So, one has to find out for oneself
what is the meaning of religion.
The meaning of that word from Greek, Latin and so on
– the speaker is not a scholar, God forbid.
The speaker, if one may be a little bit personal,
does not read all these books,
but he looks in a dictionary for the root meaning of words.
The word ‘religion’ comes from ‘religare'
I won’t go into all that – to bind.
Even the etymologists are doubting the origin of that word.
But one can see, very clearly,
that the religions that we have in the world at present,
whether in the Far East, in India, the Arabic world
and the world of Israel, and the world of Christianity,
this religion is based upon thought,
a longing, the father figure and so on,
which are all clichés.
But one can see the actual fact.
They are based on fear, deep uncertainty,
the hope some day somebody will clear up all this confusion.
And, as each person is confused, he clings to some image, symbol
which he hopes will help him to go beyond his own little self.
Our religions are now, as they are, utterly meaningless.
Don’t please get angry. Just look at it.
We are not trying to advocate a new religion,
a new cult, a new set of rituals, which are all nonsense.
We are looking into a much deeper issue.
And all the things that are in the churches,
the cathedrals, in the temples in India, and the Asiatic world,
their rituals, their images, are all put together by thought.
And thought is never sacred.
But thought has made those things
that are in the churches, temples and so on, sacred.
So, thought is worshipping itself. Right?
Thought is worshipping that which it has created,
or the symbols it has created,
or, from the actual person of whom he doesn’t know,
he makes an image and worships that image.
This is called ‘religion’.
And there are all those innumerable gurus,
which are now multiplying all over the world
like so many mushrooms,
they bring something new. At least, they think they are.
But it’s this old tradition
in which their own ambition, power, money, all that is involved.
They are getting richer and richer in this country.
You know all this. All this is called ‘religion’.
In the Asiatic world, especially in India,
both the Buddhists and the Hindus have said,
as one of the tenets, one of the rules,
doubt, question, be sceptical.