Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "christian"
Real Christian Existence
What is a Christian Life? What is it to be a Christian? You think you already know the answer, I am quite aware of it. But, for the time being, allow me to tell you, that being Christian is not what most so-called Christians think it to be. Most so-called Christians would most gloriously think of Christianity to be a matter of undivided loyalty to the figure known as Jesus. But that’s precisely what being Christian is not, and in fact, that’s precious what being religious is not. What is it to be a Christian, one wonders?
We may begin our investigation here, but only if you are willing to take off all labels. Are you? Good, let’s begin shall we! The first thing we need to be aware of here is that, all of Christ’s philosophical ideas and teachings can be compressed into one simple phrase – “Love thy neighbor”. It elucidates the innate kindness of human heart in the simplest manner. So, being Christian is simply about being kind, being loving, being compassionate – that’s all. And in fact, that’s what being religious is about – it’s about loving your fellow being. One doesn’t even need to call himself or herself as a Christian or even religious for that matter, to be a Christian. A Hindu can be Christian – a Muslim can be Christian – a Buddhist can be Christian – an atheist can be Christian, as long as that person practises love and kindness in everyday living.
A true human being with love and kindness in his or heart, would automatically be a Christian, whether he or she actually calls himself or herself as such, because that’s what Christ was – a true human being, with a gloriously kind heart. Basically, you don’t need to be born in a Christian family to be a Christian. Practise love – practise kindness, as you walk through your day, and you would automatically be walking on the path laid by Christ himself, regardless of whether you are announcing most boastfully that you are a Christian. Any human who practices love and kindness is a Christian. So, it is only the true human being who is qualified to be hailed as a Christian, not the person who utters countless phrases from the Bible all the time, yet does not show a sign of graceful kindness in his or her actions towards others.
Christ was a being of glorious character, who wanted to reinstall the forgotten humanity in the heart of humanity, hence he gave his life teaching humanity the lessons of non-differentiation – the lessons of love – the lessons of true humanity, yet his name has been disgraced by many of his own followers with acts of sectarianism and bigotry. Mind you my dear sibling, sectarianism is no christian act, neither is bigotry and extremism. The whole world is filled with countless creatures who call themselves Christians, yet I see very little, or alas, no trace of true Christianity in them. Be the Christian whose heart aches at the sight of
others’ pain – be the Christian whose acts shine with vivacious kindness and glory – be the Christian whose very life becomes an embodiment of true Christianity – an embodiment of Christ himself. Be a living Christ on earth, then and then only shall you be a real Christian.
Remember, Christ and Christianity are not separate – they are one and the same thing. Christ is a being of pure kindness, and so is Christianity. Hence, forget all rules and regulations of the so-called modern society and be the being of kindness – be the being of compassion – be the being of conscience, for that being is the only real Christian on earth, all others are mere mockery of Christian existence. A true Christian life is a life lived for others, beyond the barriers of words, labels and terms. And indeed a life lived for others, is a true religious life. In the end, to the real Christian, the term “Christian” becomes irrelevant, and what matters to him or her the most, is pure conscientious act of kindness. This pure kindness does not need a label of organized religion to exist, in fact in its purest form it is devoid of all labels, yet you can find traces of it in all organized religions.
Recommended Reading
Neurons of Jesus: Mind of A Teacher, Spouse & Thinker
We may begin our investigation here, but only if you are willing to take off all labels. Are you? Good, let’s begin shall we! The first thing we need to be aware of here is that, all of Christ’s philosophical ideas and teachings can be compressed into one simple phrase – “Love thy neighbor”. It elucidates the innate kindness of human heart in the simplest manner. So, being Christian is simply about being kind, being loving, being compassionate – that’s all. And in fact, that’s what being religious is about – it’s about loving your fellow being. One doesn’t even need to call himself or herself as a Christian or even religious for that matter, to be a Christian. A Hindu can be Christian – a Muslim can be Christian – a Buddhist can be Christian – an atheist can be Christian, as long as that person practises love and kindness in everyday living.
A true human being with love and kindness in his or heart, would automatically be a Christian, whether he or she actually calls himself or herself as such, because that’s what Christ was – a true human being, with a gloriously kind heart. Basically, you don’t need to be born in a Christian family to be a Christian. Practise love – practise kindness, as you walk through your day, and you would automatically be walking on the path laid by Christ himself, regardless of whether you are announcing most boastfully that you are a Christian. Any human who practices love and kindness is a Christian. So, it is only the true human being who is qualified to be hailed as a Christian, not the person who utters countless phrases from the Bible all the time, yet does not show a sign of graceful kindness in his or her actions towards others.
Christ was a being of glorious character, who wanted to reinstall the forgotten humanity in the heart of humanity, hence he gave his life teaching humanity the lessons of non-differentiation – the lessons of love – the lessons of true humanity, yet his name has been disgraced by many of his own followers with acts of sectarianism and bigotry. Mind you my dear sibling, sectarianism is no christian act, neither is bigotry and extremism. The whole world is filled with countless creatures who call themselves Christians, yet I see very little, or alas, no trace of true Christianity in them. Be the Christian whose heart aches at the sight of
others’ pain – be the Christian whose acts shine with vivacious kindness and glory – be the Christian whose very life becomes an embodiment of true Christianity – an embodiment of Christ himself. Be a living Christ on earth, then and then only shall you be a real Christian.
Remember, Christ and Christianity are not separate – they are one and the same thing. Christ is a being of pure kindness, and so is Christianity. Hence, forget all rules and regulations of the so-called modern society and be the being of kindness – be the being of compassion – be the being of conscience, for that being is the only real Christian on earth, all others are mere mockery of Christian existence. A true Christian life is a life lived for others, beyond the barriers of words, labels and terms. And indeed a life lived for others, is a true religious life. In the end, to the real Christian, the term “Christian” becomes irrelevant, and what matters to him or her the most, is pure conscientious act of kindness. This pure kindness does not need a label of organized religion to exist, in fact in its purest form it is devoid of all labels, yet you can find traces of it in all organized religions.
Recommended Reading
Neurons of Jesus: Mind of A Teacher, Spouse & Thinker
Sonnet of A Religious Person
I spent years as a Christian,
I didn't find God.
I spent years as a Muslim,
I didn't find God.
I spent years as Hindu and Sikh,
Still there was no inkling.
I spent years as Buddhist and Atheist,
Still I understood nothing.
I did it all, prayers, rituals, meditation,
None of it brought me serenity.
For serenity has been all along,
At the feet of the ailing humanity.
I shelved all scriptures and stood as human.
Kindness alone is the sign of a religious person.
I didn't find God.
I spent years as a Muslim,
I didn't find God.
I spent years as Hindu and Sikh,
Still there was no inkling.
I spent years as Buddhist and Atheist,
Still I understood nothing.
I did it all, prayers, rituals, meditation,
None of it brought me serenity.
For serenity has been all along,
At the feet of the ailing humanity.
I shelved all scriptures and stood as human.
Kindness alone is the sign of a religious person.
Forgive Us Jesus (The Sonnet)
Forgive us Jesus, my friend,
We couldn't walk in your footsteps.
You asked us to love our neighbor,
Yet we found it impossible to be hateless.
You didn't hate those who hated you,
You loved them despite being mocked.
Yet we can't even talk without judging today,
We can't accept any difference in thought.
Forgetting all comfort and luxury,
You gave your life trying to erase bigotry.
Yet we made you fodder for our own prejudice,
And turned the crucifix into a badge of cruelty.
We used you my friend to deepen our division.
We prefer mindless worship over hearty compassion.
We couldn't walk in your footsteps.
You asked us to love our neighbor,
Yet we found it impossible to be hateless.
You didn't hate those who hated you,
You loved them despite being mocked.
Yet we can't even talk without judging today,
We can't accept any difference in thought.
Forgetting all comfort and luxury,
You gave your life trying to erase bigotry.
Yet we made you fodder for our own prejudice,
And turned the crucifix into a badge of cruelty.
We used you my friend to deepen our division.
We prefer mindless worship over hearty compassion.
Christmas Sonnet | Giants in Jeans
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Oh, what fun it is to give our own life away!
Saint Nicholas did his part, so did Chris himself,
Now it's time for us to be the happiness gateway.
Dashing through the alleys devoid of lights,
Holding up high as beacon, our own heart,
Breaking ourselves to pieces and burning to ashes,
We'll ensure no one lacks the love a human deserves.
We are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen and Comet,
We are Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph.
We are also modern day Nick, Chris and Eckhart,
By our love and oneness let the world be engulfed!
Twelve days ain't enough to celebrate Christmas.
As humans we must live each day helping others.
Oh, what fun it is to give our own life away!
Saint Nicholas did his part, so did Chris himself,
Now it's time for us to be the happiness gateway.
Dashing through the alleys devoid of lights,
Holding up high as beacon, our own heart,
Breaking ourselves to pieces and burning to ashes,
We'll ensure no one lacks the love a human deserves.
We are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen and Comet,
We are Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph.
We are also modern day Nick, Chris and Eckhart,
By our love and oneness let the world be engulfed!
Twelve days ain't enough to celebrate Christmas.
As humans we must live each day helping others.
True Meaning of Christmas | Abhijit Naskar | Visvavatan: 100 Demilitarization Sonnets
If you cared about the thousands of children suffering today in Gaza, as much you care about the birth of one middle eastern child two thousand years ago, perhaps then, you could’ve understood the true meaning of Christmas.
As of now, Christmas is just a festival of hypocrisy – and that too, in the name of a man who gave his life to lift up the fallen. My question is, if you cannot be Christlike in your deeds, what’s the point of all these festivities, which are supposed to be rooted in goodwill towards all, not mindless self-obsession!
As of now, Christmas is just a festival of hypocrisy – and that too, in the name of a man who gave his life to lift up the fallen. My question is, if you cannot be Christlike in your deeds, what’s the point of all these festivities, which are supposed to be rooted in goodwill towards all, not mindless self-obsession!
Tanrınator (The Sonnet) | Abhijit Naskar | Yüz Şiirlerin Yüzüğü (Ring of 100 Poems, Bilingual Edition): 100 Turkish Poems with Translations
To the christian I’m christian –
to neonazism, I’m nazarene ravager.
To the jew I’m just a jew –
to zionism, I’m thunderahava.
To the sanatani I’m advaitin –
to hindutva, I’m narasimha.
To the muslim I’m sufi fakir –
to islamism, I’m tanrınator.
To the atheist I’m rationalist,
to the militant I’m apocalypse.
To the intellectuals I’m an idiot,
to the narcissist I’m cataclysmic.
I’m a brother to every
believer and nonbeliever alike.
I’m the bridge that unites the shores,
I’m the bulldozer that obliterates divide.
to neonazism, I’m nazarene ravager.
To the jew I’m just a jew –
to zionism, I’m thunderahava.
To the sanatani I’m advaitin –
to hindutva, I’m narasimha.
To the muslim I’m sufi fakir –
to islamism, I’m tanrınator.
To the atheist I’m rationalist,
to the militant I’m apocalypse.
To the intellectuals I’m an idiot,
to the narcissist I’m cataclysmic.
I’m a brother to every
believer and nonbeliever alike.
I’m the bridge that unites the shores,
I’m the bulldozer that obliterates divide.
Naskarism, Marxism, Buddhism, Sufism, Confucianism, Christianism, Judaism, it’s all human construct.” Abhijit Naskar, The Divine Refugee
Best way apes know to make sure nobody questions their words is to call them divine intervention, rather than human creation. But if you could transcend the primitive instinct of connecting divinity with the supernatural, you would plainly see, human creation is divine creation – human intervention is the most divine it gets. That is why, my creations are divine creation, but that divinity is firmly rooted in my own consciousness – not in some imaginary heaven, but in my own organic and very much mortal human brain.
Quran, Bible, Vedas – it’s all human creation, no matter how much their proponents peddle them otherwise. Sure, they have a divine element to them, hence, there is good in them, but that divinity, that goodness, is rooted in humans, not in some anthropomorphic supernatural deity.
Naskarism, Marxism, Buddhism, Sufism, Confucianism, Christianism, Judaism, it’s all human construct. As such, none of it is infallible. Yours truly admits that, so did my friend Sid (Buddha), as well as my brother Mevlana (Rumi). And what’s wrong with acknowledging the possibility of folly anyway! It is only through folly that fervor unfolds – it is only through mistakes that the mind expands.
Quran, Bible, Vedas – it’s all human creation, no matter how much their proponents peddle them otherwise. Sure, they have a divine element to them, hence, there is good in them, but that divinity, that goodness, is rooted in humans, not in some anthropomorphic supernatural deity.
Naskarism, Marxism, Buddhism, Sufism, Confucianism, Christianism, Judaism, it’s all human construct. As such, none of it is infallible. Yours truly admits that, so did my friend Sid (Buddha), as well as my brother Mevlana (Rumi). And what’s wrong with acknowledging the possibility of folly anyway! It is only through folly that fervor unfolds – it is only through mistakes that the mind expands.
12 Days of Christmas (Sonnet 1900) | Abhijit Naskar – Merry Christmas 2024
On the first day of Christmas my ode to thee,
promise of messy love only sweetens by indignity.
On the second day of Christmas my ode to thee,
pocketful of moments become memories through amity.
On the third day of Christmas my ode to thee,
Christ ain’t a cult but a voice against animosity.
On the fourth day of Christmas my ode to thee,
each act of hate is the same old crucifixion frenzy.
On the fifth day of Christmas my ode to thee,
intolerance is the desecration of sanctity.
On the sixth day of Christmas my ode to thee,
reason doesn’t ruin, but enhances divinity.
On the seventh day of Christmas my ode to thee,
true miracle unfolds in everyday acts of empathy.
On the eighth day of Christmas my ode to thee,
save sermon on the mount all else is triviality.
On the ninth day of Christmas my ode to thee,
faith ought to enhance not degrade humanity.
On the tenth day of Christmas my ode to thee,
every stream reflects the same aspiring piety.
On the eleventh day of Christmas my call to thee,
every heart is a living church, from river to the sea.
On the twelfth day of Christmas I entrust to thee,
season of love and peace transcends ethnicity.
Sonnet for Francis – Abhijit Naskar, The God Sonnets
When the queen kicked the bucket,
I felt zero loss – unless they go out of their way,
to make amends, like did real Queen Diana,
the entire bucking(ham) bunch are irrelevant.
However, upon the passing of Francis,
I do feel a certain loss, mainly because,
despite being the head of an atrocious church,
he had the potential for growth and tolerance.
Not everyone is in the position to be
outspoken against all inhumanities,
but if you have the guts to call out even some,
you have a life-long friend in me.
I cherish every human who shows
even the slightest trace of inclusivity,
as strongly as I feel resigned towards any ape
that thrives on prejudice disguised as piety.
I felt zero loss – unless they go out of their way,
to make amends, like did real Queen Diana,
the entire bucking(ham) bunch are irrelevant.
However, upon the passing of Francis,
I do feel a certain loss, mainly because,
despite being the head of an atrocious church,
he had the potential for growth and tolerance.
Not everyone is in the position to be
outspoken against all inhumanities,
but if you have the guts to call out even some,
you have a life-long friend in me.
I cherish every human who shows
even the slightest trace of inclusivity,
as strongly as I feel resigned towards any ape
that thrives on prejudice disguised as piety.
