By His Holiness Ramakrishnananda Swami

Indram mitram varunamagnimaahuratho 

Divyaha sa suparno garutman 

Ekam sadvipraa bahudhaa vadanti 

Agni yamam matarishwanmahuhu 

"Even though the Divine is one, it is referred to as Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni. They mention Indra, Yama, Matrirasvan... the sages call the one God in diverse names". Rig Veda 1.164.46 

When I was young and just beginning my search, I remember that my opinion was that there were too many religions...

Today, however, after so many years, I have reached the conclusion that there are very few...

I believe that there should be as many religions as human beings, and this is one of the reasons why my heart belongs to the Hinduism. This is the only religion composed of religions...

That is to say, it is a collection of different beliefs, distinct musical notes that together compose a beautiful symphony...

The thing is that religion is much more than an "ism"... religion is a phenomenon...

And please do not come to me saying that a phenomenon is an appearance or the looks in front of our senses that hides reality rather than reveals it. When referring to religion, we are speaking about a phenomenon that is transcendental to the mind and the known senses, a phenomenon of the soul, of the spirit, beyond the noumeno of Kant which refers to intellectual intuition.

The most incredible and wonderful phenomenon that can occur in the human heart, the phenomenon of the heart opening itself to the Whole and falling madly in love with It...

Religion, as an authentic transcendental phenomenon, is of the individual, never of the mass, it is so intimate... Enlightenment is intimate because is an encounter with yourself...

It is a meeting between you and your reality, between you and your authenticity, between you and God... it is a meeting of one... is a duet of one...

Caitanya, Ramanuja, Shankaracharya, Ramana Maharshi, Ananda Ma, Swami Sivananda, Babaji Maharaja... Many are those who have disappeared in their authenticity, many are those who have found and submerged themselves into the infinite ocean of Divine nectar...

But never has God occurred, or will it ever occur, as it can occur in you...

Religion is not a repetitive phenomenon, it is forever creative...

One day you would realize that in fact religion, like love, is one... It is just that when it caresses your own heart it becomes so yours, so special, that you cannot believe that any other being in any other place has ever felt anything like it, in the same way...

And please do not think, even for a moment, that I am speaking about a cultural relativism, epistemological or theological... Actually the relativist attitude is called, "pluralistic theology of religions", and it holds that the different religions form only different partial attempts to capture the absolute that from the very beginning are not capable of realizing the Totality as it is... Therefore, it gives all the different forms of religion a similar value, respect and significance. One proponent we could point out is the outstanding philosopher John Hick, as the most famous exponent of the above mentioned theory, who teaches that the Divine, as it is in its noumenal aspect, is inaccessible...

Here, he uses the Kantinian distinction between phenomenon and noumenon, in order to reach the conclusion that every religion captures a different aspect of the Divine, according to the culture, and that this would be the reason that we see different religions. According to the above mentioned, and as pointed out by Hick. Religions would be distinct perceptions and realizations, with different responses to the Reality, according to the cultural difference, and therefore, the differences that reside in the mind of every person... 

This pluralistic theology is very close, but nevertheless, it is a product of philosophers, of intellectuals, and even though they are brilliant, it is the brilliance of the intellect. And as we all know, a candle can illuminate a lot, and be of great use... unless it is in front of the sun... 

This pluralistic theology would be right, provided that the human being is reduced to being a mental reality, an idea, an "I"... 

What happens is that... yogas chitta vritti nirodha... the realization of the Ultimate Reality is just the disappearance of the mind, and therefore any cultural difference...

That is to say, it is important to understand that what happens in the masses is only a reflection of the authentic religion. True religion is produced on the individual level... What the majority of the people call religion is only its reflection in society... it is a reaction of society facing a religion that happens in one heart. Of course, there is nothing bad in it, and much to the contrary, it is marvelous, because it represents the greatest inspiration, the greater alternative for humanity... but, provided that it does not ignore the other, the true and authentic transcendental religious phenomenon. This is found very clearly in Hindusim: tad viddhi pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya...to try to learn and capture the Truth is one thing... to inquire submissively, to serve, is to reflect religion, vaidhi bhakti... tattva darshinah... or to see the Truth... that is religion...

You will see the Truth, you will realize the Whole as it is... The difference will be in the reflection of the phenomenon in the world of names and forms, in society, in the public...

vadanti tat tattva—vidas

  tattvam yaj jnanam advayam

brahmeti paramatmeti

  bhagavan iti sabdyate 

"The sages who have realized the Absolute Truth, call this non—dual substance, Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan." (Srimad—Bhagavatam 1.2.11). This tells us that there are sages who have realized the Whole, Reality, as it is... the Absolute Reality, as it is... that place where the authentic religion has occurred... Only when we refer to it, that is, in the dualistic world of names and forms, and keeping in mind that referring to religion is only the reflection of religion... is it called Brahman... Paramatma... or Bhagavan...