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A
Sage and Seer of Composite
Culture I. C. Menon
The
demise of Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios on
Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios
was certainly a high - altitude flier in the field of knowledge and
spirituality. He was well - versed in the history of mankind and the
geography of the continents. From his high orbit he had a clear vision
of the time - space continuum and the shocking fragmentation of the man
- made world, thanks to the artificial barriers and boundaries of nation
- states, races, communities, castes, languages, organisations and
institutions with a rigid frame- work. He had the clarity of perception
and felicity of expression. He made out the distinction between the
container and the contents and the relative importance of the latter
over the former. His viewpoint was that when the contents increase
beyond the holding capacity of the container, it should be changed; not
merely the corroding container but also the putrefying garbage from the
contents.
A deep scholar of
Indian spirituality and its universality, he believed that change is the
changeless law of life, which it is difficult for the mind to accept
without resistance. Mind and its offspring, though are not readily
inclined turn inwards and examine the contents, the container and their
relationship, not to speak of moving to the frontiers to look at the
beyond; not only in regard to our three - dimensional world of matter
and energy but the life of the spirit, of intelligence, consciousness,
life, compassion, joy as also of desire, sorrow, suffering, pain and
death. In short, his field of study embraced both the mundane and the
spiritual, the transient and the eternal. Naturally therefore, the
approach of the Indian Rishis, the anonymous authors of the Upanishads
of yore and their pursuit of the service of Inner Energy which is
Vedanta, attracted him and gave him direction in his lonely pilgrimage
to the KINGDOM WITHIN. Now, anonymity is a state of the mind, where "I'
(ego) is not; and it is the elimination, effacement of the ego, which is
the essence of crucifixion.
Spirituality is
religion in experience and then in action.The process of ego -
elimination is the sine qua non of a religious person. Any activity,
ritual, reading, prayer, fasting, meditation, silence through a
multitude of varying practices is meant to keep that ultimate gate of
entrance to the kingdom within, but the path is very narrow. ""Straight
is the gate but narrow is the path''.
The Katha Upanishad put it even more poignantly ""The
path is as narrow as the razor's
edge.''
The spiritual journey, pilgrimage, thus needs total attention and
direction to the ultimate goal of ENLIGHTENMENT, COMMUNION, LIBERATION,
SAT - CHID - ANANDA (Bliss), or whatever the label. It is the kernel of
experience that is vital, not the shell of ostentatious rituals and
mechanical practices. The latter without the former is cheap tinsel.
He felt, like
religious revolutionaries in the past, that lack of spiritual quest and
light among heads of religious organisations make them power - hungry
and greedy; and hence they become authoritarian and property - oriented.
That is why religious organisations by and large have become hotbeds of
intrigues and rivalries and not thebeacon of LOVE and SERVICE. No wonder
then that he was not understood by and popular with those who did not
resonate at the same wavelength.
The Bishop was
forthright in his pronouncements. As a servant of the poor and the under
privileged in society, he used to warn against the evils of money power.
It is easier for a camel to pass through the needle's
eye, than for a rich man to enter the
He knew too well
that everything in the Universe was the Lord's
property which should be used frugally and prudently. He was, not at all
against the beneficial fruits of modern technology, which should be
available to all, not to a few in all the continents. True, he was
critical of hypocritical Pharisees, of parasites and bloodsuckers, which
is also one of the essential teachings of Jesus.
He was sad and
amused as to how guidelines for spiritual journey are misinterpreted and
are misused for material pursuits. One such is the following: ""For
everyone who has will be given more, and he will have in abundance.
Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.''
The purport of this teaching is not to strengthen capitalism with all
its ugliness, nor to keep the weak and the deprived lot in perpetual
penury. How clever and subtle are the ways of the avaricious mind!
Likewise,""seek
and thou shalt find; knock and it shall open''
was the call to the spiritual aspirant to move forward boldly,
hopefully, towards that gate of compassion.
The corruption of
the mind is a global phenomenon. That is why the savant wanted
individuals and some groups of like - minded pilgrims in all continents
to do deep heart searching, re - examine values and strive for total
development everywhere, without decimating the plant and animal
kingdoms, to build a world order based on justice and equity and rooted
in the FAITH of Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of man. The sage realised
that unity of all religions in this TRUTH and therein lies the hope for
humanity.
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