It is
very common to divide different religious philosophies of the world into two
categories – the Western religions and the Eastern religions. Western religions
refers to the faiths that originated within Western culture, and are thus
historically, culturally, and theologically distinct from the Eastern
religions. A true seeker never compares any of the paths that lead to the
Supreme Truth. Different paths have their own beauty, magnificence and
importance. All the religions of the world provide a different window view to
the same Truth, to the same Light and to the same God.
As
mentioned in my last blog, the Saints and spiritual poets of the world have often
compared spiritual bliss with a divine wine. I recently came across some
beautiful poetic lines from Dr. Mohammad Iqbal, who was a prominent classical
poet in the early twentieth century. His grandparents were Kashmiri Pandits,
who converted to Islam in the 19th century. Because of family background, he
had good understanding of the Vedanta as well as Islam.
Once,
upon his return from the European travel, a journalist asked him, ”Sir, now
that you have travelled to the western world for many years, what do you think
about the Western religions in comparison to the Eastern religions?”
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