The Role of Religion

The word generally used for religion is mata; the word to indicate the mind is mati. Putting the two together it can be said that mata is primarily engaged or ought to be engaged in straightening and strengthening the mati, the goal, the purpose, the key, the essence of all creeds, faiths, and religions is just this; the sublimation of the mind of man to guarantee liberation for the individual concerned and happiness for the society of which he is a unit. Principles and practices have grouped around this prime need and various creeds are the result.

Religions attempt to implant holy ideals in the heart of man but man does not allow then to sprout and grow. His egoistic craving for power and competitive success has, in most cases, persuaded him to use religion as an instrument of torture and persecution. Instead of uniting mankind in a common endeavor, it has become a system of walled enclosures, guarded by hate and fanaticism. So each religion is an armed camp sunk in self-aggrandizement, trying to wean others into itself and preventing defections from itself. Religion, therefore, is being condemned as the root of chaos and conflict. In spite of great progress in many other areas of life, religious animosity is aflame even today in many parts of the world.

It has to be emphasized that religion is not the root cause of this state of affairs. The factional fights and fanatic hatred are due to the unruly ego that is given free play. Religion strives to destroy just this vicious tendency. So it has to be supported, not condemned. What has to be condemned is the narrow, perverted attitude of hating those who do not agree with you or who hold different opinions of the mysterious force that animates the universe. Religious wars and conflicts breed in the slime of ignorance and avarice. When people are blind to the truth that the human family is one indivisible unity, they grope in the dark and are afraid of strange touch. The cultivation of love, alone, can convince man of this truth that there is only one caste, the caste of humanity, and only one religion—the religion of love. Since no religion upholds violence or despises love, it is wrong to ascribe the chaos to religion.

…The motive behind the formation and propagation of all these different faiths is the same. The founders and propagators were all persons filled with love and wisdom. Their goal and purpose were the same. None had the desire to divide, disturb, or destroy. They attempted to do good, see good, and be good. They sought to train the passions and the emotions, to educate the impulses and instincts and direct the faculty of reason to paths beneficial to the individual and society. They know that the mind, which is the breeding ground of desire and attachment, ambition and aspiration, has to be cleansed and properly oriented.

Sai considers that practice of these disciplines is much more essential than blind faith in a bunch of philosophical theories. No one has the right to advise others unless he is already practicing what he preaches. First establish the reign of love between the various members in your own home. Let the family become a center of harmonious living, sympathetic understanding, and mutual faith.

Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 13, “The Sai Religion”