Are we meant to neglect the mind or to channel it?
Answer Podcast
Hare Krishna.
Question, is it wrong to ask questions in matters of faith? Not at all. As it is said in the movie PK, God has given us intelligence and he wants us to use the intelligence. And if you look at the Indian tradition, the books, the sacred books are filled with question answers.
The Bhagavad Gita itself is a discussion, which is primarily questions by Arjuna and answers by Krishna. Similarly, the Upanishads are filled with question answers between great sages and seekers. Same is the case with the Puranas.
They are discussions, which are primarily question answers. So, questions are definitely not discouraged. Questions are definitely encouraged.
And in fact, asking questions is, according to Vedanta Sutra, the prerogative of human life. Vedanta Sutra begins with Athato Brahma Jijnasa. Jijnasa is enquiry.
Enquire. Enquire about what? Brahma, spiritual truth. So, enquiry is important and enquiry is not just allowed, but it is desired.
Now, the question further is, what do we enquire about and from whom do we enquire? So, it is true that we don’t, that in today’s culture, there are many God-men, who fleece people by exploiting their faith and just spinning some word jugglery. So, these may be more visible. They may be more popular.
But apart from these, there are serious spiritualists, who are deeply realized souls, who are saintly and who are very learned in scripture and realized. So, we need to find such authorities and ask them questions and get answers from them. So, if we just ask people, just because they seem to be popular and if they don’t have answers and by that we conclude that there are no answers or by that we conclude that actually the spiritual teachers are all word jugglers, then that is definitely a misrepresentation.
So, just as if I want to study quantum physics and if I ask another person, who is just like me, maybe just a little more famous, but that person knows nothing about quantum physics. And if that person, suppose that person is even in science, that person may have a science degree but may not know much about quantum physics. So, just because that person can’t answer the questions about science, doesn’t mean that quantum physics itself is not right.
Now, quantum physics can seem very complicated. It doesn’t make sense sometimes. As a scientist has said that quantum physics is not only, it’s more strange, the universe is not according to quantum mechanics, reality is not only stranger than what we imagine, it is stranger than what we can imagine.
Basically, what he is saying is that it’s just not possible for us to understand it. But still, if we want to understand, then we have to go to the right authorities. And by going to the right authorities, those who are truly learned in quantum physics, we can get our question answered.
But we also have to apply ourselves to studying quantum physics maybe for several years. Similarly, when we want to understand scriptural truths, when we want to understand religious principles, we need to find the right authority and ask questions and be patient in learning systematically. Not that just we take some pot shots, ask some questions from people who can’t answer those questions and seeing them unable to answer the questions, we just try to portray that the whole religious enterprise is a fraud or is filled with fraudulent people.
That is undesirable. Then there comes up the question, shouldn’t we ask questions about those who are asking such questions? No, selective depiction is often deceptive depiction. So, when we ask questions to people who can’t answer the questions and then depict that only and don’t depict people who can answer the questions, then that raises a question about our intention.
What is the intention in giving such selective depiction of reality? So, rather than saying that questions should not be asked, that is not the meaning of, that is not the spirit of religious or spiritual inquiry. Spirit is questions should be asked, but they should be asked to the right person and the right process has to be followed in getting answers to those questions.