Bhakti List Archives

Re: introduction from Kali Dass

From the Bhakti List Archives

Mani Varadarajan • Mon Oct 12 1998 - 11:45:33 PDT 


Dear Sri Kali Dass, pardon me for this belated query.
And if you wish, we can take this discussion to private
email, but I think at this point your situation is interesting
and other members can benefit from a discussion.

Do you think it is possible to fully satisfy your vows
as an initiated member of a particular religion, and still
then proceed to become initiated in an entirely different
faith? It is one thing to respectfully study a religion, and
another to take as serious a step as to take initiation into 
and practice one.

For example, Islam requires one to believe that there is only
one God, Allah is His name, and that Mohammed is His final
prophet.  This is in direct contradiction with the trinitarian
teaching of Christianity, and the entire eschatology of Vedanta.

Can you describe how you practice each of these faiths? Or
do you dispense with some of the principal tenets of each?

Thanks,
Mani

On Sat, Sep 26, 1998 at 07:35:11AM -0700, John Lawrence Corey wrote:
> Mani Varadarajan wrote:
> > 
> > Kali Dass wrote:
> > > ... over the past 50 years I have studied, been
> > > initiated into and practiced the four major world religions: Judaism,
> > > Vedanta, Christianity and Islam.
> > 
> > Mr. Dass, welcome to our group. May I ask why you saw it fit
> > to seek initiation in four very different traditions? For what
> > were you searching?
> > 
> > Mani
> 
> Like Sri Ramakrishna (and also the 17th century Jewish avatar, Sabbatai
> Zevi) I was (am still) searching for the God who informs all religions
> and animates all men, regardless of religious practice.
> 
> Kali Dass
>