 CE. After two months, his great patron King Kumarpal too died.
Being a ‘must read’ (1-v, 3-ix) Holy Book for a member of the Jain faith or any interested reader (‘for one and all’), many versions (and 9 translations; 1-xx) were made in the course of time some of which were not very satisfactory. The excellent translation (of course, not without some misinterpretations as pointed out by the editor of these three parts, 1: v-xv) that we deal with has been done by Late Miss Helen M. Johnson, a great lover of Indian Ancient Scriptures, between 1931-42 CE and edited masterfully by Muni Samvegayashvijay Maharaj, although as he himself attests that ‘the translated version is so precise and perfect to the point, almost never missing a single word from the original’ (1-xxi). It was through the instrumentality of Jignesh Hukmichand Shah that this Saga was made available for editing and publication (1-xxv). Moreover, Miss Helen did find the Saga rich in new linguistic material and every technicality was discussed with sadhus and Jain disciples and professors (1-xxiii) before putting them in paper.
On the other hand, being a devout Jain, a great Sanskrit scholar and a lover of English literature, the editor shows great zeal in orthodoxy (as a help to the Jain community in the first place and for anyone of good will) as he, with due respect, corrects the translator in her few misinterpretations of the Jain scriptures through numerous charts of comparison (1: vii-xv). The editor has done a highly commendable service of giving the biographies of the original author in Part 1 (xvi) and the translator’s (Miss Helen M. Johnson, xxi) as well. Above all, the ‘introduction to the story’ (1-xxvi) by the translator [Miss Helen M. Johnson] becomes an excellent and enlightening tool of comprehension as one undertakes a journey through the Saga. Something original or innovative in these guides is the use of the English word italics which in its verb form is rendered as italised (1-xxix, 2-iv, 3-iv), while the standard dictionaries usually give as italicize. I think this usage will soon be conventional in the intellectual world. The typography is very user-friendly even for the senior-citizens excepting the following: ‘discriptions’ to be ‘descriptions’ (1-iv), ‘authen ticity’[sic] to be joined as ‘authenticity’ (1-vi), ‘stared’ to be ‘started’ (1-xviii), and ‘The walked’ to be ‘He walked’ (1-xxv). Notwithstanding, through this publication, Jain literature has been enriched greatly. I too would like to join hands and re-echo that The Jain Saga is a ‘must read’ Book because it will bring about development and emancipation!
Fr Aloysius Hemrom, sdb
Friday, October 15, 2010
God-Experience Space
India, from ancient days, has been famous for its ‘holy and sacred places or spaces’ where devout pilgrims undertook pilgrimages with the intention of having a ‘deep spiritual experience' of the Absolute (God). The dawn of this third millennium has ushered in a new era: a competitive era to create greater 'space' in every sphere of life. For space gives life. In the absence of which one faces numerous 'phobias' squeezing the life out of him. In this line, one cannot bypass the recent and famous Ayodhya Verdict of 30 September 2010. We live in an age of postmodernism and globalization. Notwithstanding, much efforts have been put to create (even through much violence) an appropriate ‘sacred space’ – God-Experience space - wherein every believer or worshipper will experience God ‘here and now’, not only in that worship-space but also in all other interacting activities of his daily life in a manner that is common and familiar to everybody. The space should have the characteristics of mysterium, tremendum et fascinans – a space that is mysterious, awesome yet fascinating because it is the God-experience that attracts a person to it.
Sacred Space
Every religion holds that it is God who created humans in time and space - in a concrete reality. And humans always saw time and space as God’s gifts. These categories have tickled the brains of philosophers and religious thinkers from time immemorial. Discussions on this topic are endless. Before venturing into the ‘God-experience space’ as such, we would like to deal briefly on the concept of space itself.
Concept of Space
Philosophically, the categories of time and space are seen as abstractions to understand one’s environment and the interrelated realities, having existence only in relation to the intuitive three-dimensional totality of everyday experience, the two coordinates within which all human events take place. They are interdependent. All human experiences are encompassed by these categories and it is next to impossible for us to conceive of ‘this-worldly’ or the ‘other-worldly’ except in these terms.
Architectural space
By ‘Sacred or Architectural space’, we refer to the ‘existential foothold’, the outer frame surrounding a celebration, which humans try to capture it in church/temple/masjid/gurudwara architecture. It refers to the art and architecture of religious celebrations, the space for worship and prayer which makes the gathering place of a group of worshippers. Concretely, it is the sacred permanent edifice where the community gathers in to communicate with God by means of signs and symbols, gestures, postures and persons; ‘a medium’ which gives form and emphasis to one’s relationship with one’s fellowmen, to the society and to God. Through the creation of this ‘sacred space’, human beings try in an imperfect way to give back to God his gratuitous gifts. And the inherent longing to communicate with Him through this medium originates religion. Although one of the wonderful manifestations of the inner strength, power and extent of worship is the fact that it is indifferent to conditions of space, yet it has produced, in every century, masterpieces of architecture and the other structural arts such as no other of humans’ ideas have been able to produce.
Some Principles and Guidelines for Architectural Space
Sacred space is the worship space - ‘the centre of the world’ - of anyone of goodwill. From a religious understanding of a ‘God-experience space’, some principles and guidelines are that it should be an appropriate space for the worshipping community, a space appropriate for religious worship and festivals and be symbolic and challenging. The centrality of any religion requires a space that is appropriate and open, facilitating and fitting, welcoming and warm, free and liberating, festive and uplifting to lend itself to experience the Absolute for that space is more precious, more valued, than the rest. In other words, it should be functional, bringing out more plainly the communitarian nature of worship and the celebration. This unity ought to be illumined rather than obscured by the architectural character. The interior-space should be warm and welcoming, a source of hospitality and attractive, uplifting and filling, dignified and sacred, leading the community or the gathering into genuine 'God-experience'. Care must be taken not to let the community’s field of vision be disturbed by bright windows or openings behind it or to let confusing superstructures or distracting sculptures all around. The rising sun which gives light, life and warmth, is the symbol of a resurgent God in every religion. Moreover, the space should reflect the splendour of the divine promises and challenge to those present to a faith - which questions and explores - based on hope which finds its expression in loving relationships.
Conclusion
Today a challenge in the digital world, a cause of great concern, is the creation and the use of the architectural space to build up true religiosity without any sort of politicization. For, in this third millennium there is a deep-seated hunger in every person for the ‘great fullness’ in their religions. The ‘God-hungry people’ are in search for a 'space' - a God-experience space – in and through which they will encounter a transcendent God who is not bound by caste, religion, colour or any other human barriers. The digitalized world has caused a dilemma in the psyche of today’s men and women and they are caught up between postmodernization and fidelity to the traditional values. The need of the hour is to create a link so as to build a ‘sacred space’ for everyone to feel one with the Absolute and find meaning in one’s daily life. This is the challenge of the third millennium!
This is coming from the desk of Fr Alu Hemrom, sdb well known as aluramus hems and lovingly called alu hems. I sincerely thank him for his contribution.
Sacred Space
Every religion holds that it is God who created humans in time and space - in a concrete reality. And humans always saw time and space as God’s gifts. These categories have tickled the brains of philosophers and religious thinkers from time immemorial. Discussions on this topic are endless. Before venturing into the ‘God-experience space’ as such, we would like to deal briefly on the concept of space itself.
Concept of Space
Philosophically, the categories of time and space are seen as abstractions to understand one’s environment and the interrelated realities, having existence only in relation to the intuitive three-dimensional totality of everyday experience, the two coordinates within which all human events take place. They are interdependent. All human experiences are encompassed by these categories and it is next to impossible for us to conceive of ‘this-worldly’ or the ‘other-worldly’ except in these terms.
Architectural space
By ‘Sacred or Architectural space’, we refer to the ‘existential foothold’, the outer frame surrounding a celebration, which humans try to capture it in church/temple/masjid/gurudwara architecture. It refers to the art and architecture of religious celebrations, the space for worship and prayer which makes the gathering place of a group of worshippers. Concretely, it is the sacred permanent edifice where the community gathers in to communicate with God by means of signs and symbols, gestures, postures and persons; ‘a medium’ which gives form and emphasis to one’s relationship with one’s fellowmen, to the society and to God. Through the creation of this ‘sacred space’, human beings try in an imperfect way to give back to God his gratuitous gifts. And the inherent longing to communicate with Him through this medium originates religion. Although one of the wonderful manifestations of the inner strength, power and extent of worship is the fact that it is indifferent to conditions of space, yet it has produced, in every century, masterpieces of architecture and the other structural arts such as no other of humans’ ideas have been able to produce.
Some Principles and Guidelines for Architectural Space
Sacred space is the worship space - ‘the centre of the world’ - of anyone of goodwill. From a religious understanding of a ‘God-experience space’, some principles and guidelines are that it should be an appropriate space for the worshipping community, a space appropriate for religious worship and festivals and be symbolic and challenging. The centrality of any religion requires a space that is appropriate and open, facilitating and fitting, welcoming and warm, free and liberating, festive and uplifting to lend itself to experience the Absolute for that space is more precious, more valued, than the rest. In other words, it should be functional, bringing out more plainly the communitarian nature of worship and the celebration. This unity ought to be illumined rather than obscured by the architectural character. The interior-space should be warm and welcoming, a source of hospitality and attractive, uplifting and filling, dignified and sacred, leading the community or the gathering into genuine 'God-experience'. Care must be taken not to let the community’s field of vision be disturbed by bright windows or openings behind it or to let confusing superstructures or distracting sculptures all around. The rising sun which gives light, life and warmth, is the symbol of a resurgent God in every religion. Moreover, the space should reflect the splendour of the divine promises and challenge to those present to a faith - which questions and explores - based on hope which finds its expression in loving relationships.
Conclusion
Today a challenge in the digital world, a cause of great concern, is the creation and the use of the architectural space to build up true religiosity without any sort of politicization. For, in this third millennium there is a deep-seated hunger in every person for the ‘great fullness’ in their religions. The ‘God-hungry people’ are in search for a 'space' - a God-experience space – in and through which they will encounter a transcendent God who is not bound by caste, religion, colour or any other human barriers. The digitalized world has caused a dilemma in the psyche of today’s men and women and they are caught up between postmodernization and fidelity to the traditional values. The need of the hour is to create a link so as to build a ‘sacred space’ for everyone to feel one with the Absolute and find meaning in one’s daily life. This is the challenge of the third millennium!
This is coming from the desk of Fr Alu Hemrom, sdb well known as aluramus hems and lovingly called alu hems. I sincerely thank him for his contribution.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Cogito, Ergo Sum
I happened to ask father for his reflection on anything that he wanted to express and here is what he happened to...
As I journey down the memory lane, the last time that I had to confront or carefront philosophical problems was in 1992, when I was invited (took a good break from Cherrapunjee or Sohra) by the Father-founder of the Integrated Training for Religious and Laity (ITLR), Rev. Fr Puthenpurakal (PV) Joseph (without ‘c’, mind you!), presently the august director of the DBCIC (in short, DB Museum), to lecture to the ITLRs on the history of Western and Indian philosophies and philosophers. It was a good revision for me after my Dimapur-days (1984-87). I enjoyed ‘philosophizing’ with the ITLRs. Now that after 17 years in the ‘philosophical limbo’, I have landed here in Divyadaan (God’s Gift), the melting pot of the Institute of Philosophy in Nashik – Mumbai Province (here the Lonergan School is going strong), from last 28 July, it is a time to find some ‘philosophical bearings’ once again after some 12 years of ‘burning candles’ and ‘putting flowers on the altar’ in the theologate (now mind you, for those who have forgotten the latest GIRM 305 which says that they are to be put around and no more on the altar).
It is interesting to note that those 17 years in the ‘philosophical limbo’, in a way, was a good thing. Now that some ‘bearings’ have been discovered, let me share with you something that may shock or may not shock you – unless you are a great ‘shock-absorber’. But the fact is, that it does exist: in some a good measure, in others somewhat a less measure, in some others the whole measure (am I too judgmental or presumptious?). And what is that ‘shocking thing’?
Cogito! It is the Cogito, ergo sum = “I think, therefore I am” (or “I am thinking, therefore I exist”), of René Descartes (31 Mar 1596 – 11 Feb 1650; Latinized form: Renatus Cartesius), the great 17th century French philosopher, mathematician, physicist and the “Father of Modern Philosophy” in his famous Discourse on the Method IV (written in French, 1637) and in Principles of Philosophy I (in Latin, 1644). He had his followers in the persons of Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Leibniz who advocated his ‘thought’ but opposed by the empiricist school of thought consisting of Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume.
Allow me to revise together some tenets of this interesting Cartesian philosophy so as to build on the cogito principle which, I believe, has affected the very marrows of humankind (quite a tall statement and claim, you will say!) For Cartesius, there is just a single principle in life: ‘thought exists’ which cannot be separated from me, therefore, I exist. Further, if I doubt, then something or someone must be doing the doubting, therefore the very fact that I doubt proves my existence. "The simple meaning of the phrase is that if one is skeptical of existence, that is, in and of itself proof that he does exist." Descartes thus concludes that he can be certain that he exists because he thinks. But in what form? He perceives his body through the use of the senses; however, these have previously been proven unreliable. So Descartes concludes further that the only indubitable knowledge is that he is a thinking thing. Thinking is his essence as it is the only thing about him that cannot be doubted. Descartes defines "thought" (cogitatio) as "what happens in me such that I am immediately conscious of it, insofar as I am conscious of it". Thinking is thus every activity of a person of which he is immediately conscious. This Cartesian cogito principle shook up the 17th century world and in 1663, Pope Alexander VII (1599-1667) placed his works on the Index of Prohibited Books.
Now what is this cogito principle or cogitatio? To simplify further the Cartesian principle, it is this: ‘My personhood/personality (as I am) depends on the way I picture/create (think) myself, no matter whoever/whatever/whichever/however others may label/think/speak of me’. Further, ‘I am or I exist on the basis of what I think of myself and not what Tom, Dick and Harry think of me’. To put it crudely: ‘I am what I think best about myself, no matter what others think of me or speak about me’. I hope, I have succeeded in stating the principle in a sound manner and in simple terms.
How does this cogito principle work in my life? As a salesian, I have professed to follow the Constitutions and Regulations given by Don Bosco (and revised by the subsequent General Chapters) but I choose the ‘conveniences’ only and rationalize on other things because ‘I think those convenient things make me what I am – a good salesian’ and I continue my life quite happily. The ‘hard things thereof’ I think do no apply me; they apply to other ‘good salesians’. The provincial reminds me now and again the constitutional and regulatory implications in my life through his letters and circulars. The AGCs too arrive from Rome. I continue my life ‘as usual’ (as it is commonly said: ‘As it was in the beginning, is now and…), because that’s what I think it should be. There are meetings and animations conducted in the province or elsewhere, but I think they are not meant for me; they are meant ‘for the other’. I am quite happy at what I am doing in the parish, in the school, in the institution. For, that’s what I think of myself. Others may point fingers at me for not attending such programs or animations, but what I am is what I think of myself. Let others think whatever they like to think or speak! After all, now-a-days, there is freedom of thought and speech! Thus, cogito, ergo sum!
Let me muse further: There are on-going programs but I don’t think I need such programs. There are visitation reports left by the provincial/extraordinary visitor, but I know best what’s to be done because that is ‘what we think as a community’. The province-meetings are meant for the ‘jobless’. I have to ‘save souls’ for God’s kingdom (?) and ‘more souls’. That’s what I think. During the formation stages (aspirantate, pre-novitiate, novitiate, philosophate, practical training, college studies, theologate), guidelines and directions are given (especially during conferences and other interactions and meetings) but I don’t think I need them, for I know myself quite well of who I am. Besides, I am quite an expert on today’s psychology and up-to-date with the mass-media – that’s what I think! After all, formation is supposed to be personal and as a person I am quite sure of myself because that’s what I think of myself… therefore, I am!
Cogito, ergo sum! That is the reason why I have put down such musings after I have woken up from my ‘philosophical stupor’ (for my own benefit in the first place and for anyone of goodwill; Nota bene: With no malice towards anyone!). And I hope Renatus Cartesius will not turn in his grave with such cogitations of mine for reversing the ‘index’ of Pope Alexander VII!
Fr Alu Hemrom, sdb
As I journey down the memory lane, the last time that I had to confront or carefront philosophical problems was in 1992, when I was invited (took a good break from Cherrapunjee or Sohra) by the Father-founder of the Integrated Training for Religious and Laity (ITLR), Rev. Fr Puthenpurakal (PV) Joseph (without ‘c’, mind you!), presently the august director of the DBCIC (in short, DB Museum), to lecture to the ITLRs on the history of Western and Indian philosophies and philosophers. It was a good revision for me after my Dimapur-days (1984-87). I enjoyed ‘philosophizing’ with the ITLRs. Now that after 17 years in the ‘philosophical limbo’, I have landed here in Divyadaan (God’s Gift), the melting pot of the Institute of Philosophy in Nashik – Mumbai Province (here the Lonergan School is going strong), from last 28 July, it is a time to find some ‘philosophical bearings’ once again after some 12 years of ‘burning candles’ and ‘putting flowers on the altar’ in the theologate (now mind you, for those who have forgotten the latest GIRM 305 which says that they are to be put around and no more on the altar).
It is interesting to note that those 17 years in the ‘philosophical limbo’, in a way, was a good thing. Now that some ‘bearings’ have been discovered, let me share with you something that may shock or may not shock you – unless you are a great ‘shock-absorber’. But the fact is, that it does exist: in some a good measure, in others somewhat a less measure, in some others the whole measure (am I too judgmental or presumptious?). And what is that ‘shocking thing’?
Cogito! It is the Cogito, ergo sum = “I think, therefore I am” (or “I am thinking, therefore I exist”), of René Descartes (31 Mar 1596 – 11 Feb 1650; Latinized form: Renatus Cartesius), the great 17th century French philosopher, mathematician, physicist and the “Father of Modern Philosophy” in his famous Discourse on the Method IV (written in French, 1637) and in Principles of Philosophy I (in Latin, 1644). He had his followers in the persons of Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Leibniz who advocated his ‘thought’ but opposed by the empiricist school of thought consisting of Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume.
Allow me to revise together some tenets of this interesting Cartesian philosophy so as to build on the cogito principle which, I believe, has affected the very marrows of humankind (quite a tall statement and claim, you will say!) For Cartesius, there is just a single principle in life: ‘thought exists’ which cannot be separated from me, therefore, I exist. Further, if I doubt, then something or someone must be doing the doubting, therefore the very fact that I doubt proves my existence. "The simple meaning of the phrase is that if one is skeptical of existence, that is, in and of itself proof that he does exist." Descartes thus concludes that he can be certain that he exists because he thinks. But in what form? He perceives his body through the use of the senses; however, these have previously been proven unreliable. So Descartes concludes further that the only indubitable knowledge is that he is a thinking thing. Thinking is his essence as it is the only thing about him that cannot be doubted. Descartes defines "thought" (cogitatio) as "what happens in me such that I am immediately conscious of it, insofar as I am conscious of it". Thinking is thus every activity of a person of which he is immediately conscious. This Cartesian cogito principle shook up the 17th century world and in 1663, Pope Alexander VII (1599-1667) placed his works on the Index of Prohibited Books.
Now what is this cogito principle or cogitatio? To simplify further the Cartesian principle, it is this: ‘My personhood/personality (as I am) depends on the way I picture/create (think) myself, no matter whoever/whatever/whichever/however others may label/think/speak of me’. Further, ‘I am or I exist on the basis of what I think of myself and not what Tom, Dick and Harry think of me’. To put it crudely: ‘I am what I think best about myself, no matter what others think of me or speak about me’. I hope, I have succeeded in stating the principle in a sound manner and in simple terms.
How does this cogito principle work in my life? As a salesian, I have professed to follow the Constitutions and Regulations given by Don Bosco (and revised by the subsequent General Chapters) but I choose the ‘conveniences’ only and rationalize on other things because ‘I think those convenient things make me what I am – a good salesian’ and I continue my life quite happily. The ‘hard things thereof’ I think do no apply me; they apply to other ‘good salesians’. The provincial reminds me now and again the constitutional and regulatory implications in my life through his letters and circulars. The AGCs too arrive from Rome. I continue my life ‘as usual’ (as it is commonly said: ‘As it was in the beginning, is now and…), because that’s what I think it should be. There are meetings and animations conducted in the province or elsewhere, but I think they are not meant for me; they are meant ‘for the other’. I am quite happy at what I am doing in the parish, in the school, in the institution. For, that’s what I think of myself. Others may point fingers at me for not attending such programs or animations, but what I am is what I think of myself. Let others think whatever they like to think or speak! After all, now-a-days, there is freedom of thought and speech! Thus, cogito, ergo sum!
Let me muse further: There are on-going programs but I don’t think I need such programs. There are visitation reports left by the provincial/extraordinary visitor, but I know best what’s to be done because that is ‘what we think as a community’. The province-meetings are meant for the ‘jobless’. I have to ‘save souls’ for God’s kingdom (?) and ‘more souls’. That’s what I think. During the formation stages (aspirantate, pre-novitiate, novitiate, philosophate, practical training, college studies, theologate), guidelines and directions are given (especially during conferences and other interactions and meetings) but I don’t think I need them, for I know myself quite well of who I am. Besides, I am quite an expert on today’s psychology and up-to-date with the mass-media – that’s what I think! After all, formation is supposed to be personal and as a person I am quite sure of myself because that’s what I think of myself… therefore, I am!
Cogito, ergo sum! That is the reason why I have put down such musings after I have woken up from my ‘philosophical stupor’ (for my own benefit in the first place and for anyone of goodwill; Nota bene: With no malice towards anyone!). And I hope Renatus Cartesius will not turn in his grave with such cogitations of mine for reversing the ‘index’ of Pope Alexander VII!
Fr Alu Hemrom, sdb
Saturday, October 9, 2010
A new Leap
Journeying through my life
Never imagined that I’ll go through this
It’s a question why to live my life?
Hoping things will change
Uncertain of the future
Want a new leap; I’ll make a new leap.
I have got to find my way through
Don’t know whom to ask for help.
And so I turn to the Lord for faith and strength
He will hold me in His arms for sure
And we’ll make a new leap, with the Lord a new leap.
Now my life’s without a meaning.
Not possible to live this way.
On knees I’ll bend before the Lord
Pondering over this mystery
Searching for a meaning
Want a new leap; I’ll make a new leap.
Now I believe I’ve got the answer
Which I have grappled for so long
Life’s now full of meaning
God’s love it does contain
With His promise of salvation
This really give joy within me coz I sang this song for the play which we staged. It was composed by my companions Mario, Daniel and Velasli.
Never imagined that I’ll go through this
It’s a question why to live my life?
Hoping things will change
Uncertain of the future
Want a new leap; I’ll make a new leap.
I have got to find my way through
Don’t know whom to ask for help.
And so I turn to the Lord for faith and strength
He will hold me in His arms for sure
And we’ll make a new leap, with the Lord a new leap.
Now my life’s without a meaning.
Not possible to live this way.
On knees I’ll bend before the Lord
Pondering over this mystery
Searching for a meaning
Want a new leap; I’ll make a new leap.
Now I believe I’ve got the answer
Which I have grappled for so long
Life’s now full of meaning
God’s love it does contain
With His promise of salvation
This really give joy within me coz I sang this song for the play which we staged. It was composed by my companions Mario, Daniel and Velasli.
JESUS AND THE SAMARITAN WOMAN
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the fourth gospel is explicit and well known: that those who hear it might
believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief they might have life in his name. As such, the engendering of faith which leads to eternal life lies at the very heart of John’s purpose. Eternal life, however, is not simply something which we will inherit at our death or receive at our Lord’s second coming, but it is the very present possession of God’s people. John would have us understand that eternal life already belongs to everyone who trusts in him. Since eternal life is a present reality, how this life is defined, and what it looks like.
The gospel of John for me is the Gospel of life. It gives meaning to my life. It is full of life and has many referrals through signs and symbols that apply to life. John's narrative about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman captures my attention. As for me since at present I am studying at DIVYADAAN, I would like to take up the chapter 4 of John. [Jesus with the woman of Samaria, (1:42)]
As for me I would like to reflect on LIFE therefore in my part of reflection I would take up persons and signs that shows “ Importance of Life “ not only life alone but life in the presence of the lord - Living Rightly and Living Holy. Let us now have a look at the persons in the passage and their role as I shed light upon them through my spectacles in a creative way.
JESUS
In verse 1, Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples.
Jesus used when he invited those who “labor and are burdened” to come to him (Mt 11:28).
As a Salesian, we too, are called to invite more people for the sake of the Lord and his Kingdom. We too should have more youngsters joining us just as Jesus had disciples following him wherever and everywhere he went. As Salesians we should be able to attract youngsters by our example and our creative way.
In verse 6, Jesus is tired by his Journey.
Who could recognize in the sweaty, weary, thirsty Jesus the promised Messiah?
As Salesians, we too, get tired but let this not be a block to our ministry that is to say, that we are to serve the Lord in all our strength and we die. Don Bosco has very often used this saying; “We will have our rest only in heaven.”So let us in all humility and sincerity work for the Kingdom of our Lord.
In verse 7-26, Jesus is dialoging with the Samaritan Woman.
As Jesus approached Jacob’s well in Samaria, two thirsty people meet. Jesus sees a woman who has a parched soul. She came to draw water at noon, is a clear cut clue that she was an outcast from the “respectable” women. She was a public sinner (prostitute). Breaking all conventions, Jesus speaks to a strange woman, and a Samaritan at that. Love only seeks to be loved in return, “Give me a drink” (Jn 4:7).The Lord of heaven and earth makes the first move to capture the heart of his sinful creature. Even the woman is surprised that Jesus spoke to her.
As a Salesian, we too, must make the first move to start just as Jesus does with the Samaritan woman at the well. Our Father and Founder, Don Bosco also followed the same trick to catch youngsters of his time to make them good Christians and honest citizens of this world. So let us in our dealing with the youth be the first to approach.
Jesus at this very moment in the dialogue touches her heart, disturbs her totally, and saves her soul. For me (Romero) as a Religious, as a Salesian, and as a Human, this whole aspect of heart and soul has changed the meaning of my whole life. It is this very meaning that’s always burning within me, a flame of zeal, enthusiasm, passion, and the fire i.e. in following Don Bosco’s motto: “DA MIHI ANIMAS CETERA TOLLE”. It is my only dream and goal to save souls, esp. of the YOUTH.
In verse 34, Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me to complete his work.”
As a Salesian, we too are called to be and to know, that our will is to do our mission as Don Bosco. I would also see this verse in the light of as to Don Bosco promises us to posses, “ bread, work and heaven” and so invites us to be part of him. Ultimately, what is of importance our soul and that of the other.
SAMARITAN WOMAN
I would like each one of you, whosoever is reading this particular passage to place yourself in the place of this woman and do reflect as to what Jesus would ask you and the account of your life, basing on what life you are living. Imagine yourself being given the Living Water and the knowledge of Spirit and Truth.
As I was reflecting, I simply placed myself in the place of this woman and had the experience of what I really needed. Definitely, I would like to share but I believe that each one will have an experience of what he/she really needs and want from the Lord. So make your own experience…………..
As a part, on reflecting on the passage I received insights on the woman and would like to present.
In verse 7-25, The Samaritan Woman was in dialogue with Jesus.
I have divided this particular scene of the dialogue in three points, basically:-
Conservation – The Samaritan Woman dialogues with Jesus in an Ignorant way, a body language that shows Hesitation, mind filled with Doubts and Clarifications and a face of worries.
Conversion – In the dialogue, there is a sort of radical conversion taking place of her heart and mind. Wherein there is the openness of heart to listen and change. There is also the realization of the presence of the Lord and the knowledge that he is HE.
Challenge – Once she goes under this conversion, she accepts the will of God in her life and immediately goes to proclaim about the Lord and invites the people to COME AND SEE, this expression of hers shows that she has not only converted her self but also began the mission of her life, i.e. , to go and proclaim. A disciple of Christ and A missionary for Christ.
THE C’s FORMULA, CHRIST – CONVERSATION, CONVERSION, CHALLENGE.
DISCIPLES
In a nutshell, Disciples were those who were with Jesus at all times. As Christians, we too are disciples of Christ, and it is our duty to serve him and love for all ages.
SAMARITAN PEOPLE
In verse 39, they believed because of the Woman’s Testimony.
We too are called to be Living testimony among the humankind more especially, among the youth. We must bear witness to our faith in love.
In verse 41, and more believed because of his word.
We too are called to believe in his word, for us it is the Sacred Scriptures, Church Teachings and As Salesians, we must also follow our constitution as a word given by Don Bosco himself.
There are also certain signs and words that strike in this passage such as LIVING WATER, SPIRIT, TRUTH, SOWERS and REAPERS, AND FRUITS.
Since the Gospel of John is also known for the number SEVEN in this passage I’ve found seven different ways to call Jesus they are as follows:-
A JEW, SIR, PROPHET, MESSIAH, CHRIST, RABBI, and SAVIOUR
CONCLUSION
To conclude, I would sincerely thank you, Fr. Steve for taking a course on Scriptures which has definitely helped me grow in knowledge and love of Jesus and Scriptures. I would also like to appreciate the dedication, sacrifice and love you showed to each one of us of being a true Salesian. The creative way of conducting the course has given me new insights for my own apostolate in my Salesian way of Life.
Think about this ...I reflected on this because I Live in this place called Divyadaan: The gift of God
The purpose of the fourth gospel is explicit and well known: that those who hear it might
believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief they might have life in his name. As such, the engendering of faith which leads to eternal life lies at the very heart of John’s purpose. Eternal life, however, is not simply something which we will inherit at our death or receive at our Lord’s second coming, but it is the very present possession of God’s people. John would have us understand that eternal life already belongs to everyone who trusts in him. Since eternal life is a present reality, how this life is defined, and what it looks like.
The gospel of John for me is the Gospel of life. It gives meaning to my life. It is full of life and has many referrals through signs and symbols that apply to life. John's narrative about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman captures my attention. As for me since at present I am studying at DIVYADAAN, I would like to take up the chapter 4 of John. [Jesus with the woman of Samaria, (1:42)]
As for me I would like to reflect on LIFE therefore in my part of reflection I would take up persons and signs that shows “ Importance of Life “ not only life alone but life in the presence of the lord - Living Rightly and Living Holy. Let us now have a look at the persons in the passage and their role as I shed light upon them through my spectacles in a creative way.
JESUS
In verse 1, Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples.
Jesus used when he invited those who “labor and are burdened” to come to him (Mt 11:28).
As a Salesian, we too, are called to invite more people for the sake of the Lord and his Kingdom. We too should have more youngsters joining us just as Jesus had disciples following him wherever and everywhere he went. As Salesians we should be able to attract youngsters by our example and our creative way.
In verse 6, Jesus is tired by his Journey.
Who could recognize in the sweaty, weary, thirsty Jesus the promised Messiah?
As Salesians, we too, get tired but let this not be a block to our ministry that is to say, that we are to serve the Lord in all our strength and we die. Don Bosco has very often used this saying; “We will have our rest only in heaven.”So let us in all humility and sincerity work for the Kingdom of our Lord.
In verse 7-26, Jesus is dialoging with the Samaritan Woman.
As Jesus approached Jacob’s well in Samaria, two thirsty people meet. Jesus sees a woman who has a parched soul. She came to draw water at noon, is a clear cut clue that she was an outcast from the “respectable” women. She was a public sinner (prostitute). Breaking all conventions, Jesus speaks to a strange woman, and a Samaritan at that. Love only seeks to be loved in return, “Give me a drink” (Jn 4:7).The Lord of heaven and earth makes the first move to capture the heart of his sinful creature. Even the woman is surprised that Jesus spoke to her.
As a Salesian, we too, must make the first move to start just as Jesus does with the Samaritan woman at the well. Our Father and Founder, Don Bosco also followed the same trick to catch youngsters of his time to make them good Christians and honest citizens of this world. So let us in our dealing with the youth be the first to approach.
Jesus at this very moment in the dialogue touches her heart, disturbs her totally, and saves her soul. For me (Romero) as a Religious, as a Salesian, and as a Human, this whole aspect of heart and soul has changed the meaning of my whole life. It is this very meaning that’s always burning within me, a flame of zeal, enthusiasm, passion, and the fire i.e. in following Don Bosco’s motto: “DA MIHI ANIMAS CETERA TOLLE”. It is my only dream and goal to save souls, esp. of the YOUTH.
In verse 34, Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me to complete his work.”
As a Salesian, we too are called to be and to know, that our will is to do our mission as Don Bosco. I would also see this verse in the light of as to Don Bosco promises us to posses, “ bread, work and heaven” and so invites us to be part of him. Ultimately, what is of importance our soul and that of the other.
SAMARITAN WOMAN
I would like each one of you, whosoever is reading this particular passage to place yourself in the place of this woman and do reflect as to what Jesus would ask you and the account of your life, basing on what life you are living. Imagine yourself being given the Living Water and the knowledge of Spirit and Truth.
As I was reflecting, I simply placed myself in the place of this woman and had the experience of what I really needed. Definitely, I would like to share but I believe that each one will have an experience of what he/she really needs and want from the Lord. So make your own experience…………..
As a part, on reflecting on the passage I received insights on the woman and would like to present.
In verse 7-25, The Samaritan Woman was in dialogue with Jesus.
I have divided this particular scene of the dialogue in three points, basically:-
Conservation – The Samaritan Woman dialogues with Jesus in an Ignorant way, a body language that shows Hesitation, mind filled with Doubts and Clarifications and a face of worries.
Conversion – In the dialogue, there is a sort of radical conversion taking place of her heart and mind. Wherein there is the openness of heart to listen and change. There is also the realization of the presence of the Lord and the knowledge that he is HE.
Challenge – Once she goes under this conversion, she accepts the will of God in her life and immediately goes to proclaim about the Lord and invites the people to COME AND SEE, this expression of hers shows that she has not only converted her self but also began the mission of her life, i.e. , to go and proclaim. A disciple of Christ and A missionary for Christ.
THE C’s FORMULA, CHRIST – CONVERSATION, CONVERSION, CHALLENGE.
DISCIPLES
In a nutshell, Disciples were those who were with Jesus at all times. As Christians, we too are disciples of Christ, and it is our duty to serve him and love for all ages.
SAMARITAN PEOPLE
In verse 39, they believed because of the Woman’s Testimony.
We too are called to be Living testimony among the humankind more especially, among the youth. We must bear witness to our faith in love.
In verse 41, and more believed because of his word.
We too are called to believe in his word, for us it is the Sacred Scriptures, Church Teachings and As Salesians, we must also follow our constitution as a word given by Don Bosco himself.
There are also certain signs and words that strike in this passage such as LIVING WATER, SPIRIT, TRUTH, SOWERS and REAPERS, AND FRUITS.
Since the Gospel of John is also known for the number SEVEN in this passage I’ve found seven different ways to call Jesus they are as follows:-
A JEW, SIR, PROPHET, MESSIAH, CHRIST, RABBI, and SAVIOUR
CONCLUSION
To conclude, I would sincerely thank you, Fr. Steve for taking a course on Scriptures which has definitely helped me grow in knowledge and love of Jesus and Scriptures. I would also like to appreciate the dedication, sacrifice and love you showed to each one of us of being a true Salesian. The creative way of conducting the course has given me new insights for my own apostolate in my Salesian way of Life.
Think about this ...I reflected on this because I Live in this place called Divyadaan: The gift of God
Live learn Love
Basically its all about putting God in the center of our lives, experiencing his love and sharing this love with our neighbour around us. It is not about theoretic things, things that we have to by heart and just put out without knowing. Scouting only is of use to us only if we practice all that we have learned and live by it everyday of our life.
Every morning you have two choices to make, one is to either continue our sleep with dreaming and the other is to wake up and chase our dreams, make our dreams come true. The decision is in our hands, we have the power to shape our lives. Make the right choice. We are here because we want to be in the second category of people who want to fulfill their dreams and become someone in their life. But where do we start and where will we end, which route shall we go and which way will we avoid to fulfill our dreams? We must always remember one thing and that is that no matter what we dream of becoming; ultimately at the end of it all what we desire and seek for is happiness, not a happiness that will last for some time but eternal happiness. Though we have different desires and different goals to achieve, noting will satisfy us unless we find the true happiness that can quench our thirst for more. We will be fulfilled when we attain this happiness.
We are here to fulfill our dreams, for which we have to do something. By doing we have to learn and through learning to know and through knowing to experience wonder, through wonder to attain wisdom, through wisdom to find simplicity in life, and through simplicity to give attention and through attention to see what is to be done.
Live, Learn, Love. All the three are interconnected, without one the other cannot exist. When you die there will be at least two dates on your tombstone. All your friends will come and will see it. But all that is going to matter is the small dash between the two dates. The show will begin and the show will end, but all that’s going to matter is how did you play your part. What have we done in our live that will continue to live in the hearts of the people we leave behind. Now the question is how should we play our part? The answer is simple; you know your goal, the ultimate goal of your life. Ask yourself always whether the activity that I am doing is going to take me closer towards my goal of attaining happiness. True happiness is found only in God and we can reach God only if we are good and do good deeds. Goodness and happiness are inseparable. It does not mean that by doing good there will be no problems, no worries to face in our life, in fact there will me more difficulties on our way but in all this the grace of God will always be with us to help and guide us in our way. You will not be alone. No matter how steep the mountain is God is going to climb it with you. Here I am reminded of the Song Climb – Miley Cyrus
We all have to learn, through learning know how to live. Listening is one of the greatest way of learning. To learn we must listen and to listen we must be silent. You cannot both speak and listen at the same time. The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be the people who cannot read and write, but it will be those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.
Some times in our life we learn the wrong things which we think will bring happiness and often we are mislead. It is important that we unlearn all that is taking us away from our goal of becoming happy. Take a few steps backwards, relearn the good things which we have left behind on our way and then move forward to achieve our goal.
1corintians 13 Love is patient…..love is everlasting.
Every morning you have two choices to make, one is to either continue our sleep with dreaming and the other is to wake up and chase our dreams, make our dreams come true. The decision is in our hands, we have the power to shape our lives. Make the right choice. We are here because we want to be in the second category of people who want to fulfill their dreams and become someone in their life. But where do we start and where will we end, which route shall we go and which way will we avoid to fulfill our dreams? We must always remember one thing and that is that no matter what we dream of becoming; ultimately at the end of it all what we desire and seek for is happiness, not a happiness that will last for some time but eternal happiness. Though we have different desires and different goals to achieve, noting will satisfy us unless we find the true happiness that can quench our thirst for more. We will be fulfilled when we attain this happiness.
We are here to fulfill our dreams, for which we have to do something. By doing we have to learn and through learning to know and through knowing to experience wonder, through wonder to attain wisdom, through wisdom to find simplicity in life, and through simplicity to give attention and through attention to see what is to be done.
Live, Learn, Love. All the three are interconnected, without one the other cannot exist. When you die there will be at least two dates on your tombstone. All your friends will come and will see it. But all that is going to matter is the small dash between the two dates. The show will begin and the show will end, but all that’s going to matter is how did you play your part. What have we done in our live that will continue to live in the hearts of the people we leave behind. Now the question is how should we play our part? The answer is simple; you know your goal, the ultimate goal of your life. Ask yourself always whether the activity that I am doing is going to take me closer towards my goal of attaining happiness. True happiness is found only in God and we can reach God only if we are good and do good deeds. Goodness and happiness are inseparable. It does not mean that by doing good there will be no problems, no worries to face in our life, in fact there will me more difficulties on our way but in all this the grace of God will always be with us to help and guide us in our way. You will not be alone. No matter how steep the mountain is God is going to climb it with you. Here I am reminded of the Song Climb – Miley Cyrus
We all have to learn, through learning know how to live. Listening is one of the greatest way of learning. To learn we must listen and to listen we must be silent. You cannot both speak and listen at the same time. The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be the people who cannot read and write, but it will be those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.
Some times in our life we learn the wrong things which we think will bring happiness and often we are mislead. It is important that we unlearn all that is taking us away from our goal of becoming happy. Take a few steps backwards, relearn the good things which we have left behind on our way and then move forward to achieve our goal.
1corintians 13 Love is patient…..love is everlasting.
God IS…
Every day of our life we think of a thousand things but have we ever thought of “that than which nothing greater can be thought of”? We can never think of God as he really is because our minds are incapable of grasping the ‘Godness’ of God. God has very rightly spoken, ‘I AM, WHO I AM,’ (ex.3, 16). We are limited to this world and try to find out whether God exists, whether he is merely a concept or a reality and many such questions which arise in our minds. But for me, God is beyond all this. There is something beyond existence, beyond concepts, something much beyond our imagination and actually of what we think of. God certainly cannot be limited to our thinking and our language, nor to things that belong to this world. God IS that which transcends even that which we cannot think of. Our minds can think only in terms of space and time but for God, “a thousand years are like yesterday come and gone.” He is beyond space and time. God IS, in no space and time. God IS beyond our imagination. We could not have known God if it had not have been for Jesus Christ who poured his love and peace on the whole of humanity. It is Jesus’ love that transforms us and makes us love God. Jesus spoke to us of the Father, but surely He did not speak to us as He really IS – indirectly saying something think about it.
We may be thinking of ourselves as great thinkers bringing forth many ideas of God with all the possible reasons, and each of us will be having different views with all the necessary arguments. We may have innumerable notions of God that emerge from the world of science and religions but it will be as good as what St Thomas Aquinas says after knowing the truth that ‘all what I have written is straw’. One thing that we see in his statement is that he does not totally disagree with what he has written. There is an element of truth in it. When he uses the word ‘straw’, it is not a thing which is totally useless. You can do something with it, it is not nothing – give a thinking thought to this think.
There are so many questions that we raise, probably some day we will find answers that will satisfy our desire but for me those answers will only be straw and noting else compared to the ‘I AM’. Yet we must not stop our search for the trUth because in it there is an element of The TRUTH. There may be questionable answers and there may be answerable questions but The Truth remains, something which we will not know completely in this life – pause here and think as to what I am saying is a possible trUth.
Jesus did not come to start a religion and so also I think of the saints and the prophets and Holy HUmans of the world. They came to show you and me, how to live so as to….what??? reflect and think But you and I,…to see what is beyond.
You may find these questions a bit or rather too creepy but give a thinking thought to this wild growing creeper: Who is the What?, What is the What?, Where is the What?, Why is the What? These questions can go on and on but this is what I think as to, what can we really know about God. We can only play with words as we play with …what??? Think as to what, You and I, normally play in our day-to-day lives.
Let us continue in thinking and searching about the truth, that God Is….
We may be thinking of ourselves as great thinkers bringing forth many ideas of God with all the possible reasons, and each of us will be having different views with all the necessary arguments. We may have innumerable notions of God that emerge from the world of science and religions but it will be as good as what St Thomas Aquinas says after knowing the truth that ‘all what I have written is straw’. One thing that we see in his statement is that he does not totally disagree with what he has written. There is an element of truth in it. When he uses the word ‘straw’, it is not a thing which is totally useless. You can do something with it, it is not nothing – give a thinking thought to this think.
There are so many questions that we raise, probably some day we will find answers that will satisfy our desire but for me those answers will only be straw and noting else compared to the ‘I AM’. Yet we must not stop our search for the trUth because in it there is an element of The TRUTH. There may be questionable answers and there may be answerable questions but The Truth remains, something which we will not know completely in this life – pause here and think as to what I am saying is a possible trUth.
Jesus did not come to start a religion and so also I think of the saints and the prophets and Holy HUmans of the world. They came to show you and me, how to live so as to….what??? reflect and think But you and I,…to see what is beyond.
You may find these questions a bit or rather too creepy but give a thinking thought to this wild growing creeper: Who is the What?, What is the What?, Where is the What?, Why is the What? These questions can go on and on but this is what I think as to, what can we really know about God. We can only play with words as we play with …what??? Think as to what, You and I, normally play in our day-to-day lives.
Let us continue in thinking and searching about the truth, that God Is….
MARY, THE UNIVERSAL BEAUTY QUEEN
On 8 Sept, we inaugurated our Marian month. Fr Rector Fr Savior D’Souza, sdb presented to us Mother Mary as our model to lead us to Jesus. Recently Jimena Navarrete (b. 22 Feb 1988) of Mexico was crowned Miss Universe 2010 on 23 August in Las Vegas, Nevada. These two events led me to reflect on this ‘out of the way’ topic: ‘Mary as the Universal Beauty Queen’.
As I went about gathering materials for this, I realized how the ‘beauty myth’ is gripping today’s society and especially the younger generation. It presents an ideal world of the beauty industry and how women are presented to the society. There are certain things that are striking and intriguing – the women in the numerous magazines are so thin, I wonder if they will be healthy enough to bear children; it mentions that one out of every four college girls and boys have an eating disorder, the mania being to keep slim and trim. A psychological survey conducted in Mumbai found that 3 minutes spent looking at a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to become depressed, guilty and shameful.
In contrast to all these, we have Shahnaz Hussain of Mumbai, CEO of Shahnaz Herbals (world’s leading brand and manufacturer of some 350 herbal and ayurvedic cosmetic and beauty products for skin, hair and body care) who interestingly emphasizes that one needs to develop inner beauty, keep a pleasant disposition and a smiling face to combat problems of appearance. Outer attractiveness or appearance is a trick that is easy to learn but what counts is what is inside.
In this backdrop of our ‘fashion-crazy world’, it would not be out of place to say that Mother Mary is surely ‘All Season Universal Beauty Queen’.
We can recall the famous Nazareth-scene: Mary, a 16 year old young girl, simple and timid, full of dreams about her future (as any Jewish girl of that time), goes about her daily tasks with zeal and love. Suddenly there appears a heavenly messenger and Angel Gabriel greets her as the ‘Highly favoured one’. As the gospel tells us, she was surely worried, puzzled and confused when she was told that the Lord is with her. Was it one of assurance, confidence or suspicion? The colour of her face surely must have changed, when she was told that she would be pregnant, that too out of wedlock. What would Joseph think of her? Notwithstanding, Mary responds to God’s call and invitation and expresses her commitment to him by her ‘fiat’- an expression of her deep faith.
In the Lucan account of the visitation, we notice the hurry and the use of verbs that follow one after another. Mary literally runs across the hill country of Ain Karim to share a secret that she can’t contain to herself alone and also to accompany Elizabeth in her own pregnancy. We can visualize the light in her eyes, one of great joy and an aesthetic look on her face, as sings the magnificat.
Moving ahead to the birth narration, the account ends thus: ‘And Mary remembered all these things and pondered deeply about them.” What wonder and ecstasy of this young mother when she held in her tender hands the bundle of joy, her eyes looking into the eyes of the light of the world! Truly she knew more than what the shepherds knew. As they narrated their midnight story there must have been a glow on her face.
From the gospel narratives, Mary comes across to us as a vivacious enthusiastic and reflective young woman, endowed with a radiating inner beauty, a woman of contagious joy and delicate attention to others.
In Michaelangelo’s famous Pieta, we see Mary relatively a very young woman compared to Jesus. The sculptor wanted to express the idea that Mary is a virgin and therefore would never grow old. Her love was pure and this made her radiantly ever beautiful.
Yes brothers (yoUth)!
It’s only true love in our hearts that will give us the quality of agelessness. When love floods our being, even if our skin may wrinkle, our personality will continue to glow through our sparkling eyes and sunny smile. Mary helps us to recapture our original beauty. She teaches us that the perfection of beauty is not in cosmetic creams, lotions, perfumes and gels, but through the full flowering of God’s call in our life.
We need to look at Mary constantly so that we can let her radiant beauty sink into the very fibers of our being. We need to balm and seal it with a deep personal prayer that helps us become more Christlike in our day to day life.
Femina Miss India ad of 1999 called its participants ‘women of substance’. What about us? What substance do we have? What substance do we need to be Christlike?
That substance is found in this: to develop a passion for Christ which will lead us to have a passion for humanity, the youth. The cross is for our assistance, the centre of gravity in all that we are and in all that we do. And the timely refreshment in our growth-process is the sacrament of confession and our life is illumined by the Eucharist. The doorkeeper of a Salesian or Formation House is Our Lady, the beauty queen.
Mary challenges us to participate in a radical fashion show of a beauty contest of life which is not dictated by external or artificial appearances but from the inner depths of our aspirations, convictions and beliefs. She exhorts us to develop our inner resources so that we can become persons of substance.
Just as the world-beauticians’ tips, Mary too gives us special tips to be genuinely beautiful.
She says:
For attractive lips – speak words of kindness and love,
For lovely eyes – seek out the good of your community members,
For a slim figure – share your resources, talents, food and everything,
For beautiful hair – let God run his fingers through them by frequenting fervently the sacraments,
For poise and gait – walk with the knowledge that you’ll never walk alone for my Son walks with you.
Dear brothers (yoUth), let us imitate the qualities of our beautiful Mother and become Christlike, as she herself, the universal beauty queen, invites us to be her handsome children.
This was a Sermonette given by Cl. Michael Gaikwad, sdb on the 14th of September 2010. It was a creative way of expressing Mary’s Beauty and It did tough my mind and heart. With the permission of the person, I am posting it on the blog.
Youth,
As you read this Understanding way, hope something may touch your racing thoughts towards the reality of this world.
As I went about gathering materials for this, I realized how the ‘beauty myth’ is gripping today’s society and especially the younger generation. It presents an ideal world of the beauty industry and how women are presented to the society. There are certain things that are striking and intriguing – the women in the numerous magazines are so thin, I wonder if they will be healthy enough to bear children; it mentions that one out of every four college girls and boys have an eating disorder, the mania being to keep slim and trim. A psychological survey conducted in Mumbai found that 3 minutes spent looking at a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to become depressed, guilty and shameful.
In contrast to all these, we have Shahnaz Hussain of Mumbai, CEO of Shahnaz Herbals (world’s leading brand and manufacturer of some 350 herbal and ayurvedic cosmetic and beauty products for skin, hair and body care) who interestingly emphasizes that one needs to develop inner beauty, keep a pleasant disposition and a smiling face to combat problems of appearance. Outer attractiveness or appearance is a trick that is easy to learn but what counts is what is inside.
In this backdrop of our ‘fashion-crazy world’, it would not be out of place to say that Mother Mary is surely ‘All Season Universal Beauty Queen’.
We can recall the famous Nazareth-scene: Mary, a 16 year old young girl, simple and timid, full of dreams about her future (as any Jewish girl of that time), goes about her daily tasks with zeal and love. Suddenly there appears a heavenly messenger and Angel Gabriel greets her as the ‘Highly favoured one’. As the gospel tells us, she was surely worried, puzzled and confused when she was told that the Lord is with her. Was it one of assurance, confidence or suspicion? The colour of her face surely must have changed, when she was told that she would be pregnant, that too out of wedlock. What would Joseph think of her? Notwithstanding, Mary responds to God’s call and invitation and expresses her commitment to him by her ‘fiat’- an expression of her deep faith.
In the Lucan account of the visitation, we notice the hurry and the use of verbs that follow one after another. Mary literally runs across the hill country of Ain Karim to share a secret that she can’t contain to herself alone and also to accompany Elizabeth in her own pregnancy. We can visualize the light in her eyes, one of great joy and an aesthetic look on her face, as sings the magnificat.
Moving ahead to the birth narration, the account ends thus: ‘And Mary remembered all these things and pondered deeply about them.” What wonder and ecstasy of this young mother when she held in her tender hands the bundle of joy, her eyes looking into the eyes of the light of the world! Truly she knew more than what the shepherds knew. As they narrated their midnight story there must have been a glow on her face.
From the gospel narratives, Mary comes across to us as a vivacious enthusiastic and reflective young woman, endowed with a radiating inner beauty, a woman of contagious joy and delicate attention to others.
In Michaelangelo’s famous Pieta, we see Mary relatively a very young woman compared to Jesus. The sculptor wanted to express the idea that Mary is a virgin and therefore would never grow old. Her love was pure and this made her radiantly ever beautiful.
Yes brothers (yoUth)!
It’s only true love in our hearts that will give us the quality of agelessness. When love floods our being, even if our skin may wrinkle, our personality will continue to glow through our sparkling eyes and sunny smile. Mary helps us to recapture our original beauty. She teaches us that the perfection of beauty is not in cosmetic creams, lotions, perfumes and gels, but through the full flowering of God’s call in our life.
We need to look at Mary constantly so that we can let her radiant beauty sink into the very fibers of our being. We need to balm and seal it with a deep personal prayer that helps us become more Christlike in our day to day life.
Femina Miss India ad of 1999 called its participants ‘women of substance’. What about us? What substance do we have? What substance do we need to be Christlike?
That substance is found in this: to develop a passion for Christ which will lead us to have a passion for humanity, the youth. The cross is for our assistance, the centre of gravity in all that we are and in all that we do. And the timely refreshment in our growth-process is the sacrament of confession and our life is illumined by the Eucharist. The doorkeeper of a Salesian or Formation House is Our Lady, the beauty queen.
Mary challenges us to participate in a radical fashion show of a beauty contest of life which is not dictated by external or artificial appearances but from the inner depths of our aspirations, convictions and beliefs. She exhorts us to develop our inner resources so that we can become persons of substance.
Just as the world-beauticians’ tips, Mary too gives us special tips to be genuinely beautiful.
She says:
For attractive lips – speak words of kindness and love,
For lovely eyes – seek out the good of your community members,
For a slim figure – share your resources, talents, food and everything,
For beautiful hair – let God run his fingers through them by frequenting fervently the sacraments,
For poise and gait – walk with the knowledge that you’ll never walk alone for my Son walks with you.
Dear brothers (yoUth), let us imitate the qualities of our beautiful Mother and become Christlike, as she herself, the universal beauty queen, invites us to be her handsome children.
This was a Sermonette given by Cl. Michael Gaikwad, sdb on the 14th of September 2010. It was a creative way of expressing Mary’s Beauty and It did tough my mind and heart. With the permission of the person, I am posting it on the blog.
Youth,
As you read this Understanding way, hope something may touch your racing thoughts towards the reality of this world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)