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GLOBAL CRISIS OF SPIRIT
There is a world-wide crisis of spirit. Materialism has proliferated extensively. We are about to step into the 21st century with advanced and sophisticated technology servicing vast and varied comforts for the humanity.
And yet standing at the summit of material prosperity, human beings are lost and confused, rootless and rudderless. Is this what life is all about? The body is flourishing, but the soul is barren. There is something missing. It is the spiritual orientation in its wholesome dimension. The materially prosperous world is in danger of becoming a spiritual slum.
The late Swami Chinmayananda observed once:
"Happiness dwells not in the outward charms of materialism. Real happiness abides in the core of your spiritual personality one ought to discern the bliss within the key to inner happiness is in spiritual upsurge."
World religions command large following. However, spiritual rejuvenation is the crying need of our times to reform our religious attitudes, habits and perceptions, which have grown in a climate of ritual, dogma, blind belief, conservative orthodoxy, bigotry and parasitic fanaticism. Lulled by materialistic comforts, human have let ritual be mistaken for religion and bigotry for faith. Non-essentials of religion are highlighted at the vital expense of essentials. Religious fundamentalism devoid of the basic virtue of tolerance and compassion has given a wrong direction to the very nobility and sublimity of religious instinct and faith.
"In many ways we have gone a long way already towards committing spiritual suicide, while we may revel
in our intellectual and scientific achievements."
Away from mumbo-jumbo, we need to restore the rational approach to religion for spiritual resurgence. Jain religion espouses that our actions, thoughts and expressions should flow and be inspired from the three principles of:
Ahimsa: The Ultimate Winner * (78)
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