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From e-mail:
The Ultimate Bottom Line in Life
In
one of his articles
Fog talks
about the thousands of religions in the world,
each one convinced that they have the truth.
He says this leaves us with a major dilemma, especially since some of these religions try to tell us that if you don't believe as they do, you're going to hell. Fog appears to leave it at that and offers no solution.
But there is one; and you don't have to believe me on this.
The
following concept is consistent with all
major religions -- obscured as it might be centuries of religious dogma -- and it reduces things down to
one simple idea that you can hang your life on.
With it we arrive at the ultimate "bottom line" to life -- life's real meaning and purpose.
According to the Vedanta texts, the ancient texts that some say lie at the base of all of the world's major religions...
...even though you have not studied religion or philosophy, although you have never prayed once in your life, and even though you don't believe in God...
...if your thoughts and actions in life demonstrate a total selflessness with respect to others...
...you have
arrived at the same non-dualistic realization that the devoutly
religious are striving to reach with their
lifetimes of prayers and religious studies.
Maybe Fog
was actually trying to tell us this, because he closes his "Meaning of Life" article with this
quote
We are all here to love each other and all living things.
There is nothing else we have to learn
and nothing else we have to do.
It doesn't get any simpler than this.
I'm
sure those who believe in their particular "dogma" would disagree.
At the same time, if all religions over the centuries had followed what you outline, millions of people would not have died in religion-based conflicts.
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