Faith: Swami Vivekananda
Any religion that does not give you a blissful experience of the divine is not of any use. That was Swami Vivekananda’s view on religion. On the other hand, a religion that does not provide spiritual experiences to the devotee can create immense havoc like hatred and violence. Vivekananda sought to make faith meaningful. His teaching on religion was a challenge. A challenge to inherited beliefs, mechanical rituals, and second-hand spirituality. “What is the point of your religion if it does not transform your inner life?” That is the fundamental question thrust at us by this great Swami. Faith is not belief, for Vivekananda. Faith is being and becoming . Faith is being means that it is not merely an intellectual assent or a verbal confession. It is a state of existence. One does not simply believe in divinity; one begins to embody it. Faith, in this sense, is inward: it shapes the texture of our consciousness, the way we see ourselves and the world. Faith is also becoming be...
