Theism is in the traditional sense; it is the belief in at least one
God. Monotheism is defined as the belief in only one god and polytheism is
defined as belief in many gods.
Some organized religions follow monotheism where God is the
supreme and none except him. These god centric faiths follow a particular code
of conducts that the ‘believer’ has to follow without questioning. He cannot
question those rules, the life of the sage or the ultimate God. The individualized
gods God is isolated from the nature and everything is GOD’s. Thus an element
of attachment with a name and gender, obstruction to free thinking and free will
can be seen in all belief systems.
History speaks that in the past those who questioned the validity
of this religious authority were exiled, killed or termed as irreligious and
condemned.
Theism, in this specific sense, conceives of God as personal,
present and active in the governance and organization of the universe.
Mundaka Upanishad/3/1/8: Eye cannot see him, nor words reveal him; by the senses,
austerity, or works he is not known. When the mind is cleansed by the grace of
wisdom, he is seen by contemplation–the One without parts.
Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad/ 3/8/9: It is in truth that Imperishable, O Gargi, who is not seen but
is the seer, who is not heard but is the hearer, who is not thought but is the
thinker, who is not known but is the knower. There is no other seer but him, no
other hearer but him, no other thinker but him, no other knower but him. And it
is that Imperishable which is the warp and the woof of space.”
Thus, the Vedic
scriptures recognize the unity of Reality or Brahman without any human
intervention or intercession.
Kabir lived in Kashi, a place abounding in
scholars. They believed it was enough to read, to accumulate knowledge
from books. They were well versed in the Vedas, in the Upanishads and
the other scriptures, and they looked upon Kabir as ignorant, as an
illiterate man. In one sense, you can say Kabir was illiterate. If you
consider a scholar as literate, as a well-educated man, then
Kabir was definitely illiterate. But of what value is the scholar’s
knowledge? A scholar will go on and on about the immortality of the soul,
but when death approaches you will find him trembling and weeping
and wailing. All this talk of immortality will crumble into
nothingness because he has not known it..
--Osho -The Great Secret, ch. 2
Religion and mysticism are a species of mesmerism affecting
weaker or impressionable minds. Thus, the panoply of a guru’s religious robe or
presence of god men creates an unconscious suggestion in weaker minds of a
superior power or magical knowledge. Similarly, mass visitors to ashrams are
suggested into thinking they are experiencing great peace and their wishes will be
fulfilled if they unconditionally surrender to Guru or God men. Since they are unconsciously hypnotized into
believing that will happen. However, when a strong mind which is aware of the
truth meets a guru or god men are entirely unaffected. Whatever is happening within the waking
experience is part of the duality, thus it cannot be part of the reality.
The metaphysics based on the Vedas and Upanishads are
beyond any form of theism be it monotheism or polytheism, as they point to
“reality” which cannot be described by terms like monotheism or polytheism.
The Vedas recognizes the
“reality” both in its formless and manifest aspects, but today, the Vedic
science and philosophy is demeaned, distorted and reduced by measuring it
through a religious framework. Therefore, one has to bifurcate all the
adulteration to grasp the real essence of the Vedas and Upanishads to realize the
ultimate truth which beyond form, time and space.
