Do not search for religion

[Guest guest]

CRIS NARCISO ASUNCION wrote:

Do not search for religion; search for yourself. Religion will then

automatically come to you.

Does religion exist in scriptures?

No. Religion does not exist in scriptures. Scriptures are dead and

religion is a living entity. Now can that be found in the scriptures?

Does religion exist in sects?

No. Religion does not exist even in sects. Sects are based on unions

and

religion has an absolutely independent identity of its own. For that

it

is not necessary to go outside; but you have to move inside.

Religion exists in every breath of the self. All that we lack is the

sight to uncover and see it.

Religion exists in every drop of blood of the self. We lack the

courage

and determination to search it out.

Religion is here like the sun; but you have to open your eyes.

Religion is life; but you have to rise above the graveyard of the

body.

Religion is not lifeless. Therefore, do not sleep. Wake up and move.

He

who sleeps loses it. He who moves on reaches it. He who is awake finds

it.

A king was in search of the highest religion of the world. He had

grown

from youth to old age. But his research had not been completed. How

could it have been completed? Life is short and such research is

foolish. Even if life were endless the highest religion could not be

searched; because in fact religion is religion and that is one. For

this

reason, what could be high and low, what could be worst and best,

about

it? Because religions are not many, the search for the highest could

not

be successful. Where there are not many, there is only one, there is

no

scope for comparison or weighment. Nor is there any method for doing

so.

That king was searching for the highest religion but living in the

lowest irreligion. When he could not find the true religion, the

question of taking life in its direction did not arise. Could anyone

ever move in darkness and in the unknown? Nobody asks this question

about the opposite of religion; but about religion there will hardly

be

anybody who does not ask it. Nobody ever thinks or makes a search

about

irreligion. That has to be lived while religion has to be searched.

Probably this so-called search is a way to live in the opposite of

religion and avoid living in religion itself.

Nobody ever told the king about it. The learned, the saints and the

philosophers of different religions used to come to him. They

quarrelled

with one another. They used to show one another's faults. They used to

prove that the others were in ignorance.

The king used to be pleased with it. In this way, religion itself was

an

illusion and ignorance in his eyes and he could find support for

living

in the opposite of it. It was difficult to win over that king on the

side of religion. Because whoever took sides were themselves not in

favour of religion. Groups, sects and religious institutions are

always

on their own sides. They have nothing to do with religion. They could

not have. Only he who gives up all sides can belong to religion.

Without

giving up sides it is difficult to belong to religion. Religious sects

are ultimately enemies of religion and friends of its opposite.

But the king did not stop his research. It had become a play for him;

and even the Opposite of religion began to bring to him pain, cares

and

misery. As death started approaching and the harvest time of life came

near, he became restless. But he was not prepared to accept anything

except the highest, internally faultless and the complete religion. He

was adamant; and until perfect religion was clear to him he was

determined not to move even one step of life towards it. Years after

years went by, and on his own he was getting himself deeper in the

mud.

At last, his death came close at doors.

One day a young beggar came to his door and asked for alms, and

finding

the king extremely worried, depressed and perturbed, asked him the

reason. The king told him: " What could you do even after knowing it?

The

big, big scholars, saints and mendicants have not been able to help

me " .

That beggar said: " It is possible that their bigness itself was a

handicap for them, and then the scholars have never been able to do

anything. Are the saints and mendicant, who are identified only by

their

clothes, really the saints and mendicants who matter? " The king looked

at that beggar with attention. The king had in his eyes something

which

was not in the eyes of the beggar. That something can be seen only in

the eyes of the king. In the meantime, that beggar spoke again: " I can

do nothing. In fact, I do not exist. But he who exists can do a lot " .

What he said was really wonderful. He was entirely different from the

thousands who came to convince the king. The king started thinking who

this man was in this poor dress, but outwardly he said: " I want to

search out the highest religion and make life religious; but this has

not been possible and, therefore, I am very unhappy now towards the

end

of my life.

Which religion is the highest? " That beggar started laughing loudly

and

said: " Oh king! You wanted to put the cart before the horse, and

therefore you are unhappy. Life does not become religious after

searching out religion; is found out only after life becomes religious

religion. And what madness was it that you wanted to search out the

highest religion? Even the search of religion itself was enough. It is

only religion that exists. Highest religion? I have never heard of it.

These words are meaningless. Nothing remains to be added to qualify

religion. There is only a circle. There is nothing like a full circle;

because what is not a full circle is not a circle at all. Its being a

circle implies its fullness. The very existence of religion implies

the

truth of its being impartial and faultless. And those who come to you

to

prove the highest religion are either not less mad than you are or

they

are hypocrites. He who knows knows only religion and not the

religions.

The king was deeply moved and touched the beggar's feet. The beggar

said: " Kindly leave my feet. Do not bind them. I have come here to

free

your feet also. Please come to the other side of the river outside

your

kingdom. There itself I can point my finger to the religion. " Both of

them went to the river-bank. The best boats of the capital were called

out but that beggar would show one fault or the other in each one of

them. At last the king became worried. He said to the beggar: 'Oh,

great

soul! we have to cross only a small river. This can be crossed even by

swimming. Let us forget these boats. Let us go and swim it over. Why

should we waste our time? "

As if the beggar was waiting for it, he said to the king: " Oh king! I

also want to say the same thing. Why are you worried about the boats

of

religious sects? Is it not desirable that we should swim over

ourselves

to God? In fact, there is no boat of religion.

Boats are named only for the profession of the boatmen. The only way

is

self-swimming. Truth can be found out only by self-effort. Nobody else

can give it. One has to swim in the sea of truth by himself. There is

no

other support. Those who look out for support get drowned near the

coast

itself, and those who take up courage to swim for themselves cross it

over even after a little drowning.