"questioning means you are questioning the guru and his words" - i don't see anything wrong with questioning the Guru himself. He was a man after all, and it's his theories (their theories, you write guru but after all we know there are ten) that we are memorizing and then thereby deciding to emulate. For something that is essentially going to shape the rest of your life, I see no problem with seeking greater understanding, knowing the "why" behind certain things, and challenging those why's with anything that comes to mind. for any truely great belief-set, every why is answerable with a bit of wisdom of equal power.
"you or no one... has even a... right... to question the guru" - what a silly belief you have. we all have whatever rights we afford ourselves. there is no physical barrier stopping us from thought. and therefore, being that this is entirely a game of abstract thought, whatever is possible in the mind is fair game, as it was abstract thought that came up with such things. your whole view is paramount to that of the experts of yesteryear that were against the notion the earth was round. Explorers proved those notions were wrong. Religion is science of the mind. To take one expert opinion as the unquestionable truth is to completely misunderstand the origin of the beliefs of Sikhism entirely. They arose from questioning, they too are bound to face the same questions, and that's how the Guru's would have wanted it. They never would have wanted a Khasla of sheep, but true believers. Belief comes in many ways, and for the sharp of mind, it can come from discussion.
"the world will try to change you" - you make the world sound insideous. lets talk practical. We're talking proselytizers. Anyone with their wits about them can spot a Jehovahs witness a mile away. It's only the desperate or those who have no original conviction that fall prey to these vultures. and They aren't doing it for their own religion, but just for some bit of satisfaction that has nothing to do with their own religion's definition of salvation. An equally true statement may be, "You as well may try to change the world."
"and then you become a slave to their thinking." - again a bit misguided there. Are we really ever slaves to thinking? Not if we're willing to question.
"or you stand firm and let them change." - you seem to think someone is going to change, and if not you, then them. that's a bit weird. a third alternative could be that neither could change, or a fourth, and the one i believe in, is that Everything and Everyone will change, given time enough.
"guruji's stood firm" - hardly at all. nanak was a hindu? and challenged both his religion of birth as well as the other dominant one of the time, islam. Found they both sucked. and Put together what he felt he gave a shat about in one collection of beliefs. He didn't stand firm at all, but instead found the ground he entered upon from birth was unsteady, and instead decided to forge his own path in life.
"if he would have listened then i believe we would not have been sikhs" - again a bit silly. are you suggesting that we as sikhs should look to the guru's as an example of the benefits of being closed minded? Nah, the guru's were some of the most advanced thinkers of their time. This religion was the result of their intelligence. If you read the granth, there are poems from people of all backgrounds, even those that conflict with sikhism, as our message was a universal one. it cut to the core and heart of many of the worlds religions. remember, religion is the science of the mind, and the unseen.
"why not question your own thoughts" - if we do so, are we not then not following the guru's example? of leading by example, not questioning our own thoughts, and instead going forth with what we know already is true in our hearts, and stepping forth with pride and strength? sikh virtues.
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"it does not matter what you think because you are nothing compared to the guru's" - they were people, ordinary flesh and blood, like we are.
"are you the new guru?" - why bother asking?
"but i stop you from doing your own propoganda" - what propoganda?
"you are nothing... compared to the gurujis" - any human being is equally capable of abstract thought.
"i pity you" - for what reason?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
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