Identity And Guilt – In Gita Verse 5.15 Nor does the Supreme Lord assume anyone’s sinful or pious activities. Embodied beings, however, are bewildered because of the ignorance which covers their real knowledge.
Krishna tells that for the universe there is nothing like sinful or pious activities. Because we are followers of religion, scripture and knowledge we interpret our own act as sinful or pious. As it will fulfil our ego.
Read this verse of Krishna through our own life incidence. For the children any act is not sinful or pious. They do everything for the sheer joy of it. But whenever they act we give them our judgement regarding their act. In the process if according to us the act is not good they will create guilt and if according to us if it is good they will create their identity. In both the cases as they right now don’t have maturity they become followers of our guidance. Either to create guilt or identity. For them guilt will be sin and identity will be pious.
Never be a follower because that means you are just a shadow, just moving in the footprints of somebody else, not trying to find your own path and your own being. Followers are weaklings.
A man of courage finds his own path. He can rejoice in the enlightenment of someone. He can love someone to the extent that he can call him his master, but the master can never call him a follower, only a friend who is just a little behind – a few steps more and he will also become a buddha. To reduce him to a follower is very insulting and humiliating. But all the religions have done that; they have reduced the whole of humanity into slaves.
“From olden days,” says Rinzai, “our predecessors never had people anywhere who believed in them.” They discouraged people from believing in them; they encouraged people to trust in themselves. And that’s where the paths of all the religions become separate from Zen. They are all trying to gather more converts, more Hindus, more Catholics, more Mohammedans. It is a political game; it is not a religion.
Did you see when the pope came to India? – The president and the prime minister of India were present to receive him. They don’t come to receive any Shankaracharya, they don’t come to receive any Acharya Tulsi, they don’t come to receive any Mohammedan Sufi. What is special about the pope? He has six hundred million people behind him; he has tremendous political power.
But Zen is not interested in political power. It has a totally different kind of power – the power of love. That does not reduce you into a slave, into a shadow, but raises you up to the same state of being in which the master is.
Buddha is reported to have said, “I will not be satisfied unless all those who have been with me become buddhas. Less than that will not satisfy me. If you want me to rejoice and celebrate, then don’t waste time – become buddhas.” This is a very human, very respectful approach.
There is no need to follow anybody, because if you follow somebody you will always remain a blind follower, you will never attain in your own eyes.
Krishna says – It is very important to understand that no one can take you to the ultimate goal of light except yourself. That is your prerogative, your privilege. That is your freedom, your individuality and its beauty.
Nobody can interfere with your spiritual growth. You are not cattle that somebody can take you somewhere. But you have been insulted, humiliated so continuously, that you have become almost accustomed to it and you don’t feel the insult of it. Somebody saying to you, “Surrender to me” – and you don’t see the humiliation…?
To whom did Krishna surrender? He never surrendered to anybody. To whom did Jesus surrender? He never surrendered to anybody.
And if these people had some beauty, the beauty was their individuality, their freedom, their absolute uniqueness. A surrendered human being has almost fallen below humanity.
Once you understand that no one can take you to the ultimate goal of light except yourself, you will become a child again with maturity. With that maturity whatever act you do it will not be sinful or pious. As with your maturity you have dropped all your identity and guilt.
Tags: Identity And Guilt
