World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 326

HARMONIZIING THE SACRED AND THE SECULAR - A LIVING CHALLENGE TO MAN
Introduction
-
Prof Nitin. J. Vyas
Religion is manifesting itself at the best of one's capabilities. It aims at experiencing peace, happiness and total fulfillment in life. Essentially all religions tend to convey this universal spirit of man and a total outlook on human life. This is why one finds that all religions preach the philosophy of brotherhood and a belief in the All- pervading Supreme Reality or Being. It is this reality that sustains and commands the world. This is in short what the world religions claim through their cardinal teachings. However, those who are serious and honest in their respective religious folds are baffled with the prevailing state of religiosity in the present day world. According to them the above-said religious context can hardly be experienced. As a result they do not see harmony in the direction that is prevailing in the world without and the spiritual call of religions within. Consequently very often the followers of various religions question themselves painfully: Do we as individuals experience peace? Is the world being steered in the way that may bring about peace?
This is why genuine thinkers in different religions today consider it inappropriate to limit and search for metaphysical concepts such as avidya, sin, disbelief etc. etc. as explaining the cause of the absence of peace and happiness in man. They confess that religions have said much about it all these years and while all that is alright, it is desperately felt that something more needs to be probed into the religious ideas. For, on one hand man's spiritual quest of supreme values is in no way disappearing despite all protests against it, at the same time on the other hand, the modern secular tendencies have made a lasting impact on man's basic socio-political and economic structure of existence. The genuine religious thinker is in a fix as to how to examine the relationship of the religions with the need of the contemporary world! Moreover, how to steer clear from the contemporary secularism and also from the traditional religions? Humbly speaking there are no answers for all the questions posed above. Let me restrict my inquiry in context with the predominant present-day structure of socio-economic and political power-play vis-à-vis the human dilemma in the religious field. Seeking mundane power central to man althrough
Examining and evaluating the past experiences, the socio-economic and political power-game in one way or other has always remained with man. Thus notwithstanding the fact that man might have been spontaneously driven to seek and understand the super conscious higher dimensional nature within him from times immemorial, acquiring of mundane values
277