Description

Editorial
The main objective of this journal is to promote inter-religion understanding among the different religious communities of the world. To achieve this noble objective, six important aspects like Human Values, Social Charity, Religious Positivity, Art and Religion, Religious Humanism and Concept of Sin have already been discussed in previous issues. Here we shall try to focus on solution of the global religious crisis through combined effort of Science and Spirituality. The basic tenets of Science and Spirituality are acceptable to all, in their true sense but unfortunately it is the human attitude and behaviour which become responsible for their wrong projections and interpretations from time to time. The traditions of science and technology, religion and morality are deeply rooted in our culture and heritage for centuries.
The modern science during the last 200 years has achieved enough and given to mankind all materialistic comforts but has failed to inculcate morality and discipline in man. Pt. Jawaharalal Nehru spoke for many times when he said in the 1950’s, “It is science alone that can solve the problems of hunger and poverty, of insanitation and illiteracy, of superstition and deadening custom and tradition, of vast resources running to waste, of a rich country inhabitated by starving people”.
It is true that science alone can solve the problems related to hunger, poverty, insanitation, illiteracy, environmental pollution, illness and unemployment but then through the process of spirituality one can achieve compassion, love, honesty and integrity, peace, tolerance, ahimsa, anekant, morality, discipline and humanism without which the very existence of mankind will be at stake. Morality, discipline and meditation are essential for spiritual development.
The ultimate goal of science and all moral and spiritual strivings are the same. These objectives are well defined in spirituality but in science, the goals and objectives are not clearly defined. Moreover, in science, the application either depends on the politicians primarily or on the behaviour and attitude of humans, who would like to exploit it to their fullest advantages. Morality is mainly a reflection of spirituality. It is impossible for a spiritual man to be immoral and indisciplined. This is not true with science as it’s application will depend on the whimsical ideas of certain group of scientists or politicians to a large extent. The use of atomic, biological and chemical weapons for human destruction bear testimony to this in history.
As a matter of fact a science was an integral part of spirituality itself for thousands of years ago and it is only during the last 200-300 years that we have started talking in terms of modern science separately owing to its highly specialized and analytical approach with sophisticated instruments. It has been accepted by the learned spiritualists and scientists that spirituality without science is lame and the science without spirituality is blind. Unfortunately today, there are very few dedicated and celebrated spiritualists who try to understand and similarly few enlightened scientists who try to understand and apply the concept of spirituality. Some names of eminent personalities like that of Vivekanand, Aurobindo, Gandhi, Betrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Eccles, Vinoba, Schrodinger, Whitehead, Heisenberg, Huxley, J. Krishnamurti and Dr. D.S. Kothari among others can be given, who combined both science and spirituality in their life and thoughts.
The scientists and the spiritualists of the western countries too have started feeling that there cannot be any peace and tranquility of mind without following certain ideals of spirituality and religion. India has experimented this non-violence for thousands of years and even today her top ranking religious and spiritual leaders have shown this to the entire world through the deep study of religion, spirituality, meditating and yoga by interacting with the modern science. The necessity of such an interaction is very much required more than ever before in the context of the present materialistic world.
It is essential that a change in the behaviour and attitude of the people is brought about by the process of self-transformation and self-discipline. This can be achieved successfully through the process of meditation which is based on sound principle of the involvement of the neuro-endocrine system. Morality undoubtedly is the key element, be it in religion, spirituality, politics or science. In the absence of morality the net result is zero. It is, therefore very essential that the scientist and the spiritualist, the politician and the religious leader get together and interact in a balanced manner to get salvation from the stresses and strains of the contemporary materialistic world.
In this era of spiritual drought and torpor of the soul, it is very much desired that our age old traditional values should be made open to the people of the world. This will help in adapting a life-style free form the present stresses and strains of the materialistic world. One finds a wrong use of Science and Technology but this is not entirely the fault of the scientists and technologists. Perhaps the politicians who frame the policies and the industrialists who exploit are to blame. Nevertheless the scientists cannot be totally free from blame. They could refuse to self their knowledge and skill to make weapons of mass destruction.
This situation can be set right if science and spirituality go together. Scientists will have a peace of mind through meditation. Only a peaceful mind can use its knowledge for peaceful purposes. Time has come to realise that a thorough ethical overhaul of our political, economic, administrative and social system can redeem the situation. Therefore, the main and the initial solution of the global problems has to be the actualization of values through spiritual awakening. For this work among other things, what is required is a Spiritual University. A spiritual UN is the most urgent need of our times. The military and police forces should also be trained about the nonviolence through the spiritual approach.

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