Book Title: World of Philosophy
Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
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ETHICS IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF RELIGION
- Dr.B.V.S.Bhanusree
The term 'Religion' is derived from the Latin words Re+Ligaro - which means to bind back-bind back the soul with God. It is the 'way' by which the Supreme Divine Current descends here and by getting hold of which we can ascend back to him.
Let us have a look, at the outset, the present plight of religion. Several atrocities have taken place in the name of religion. Wars were waged. Some men became weak and some strong. Some turned anti-religious and some are engrossed in following all sorts of rituals. But, the real meaning of religion was faded away, behind all the above happenings. Consequently, the material development has become predominant all over the world. Accumulation of material wealth and subsequent acquisitions of positions and power have become the great task of man, today. Men became wild while acquiring the above mentioned things and falling back to the primitive stages which fighting with and killing one another. He is not in a position to realize that mere material advancement will not provide happiness, satisfaction, peace and security. He blames religion as the root cause of all prevailing evils.
But, how can we assert the statement that religion is responsible for such a critical situations? If religion is misused, misunderstood, misconceptualized and mishandled - whose faulty it is? Is religion such a hardnut to crack and so harsh towards humanity? No, it is due to man's ignorance, selfishness and greed the intellectual arrogance the conditions of the world are fallen down to the worst? Religion is not a bundle of rituals, nor a set of principles, nor even superstitions.
Then, what is religion? "True Religion is the path which leads from this tank of pebbles, i.e. the world, to the Manasasarovara Lake i.e. the Pure Spiritual Religion" Man by nature is enthusiastic in searching for truth. Originally, he is not a sinner. Indian Philosophy explains this fact as the human form is made up of matter, mind and spirit. The evil tendencies of mind are Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha and Ahankara. Under the influence of these tendencies man commits all sorts of crimes. So, it is very necessary to understand what is right and what is wrong and regulate one's conduct in accordance with the rules laid down.
Here comes the role of ethics. Indeed, it is a branch of philosophy that is concerned with what is morals good and bad, right and wrong. It is often used as a synonym for mordls. It has a clear etymological basis - both ethos (Greek word) and mores (latin word) mean habits or customs. Ethics is a set of moral principles, precepts to be followed. It is the means to achieve the end. One should not get confused with the idea of precepts themselves -
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