 136. Religions (A Review) |
In contrast to conventional popular “religion”, esotericism is a superior human impulse, founded in “self”- understanding and profound psycho-physical conversion (or change). However, over time, it tends to be more and more the case that only false and merely exoteric (or popular, and public-oriented) “religious” inventions are communicated by so-called “great religions”. And, at last, not only is the esoteric Truth and practice of the esoteric Way eliminated as the core of “religious” instruction, but the survival pressures of dogmatic popularism tend to make both Truth and right practice unacceptable. Thus, over time, “great religions” tend, in fact, to make right “religious” practice secondary to “membership”—and, likewise, “great” (popular) “religions” (or “cults” of dogmatic belief) tend to become the enemies of authentic esotericism (or of the “experiential knowledge” and the “gnosis”, or the tacit “knowledge-beyond-mind”, that makes both mere belief and mere ideas obsolete).
This was the situation that confronted Jesus of Galilee—and it was (and is) the situation confronted by all prophets of right “religious” life and all Realizers within esoteric schools and traditions.
Since actual and mature (and both true and right) “religious” practice has been generally (or popularly) replaced by outward adherence to false (or deluding) exoteric beliefs and merely superficial behavioral modifications, the true esoteric core of “religion” has lost its use within the “great” traditional “cults” that exist today. The entire affair of traditional “religious” institutions has become (in a sense) dangerous, because such “religious” institutions long ago abandoned the practice of making right “religious” or (otherwise) esoteric participation a condition of membership within the “official” domain of popular “religious” institutions. If the demand for authentic (or wholly true and right) participation had, historically, been continued, the institutions of “religion” that are now, as a matter of convention, called “great” would likely have remained small esoteric communities (if they survived at all). However, the ancient “religious” institutions chose gross survival and “worldly” power, to the exclusion of Truth—and, therefore, they adapted to the “world”, rather than persist in the demand that the “world” change itself.
Right “religious” (and even esoteric) practice is a universal and (necessarily) ego-transcending psychophysical motivation of human beings. However, up to the present stage in human history, only relatively few individuals in any generation have been willing and able to make the gesture that is such right practice. In their great numbers, most people have, up to now, never yet been ready or willing to adapt to the true (and progressive) practical, moral, devotional, Spiritual, and Transcendental Wisdom-culture of right life. An authentic “religious” (or, otherwise, esoteric) institution must be devoted entirely to both the communication and the practice of “religious” (or, otherwise, esoteric) Truth and the unrelenting demand for right and always greater human transformation (and, ultimately, Perfect Truth-Realization). Historically, only relatively few people in any generation of humankind have been interested in accepting that Truth-message! An authentic “religious” (or, otherwise, esoteric) institution must never subordinate itself or its message to either the pattern and the demands of egoity itself or to the stream of daily secular or “worldly” society.
Indeed, until humankind in general is able to embrace right “religious” practice (or, otherwise, to become Really Awake), right “religion” (or, otherwise, right esotericism) must remain largely prophetic in its function. That is to say, right “religion” (or, otherwise, right esotericism) must (even always) accept the role of critic (and, thus, of the “outsider”) in the (public and popular) “world”—and right “religion” (or, otherwise, right esotericism) must never become like the “world” (or function as an “insider” within the “world”) in order to become powerful and “great” in the “world”.
- F.Jones
