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Do We Need Religion?-Part II
What
is
Religion?
Let
us
begin
with
the
meaning
of
the
word.
Etymologically,
the
word
'religion'
comes
from
the
Latin
word
'religio" which
means
'that
which
unites".
Those
that
argue
that
religion,
in
the
sense
of
institutionalised
religion,
is
a
divisive
force
in
society
are
often
startled
when
they
first
learn
the
etymological
origin
of
the
word.
It
sounds
almost
contradictory
to
common
sense.
And
yet,
that
is
what
the
word
means.
This
is
the
case,
not
only
in
English,
but
in
Sanskrit
as
well.
The
word
dharma
means
that
'which
holds
together"
or
'which
unifies".
This is captured in the final hymn of the Rig Veda, one of the most ancient scriptures of the world:
Sam
gacchadvam,
sam
vadhadvam
sam
vo
manamsi
janatam
deva
bhagam
yatha
purve,
sam
janana
upasate
samano
mantrah,
samiti
samani
samanam
manah
saha
cittamesam
samanam
mantramabhi
mantraye
vah
samanena
havisa
juhomi
samani
va
akutih
samana
hridayani
vah
samanamastu
vo
mano
yatha
vah
susahasati.
'Be
united,
Speak
in
harmony,
Let
your
minds
apprehend
alike,
Common
be
your
prayer;
Common
be
the
end
of
your
assembly;
Common
be
your
resolution;
Common
be
your
deliberations.
Alike
be
your
feelings;
United
be
your
hearts;
Common
be
your
intentions;
Perfect
be
your
unity."
Let
us
analyze
this
a
little
further.
What
is
it
that
we
are
trying
to
unite?
Again,
at
first
we
are
tempted
to
think
of
society,
communities,
nations
and
so
on.
However,
social
unity,
communal
unity
and
national
unity
are
just
one
aspect.
There
are
actually
three
dimensions
of
unity.
The
first
dimension
is
unity
within
us.
The
second
is
social
or
interpersonal
unity,
which
is
unity
with
beings
and
things.
The
third
is
unity
with
Ultimate
Reality.
Let
us
discuss
each
of
these
in
turn.
1.
Unity
within
Ourselves
The
human
being
has
various
faculties,
the
functioning
of
which
is
not
always
in
harmony.
We
think
in
one
way,
act
in
another,
speak
in
yet
another
and
feel
in
another
way.
For
example,
we
may
intellectually
accept
social
equality,
but
in
practice
we
might
be
quite
sectarian.
If
it
is
pointed
out
to
us,
we
will
be
surprised
and
offer
some
innocuous
explanation
for
our
behaviour
because
we
do
not
regard
ourselves
as
prejudiced
or
sectarian.
In
fact,
it
is
an
unresolved
conflict
within.
Unity
within
ourselves
means
to
resolve
these
kinds
of
conflicts,
including
those
that
we
are
aware
of
and
those
that
we
are
not
yet
aware
of.
2.
Unity
with
Beings
and
Things
The
majority
of
our
time
is
spent
in
interpersonal
relationships.
We
act
and
react
on
each
other
throughout
the
day.
If
those
relationships
are
not
harmonious,
we
will
feel
disturbed
and
will
not
have
peace
of
mind.
Such
a
state
of
mind
is
not
something
that
can
be
sustained
for
long
without
having
a
harmful
effect
on
the
entire
personality.
Unity
with
beings
and
things
means
to
act
in
a
way
that
is
harmonious
and
constructive.
In
this
context
arises
the
concept
of
ethics
and
values.
Religion
is
often
associated
with
ethical
conduct,
as
it
should
be.
The
foundation
of
ethics
is
to
act
based
on
the
awareness
of
unity.
Read about unity with the ultimate on the Next Page
About the author
The author is a Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences at the University of Toronto. He gives regular lessons to young students' group attached to the Vedanta Society of Toronto.
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