Is religion a matter of faith ? ( 12 dec 06 tue)

Is Religion a Matter of Belief?Religion as we generally know it or acknowledge it, is a series of beliefs, ofdogmas, of rituals, of superstitions, of worship of idols, of charms and gurus thatwill lead you to what you want as an ultimate goal. The ultimate truth is yourprojection, that is what you want, which will make you happy, which will give acertainty of the deathless state. So the mind caught in all this creates a religion,a religion of dogmas, of priest-craft, of superstitions and idol-worship - and inthat, you are caught, and the mind stagnates. Is that religion? Is religion a matterof belief, a matter of knowledge of other people's experiences and assertions? Or isreligion merely the following of morality? You know it is comparatively easy to bemoral - to do this and not to do that. Because it is easy, you can imitate a moralsystem. Behind that morality, lurks the self, growing, expanding, aggressive,dominating. But is that religion?You have to find out what truth is because that is the only thing that matters, notwhether you are rich or poor, not whether you are happily married and have children,because they all come to an end, there is always death. So, without any form ofbelief, you must find out; you must have the vigor, the self-reliance, theinitiative, so that for yourself you know what truth is, what God is. Belief willnot give you anything; belief only corrupts, binds, darkens. The mind can only befree through vigor, through self-reliance.The Book of Life - December 12