Modified Religion by Maitreya

The reason we cannot assert that God is the beginning and end of reincarnation is, as explained earlier, there is a God and anti-God, and it is only because that man wants to put some order in his way of thinking and spiritual life, that he considers both of them as being one and the same God. In the future, when reincarnation is accepted dogma, the work ethic will change, too. The pace of work will be more efficient and faster, it will be contagious because there will be less selfish motives. There will still be a capitalistic society because it is one of the most successful systems and nothing can beat the motivation it offers to the individual who is willing to work but it will be tempered somewhat to exclude nonconformist and unpopular ways and means.

Just like with most religious beliefs and dogmas, once somebody starts to believe even just slightly in reincarnation, he will be overwhelmed with questions. He might just dismiss these inquiries, which are really leading questions, altogether with the concept for it seems there are no answers. If he is not committed to getting the truth, it is easier to relegate these questions in memory and eventually to the subconscious. But like all things true, they will from time to time manifest themselves of which the person may become aware of. It is also a blessing that although we cannot remember our past lives, we cannot completely rid ourselves of concepts which subconsciously we have impressions that our true. For the follower of other beliefs, it will take a lot of conscious effort to subjugate these, and he usually resorts to prayers, abstention, and avoidance of teachings which are contrary to what his particular church espouses.

When one believes in reincarnation, he is not necessarily being religious nor spiritual. It does make him concerned to some degree for his future life and his past life. A follower of another belief would still take care of his spiritual future by not trespassing against the rules and teachings of his church; but believing in reincarnation is not only feeling concern for the self but extends toward others. In other words, a Christian would not want to hurt another person because he wants to die sinless and therefore go to heaven; a believer in reincarnation would not want to harm another being because he does not want to be delayed in his journey toward paradise, he does not want to pay the consequences of his wrong actions through karma, and lastly, he does not want to interfere or be tagged as being the one responsible for the interrupted evolution of the person he has hurt.

Religions which do not accept reincarnation teach their followers that salvation comes by divine intervention and by following the rules of the church. They would try to live as closely as they can according to the teachings of their church; they want a win-win situation for themselves. By going overboard to preach and save those of other religious denominations and at the same time practicing the doctrines of their church, they assume they have created a win-win situation for themselves.

The conditions are very different when one believes in reincarnation. There is no win-win situation; by preaching the dogma or any other dogma to a person who is not yet ready to listen or does not want to believe, the preacher is already interfering with the other's spiritual development. It is said that when a person is ready to listen, he will open his ears. The preacher does not know the other person's purpose and goal in life is, neither does he know the other's rate of development or evolutionary status. These aspects should be respected because nobody can raise another person's evolutionary status except through repeated rebirths. Evolution stops for no one. Whether it is liked or not, birth and rebirth goes on until one is fully evolved not to come back to this sphere of material and physical life anymore. It is believed that after numerous deaths and rebirths to this physical life, there will still be countless deaths and rebirth, of a different kind, in the world which we now call the spirit world. It is possible that the Hindu religion tries again to speculate what lies beyond the spirit world, but glimpses of knowledge from here may just be conjectures.

There is a difference between being a highly evolved entity and a spiritual person. A person evolves through the process of rebirth; a person becomes spiritual because he chooses to. Although a person may already be evolved somewhat, he may not be spiritually inclined; on the other hand, a person who is just starting on the path of evolution can already be spiritual. Evolution and being spiritual are therefore two different matters; evolution happens to everybody while being spiritual or choosing to follow the middle path as the Buddhist call it is a conscious choice. By living out the precepts and teachings of one's church, if they are true, is being spiritual. I know many persons, who are not necessarily Buddhists, who are good and, without being aware of it, are living according to the teachings of the Buddha. By doing so, they are making their present lives and their coming lives more pleasant.

I believe the reason reincarnation was not incorporated into the dogma of the other religions is that the leaders of these churches wanted their followers to strive and work hard, like there was no tomorrow. People have the tendency to be a bit more easy going, relaxed and carefree once they start believing in reincarnation; they may begin to adopt the ma?ana habit. A correct work ethic should be nurtured, that there is virtue in hard work and in its rewards.

Another possibility why reincarnation was never included in the doctrines of the other early churches is it is a very complex subject. It would have been a lot easier to tell the people that God is our Father who created everything - good and evil alike. He also created man and gave him free will to choose between the two. If man chooses good, he will be rewarded; if he inclines on the other side, he will get hell, leather and fire. And if the followers of the religion question the wisdom of this arrangement, they are told that man has sinned so much, and God, being a loving father, sent His only son to save man from eternal suffering. The poor simple-witted follower will just be dumbstruck or taken in awe by it all. Another reason why reincarnation was not expounded to form part of the dogma of the other religions is to preserve the power of the priesthood. By keeping out the truth from the general populace, they can be easily subdued and intimidated by thoughts and images of hell, eternal fire and damnation. They wanted the people to unite under their leadership and rituals; turncoats would be ostracized and excommunicated, people outside their fraternity are labeled pagans and infidels, all of them losing any chances of qualifying for a piece of heavenly bliss. The followers are united by promises of rewards of eternal life or threats of eternal suffering if they disobey; and together they march toward more tribulations.

If these people were told about reincarnation, the priesthood would lose their hold on them; they would no longer be mesmerized. People would learn that there is no eternal damnation, they will eventually attain paradise whether or not they have been good Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, or Hindus. Salvation becomes not a matter of religion but the quality of life one had lived. Did he hurt anybody? Did he cause harm and injury in thoughts, words and in actions? Did he help the needy? Did he disregard the golden rule? It is not whether he has attended Sunday service or not, nor is it whether he broke his fast before the prescribe time and duration.

There was a time when I was approached by an acquaintance of mine. He offered me his way of salvation. I was surprised by the depth of his knowledge as regards my belief. He said that nonviolence, sacrifice, following the golden rule, altruism and others is not enough. Jesus is needed to effect all these. It seems according to him that all of the above are man-made and done for man; all of these put together will not save me. I need to accept Jesus in my heart.

I would have been touched to the core of my marrow if I had a weak heart, but I would rather not be saved by anybody. Out of deference for our friendship, I did not say what was in my mind - that he should try to save himself first before extending salvation to others. To put things in general perspective, Jesus is just like the Hindu and Buddhist Boddhishatva who comes to earth to save all life, mankind's and animal's. We all know that as saviors, they were really teachers; accepting them or their spirit (which is impossible) in our hearts would not have really helped, it is by studying what they teach that counts. People think that the spirit of Jesus or some other great entity entered into their hearts or touched their being; this is not true, it is their own subconscious that is sending some data that manifests itself (the data) as Christ or somebody else. Another great argument why these entities who are supposed to have transformed our minds and touched our hearts are not really them is that they are already in another sphere of life, so far removed from us. It would be much easier for a colony of ants to form a stairway to heaven than to receive the spirit of Christ, Buddha, Moses, or any other entity into our hearts.

Reincarnation is just like taking a long journey from one end of the country to the other. With many unnecessary stops, side trips and detours, the journey will last longer, more effort will be expended, and it is doubtful whether the trip will be more comfortable. All religions actually teach their followers to become more abiding members; it revolves around good behavior with either reward or punishment as the eventual end. Only religions which have reincarnation as part of their dogma say that good behavior and being spiritual help ease the pain and suffering of living through the effects of rebirth; other religions say whatever conditions one is born into is the wish of God.

MODIFIED RELIGION
by Maitreya

The Beginning and End

MODIFIED RELIGION by Maitreya

The Beginning and End

MODIFIED RELIGION
by Maitreya