Q: Can you realize God by following Religion?

Answer:
Religion is a set of beliefs, customs, duties which came into existence by the Founder, who was in the search of the Origin; as per their limited level and approach. Followers of the Founders, tried to absorb the teachings as per their capacity and capability. In this process, as per the saying “there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip”; the purpose went off the track. And gradually it degenerated to such a state that the intellectuals found it as wage-less labour and for the self-centred man it became means to fulfill their material needs.

The present day religion brings us the idea of multiplicity, hatredness, enemity, narrow mindedness, prejudice, fanaticism and bigotry. Even the rites and rituals, dogmas appear to be superstitious. Its spirit is lost. And true religion is buried in the grave.

There is lot of exaggeration and personification in the religious literature about God. God has made man in his own image and even man has made God in his own image. God appears to be in the limitation to that person who is himself under bondage and hence whenever he remembers God he thinks God to be like him. People try to have His darshan in the same form just as presented in the idols, photographs, signs, symbols, solid things etc.

God has no form and figure. Hence God is said as omnipresent. If there was any particular form or figure He would have been present at any one place only. A religious man who sincerely worships God, if he gets the thought that there is something Supreme to be sought for and it is very much within him, in the innermost core of the heart, then it is the end of religion. Later on, he has to proceed to find the ways and means to achieve it and seek the capable guide in this field who has already traversed the path.
When the seeker wants nothing from God but God alone and has the aspiration for the Highest he receives the training from a Samarth Sadguru (capable and adept Master). He infuses in the seeker the idea or concept of God to be devoid of all the attributes, adjectives, qualities, description etc. This is the beginning of the study of Self which is Adhyatma or Spirituality.

So one has to evolve from the religion which is knowing, towards spirituality which is ‘having and then becoming’. Further, one transcends to Reality and then to Ultimate Reality which is the real goal of human life.

8 Responses

  1. Prathima k says:

    I would say no.religion is just like a whirlpool of worldly aspects or materilistic world and gives birth to expectations and can experince only artificial love and affection.here thinking of God means just expecting or asking .rather i feel to dwell into the ocean of pure love,affecion towards people,constant rememberance of God which is the only way to spirituality and spirituality is the only way to realize God with his grace.

  2. N V KADLOOR says:

    NO.

    As , religion deals with everything other than realisation. Few thoughts and observations are as under:

    1. People following religion have no guidence towards realisation. Rather are mis guided by present rituals and outer forms.

    2. In a great hurry to achieve everything, the inner spirit or the real spirit is lost.

    3. Present method of following religion is leading towards irrevesible prejudice in mankind.

    4. Perhaps this is the main reason for people thinking strongly on what they follow is the only way out and do not accept the

    spirituality as a sustained method of self realisation.

    With the above few observations, i tend to believe that spirituality is the path to realize God. However religion could b a direction

    towards the realisation.

  3. Shobha Hegde says:

    ಧರ್ಮದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದು ದೇವರ ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕಾರ ಸಾಧ್ಯವೇ?

    ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ.

    ತಾನು ಹೊಂದಬೇಕಾದದ್ದು, ತನ್ನನ್ನೂ ಮೀರಿದ್ದು ಒಂದಿದೆ ಎಂಬ ಕಲ್ಪನೆ ಮಾನವನಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ, ಆತ ಧರ್ಮದಿಂದ ಹೊರಬಂದಿರುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಈ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಯ ಹಿಂದಿರುವ ರಹಸ್ಯ, ತನ್ನ ಮೂಲದ ಕುರಿತಾದ ಕುತೂಹಲ, ಅದರ ಅನ್ವೇಷಣೆಯೇ ಧರ್ಮದ ಹುಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಕಾರಣವಾದರೆ, ಆ ರಹಸ್ಯ ತನ್ನೊಳಗೇ ಇದೆ, ಎಂಬ ಅರಿವು ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕಾರದ ಮೂಲ. ಅಂದ ಮೇಲೆ ಅನ್ವೇಷಣೆ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವಾಗಿ ಅಂತರ್ಮುಖತೆ ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುತ್ತಿದಂತೆ ಧರ್ಮ ಹಿಂದೆ ಸರಿಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದರಿಂದಾಗಿ ಧರ್ಮದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದು ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕಾರ ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ.

  4. wanda jackson says:

    Can I realize God by following religion? According to the dictionary, one of the definitions of religion is the “practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.” While I am convinced that I would never realize God if I practice and follow the religion and traditions of man; I do however, believe that I can realize God by practicing what I believe. Someone once confirmed what I was raised to believe about the principles of God that I am to live by. Those principles are to Love, to provide service to humankind, and to worship. If I practice those beliefs, loving my brother/sister with agape love, being of service to those I can and be in constant remembrance of our creator, then I have faith that the spirit in me would manifest a realization of God in my soul.

  5. Prasad says:

    No. Some great people who had really some attainment in spirituality, were followed by some followers and as time passed on such group of followers lead to formation of religion or they got separated from others like that. So these followers could not carry over the inner spirit & teachings of the founder and they got stuck into only outward forms & rituals.Thus as a consequence it lead to prejudice leading to hatredness, bigotry and fanaticism. Under such circumstances religion whose purpose was universal brotherhood and harmony , itself has now become an barrier for its purpose. So it is inevitable for a person aspiring for Realisation to come out of religion and seek for an Guide of Highest Attainment and who gives the method easy and simple as per needs of the time which is open to all without discretion of any castes, Creed, religion or sex etc.

  6. Pralhad Kadloor says:

    ಧರ್ಮವು ಹುಟ್ಟಿಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದಿರುವ ಮೂಲ ಉದ್ದೇಶವು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಯ ಹಿಂದಿರುವ ರಹಸ್ಯವನ್ನು ಅರಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳಲು. ಆದರೆ ಇಂದಿನ ಈ ದಿವಸಗಳ್ಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅದು ಕೇವಲ ಬಾಹ್ಯಾಚರಣೆಗಳ ದ್ಯೋತಕವಾಗಿದ್ದು ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಪಂಥಗಳನ್ನು ಹುಟ್ಟು ಹಾಕಿದೆ. ತನ್ನ ಮೂಲ ಉದ್ದೇಶದಿಂದ ಬಹಳ ದೂರ ಸರಿದು, ಕೇವಲ ಬಾಹ್ಯಾಚರಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ಸೂಚಿಸುತ್ತ ಭಗವಂತನನ್ನು ಹೊರಗೆಲ್ಲೋ ಗುಡಿ-ಗುಂಡಾರಗಳ್ಳಲ್ಲಿ, ನದಿ, ಗುಡ್ಡಗಳ್ಳಲ್ಲಿ, ನಮ್ಮ ಬಾಹ್ಯ ಇಂದ್ರಿಯಗಳಿಂದ ಅನುಭವಿಸುವ ದಿಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಡುಕುವುದನ್ನು ಕಲಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಇದೇ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಂದುವರೆದರೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಎಷ್ಟು ಜನ್ಮಗಳಾದರೂ ದೇವರಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕಾರವು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುವುದೇಯಿಲ್ಲ.

    ಆತನ ಕ್ರುಪೆಪೆಯಿಂದಲೇ, ಈ ಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನು ಕ್ರಮಿಸಿದ, ನಮ್ಮ ಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಇರುವ ಒಬ್ಬ ಮಹಾನ್ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯು ದೊರೆತು, ಆತನ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶನದಂತೆ ನಡೆದುಕೊಂಡಾಗ ಮಾತ್ರ, ‘ದೇವರು ಬೇರೆಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಇಲ್ಲ, ನಮ್ಮ ಹೃದಯಾಂತರಾಳದಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಇರುವನೆಂಬುದು’ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗಿ ಪೂರ್ಣ ಅಂತರ್ಮುಖಿಯಾಗಿ ಆತನನ್ನು ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯ. ಅದು ಸುಲಭವೂ ಕೂಡ.

  7. Dakshayani says:

    No. We can not realize God by following religion.
    Reality is beyond the field of religion. Religion just prepares man on path of freedom. Realisation can not be framed under any caste, creed, philosophy, formality, rituals or forms. It had to be sought in one’s own innermost core of the heart. When one comes out of all notions, concepts, prejudice , bondages and other networks , one steps into spirituality. By introvertedness one can attain realisation

  8. Anand Hippalgaonkar says:

    religion word origin says it is only a link and it is only a natural initial path for intro to the concept of God and the path leads upto liberation. realising God means self realisation and it can be attained
    only by adopting a spiritual method wherein the support of aREALISED Guru is essential.religion deals only with matter and the external world, whereas spirituality deals with vibrant energy and deals with
    the internal world within us.Religion followers always live under Fear and Temptation and under such mental make up it is just IMPOSSIBLE to even think of any realisation.