Five Reasons I Do Not Require Sentimental Religion

“Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes fanaticism, while philosophy without religion is mental speculation. The ultimate goal is Krishna, because the philosophers who are also sincerely searching after the Absolute Truth come in the end to Krishna consciousness. This is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita. The whole process is to understand the real position of the self in relation to the Superself.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 3.3 Purport)

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1. My sports teams

“I have been a fan of this team since childhood. The team was terrible at the time, but I liked some of the players. I cherished every opportunity to watch them on television. I have remained loyal to this day. I can invest full time and energy without being disappointed. The worst thing the team can do is lose, but that does not negatively impact me.”

2. My movies

“I have owned this particular title since back in the VHS days. It is an annual tradition to watch the movies in the series in sequence. I don’t think there is anything better. In my opinion, this is the greatest cinematic production of all time.”

3. My television shows

“This particular show is special to me because it depicts family life that closely resembles my own struggles. Everything I went through, the infighting, the envy, the irrational behavior – it is like the writers know exactly what will appeal to me. I can watch episodes of this show over and over. It is a kind of therapy.”

4. My video games

“I could play this one game for hours. The time just flies by. I forget about all the difficulties in life. I know that this is nothing more than a series of commands inputted in memory onto a physical device, but it is like the game has an identity of its own. It knows what I like. I am loyal to this game and the game is loyal to me.”

5. My family

“This includes the pets. I have more than enough to worry over. I occupy my time sufficiently. From morning until night. Throughout the seasons. We celebrate triumphs and milestones. We share each other’s sadness. There is nothing in the world more important to me than family.”

…

As His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains, the key with genuine spiritual life is to have both religion and philosophy. If either one is lacking, then the behavior mimics areas with which we are already familiar.

We see sentiment or, in the extreme cases, fanaticism. Each person has their preference. If I introduce another form of sentiment, they may or may not appreciate. If they do appreciate, it will be for a brief moment, after which they can return to their preferred kind of sentiment.

If they do not appreciate, it will likely be due to a sense of rivalry. My sports team is superior to yours, don’t you see? Your object of worship has these visible blemishes. I admittedly have not read the literature from beginning to end; I am only familiar with what the critics have to say.

On the other side, if there is only philosophy then it is a kind of mental speculation. I believe the world was originally this or that. I think this is what happens after death. Perhaps we get to return to a better place or maybe everything is just a series of chemicals. There is nothing special to the human form of existence.

असत्यम् अप्रतिष्ठं ते
जगद् आहुर् अनीश्वरम्
अपरस्पर-सम्भूतं
किम् अन्यत् काम-हैतुकम्

asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te
jagad āhur anīśvaram
aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ
kim anyat kāma-haitukam

“They say that this world is unreal, that there is no foundation and that there is no God in control. It is produced of sex desire, and has no cause other than lust.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 16.8)

The combination of religion and philosophy is not merely a style of presentation. It is not some gimmick that the acharya of the Vedic tradition has stumbled upon. It is not merely a means of persuasion, to increase the interest in sanatana-dharma.

Rather, the worship that we see, the dedication to specific forms of the Almighty, in ritualistic ceremonies, with accompanying chants and offerings, is rooted in scientific properties. We can take the hammer, as a way to understand. It is built a certain way. The specific length at the bottom portion turns into a handle. The substance and shape at the top is ideal for striking objects.

When we see the actual implementation of the hammer, the practice is due to the scientific properties. Of both the person holding the hammer and the hammer itself. This is the way sanatana-dharma operates. There are certain properties belonging to the individual. This is a philosophical understanding rooted in a kind of science known as metaphysics.

There are also certain properties belonging to the object of worship. When those properties come together, we see worship. This means that sanatana-dharma is not merely religion. It has a strong philosophical basis. That philosophy will appeal to any open-minded person, to any speculator, and to any fanatic who already carries affiliations.

In Closing:

Affiliations carrying already,
With allegiance steady.

With support to show,
Covered from head to toe.

But since on properties based,
Not that tendencies erased.

That worship with the soul in line,
Both religion and philosophy to find.