Good Intentions Not Enough

in my experience you have spoken some profound spiritual truths that eye have also recognized occassionally in passing. i think it would be true that a true spiritual leader would have to want the deciple to be the one rewarded and bettered 4 thier own sake rather than any credit taken 4 a task which if one belives in God is done by God through people. i don't know 4 sure if i'm ever devinely inspired but....sometimes i am amazed at what comes out of my mouth or paintbrush or guitar. when i ponder creativity i know i somtimes accomplish what i know for a fact i cannot.....i attribute this to Gods grace.... i used to get a little proud about myself at that possibilility until some one wiser than me showed me in the bible where God spoke through a donkey. i tell myself that if God spoke through a jackass once he mite very well be doing it again in my case. i think that puts the proper perpective 4 me on my part of the process....thats just 4 me

"It is not how many times we pray that is important but how well we incorporate that prayer into our daily lives and in our relationship with other human beings that is important."

Thank you, Arun, for contributing to this forum.

I was introduced to Hinduism by listening to the Beatles in my youth. And now I'm lucky enough to work with Indians - Muslim, Hindu and non-believers - in my job. I admire how your country is able to have so many diverse beliefs and languages, and remain one country.

Henry -

Thanks for using the word 'desiderata'. I had to look that one up and it serendipitously led me to the best poem I have read in a long while...

NB: Christians are asked to do good in order to prove their love for Jesus because that is what Jesus commanded His followers to do - to love as He loved. With the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus showed an example of what love in action should be like. In the depiction about Judgement Day, Jesus explained what is considered good works...visting those in prison, feeding the hungry, feeding the naked, taking care of the sick etc. To a genuine Christian, good works is about pleasing and obeying the one who loves us. "Where is there God there is love, where is love there is God," and "Faith without works is dead."

Dear Mr Gandhi

Thank you for sharing your deep insight.

It does seem that as human beings very few of us are as spiritually evolved as your grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi was, who really put the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita (to work without thought of the reward) and the best of the Bible (Sermon on the Mount) teachings into practice.

In most human beings there seems to be a hidden self serving agenda. But even a hidden self serving agenda that does real good and does not harm anyone is better than a narcissistic agenda which merely exploits/harms others for one's own benefit. People who do good things for the joy of doing good is by far the best the most of humanity can hope for. That should be consciously encouraged starting in childhood. Unless children are allowed to experience the joy of doing good, how will they strive for it? The pleasure of the senses is instinctive and hence human beings seek it out.

Sainthood, where the good is done without any hope for reward, is for the few. Those who strive to be saints, do it without any encouragement from anyone, in spite of opposition from everyone. One can point to those beacons as an ideal of course. But if such ideal is set as the standard, nobody would be encouraged to even begin, conveniently considering such idealism not even worth considering.

Soja John Thaikattil
Sydney, Australia

I agree with Mr Gandhi when he write
when a good act is performed with such expectations the results are never what one desires.

Just as eliminating poverty is probably a goal that will never be achieved (though it MAY be approached),
so having very many humans who act purely out of the goodness of their hearts is iffy.

But it does seem to be the highest moral desiderata, and the practice of certain people like Mahatma and the Dalai Lama show that is can sometimes be achieved.