RELIGIOUS PLURALISM
Right to Identity as the Right Path to Unity and Solidarity
Keywords:
Oneself, Conscience, BlissfulAbstract
Reality is that which is or that which exists. What is, is manifold. So reality is expressed as many. According to the ancient Indian Wisdom, Ekam sat viprah bahudha vadanti (that which exists is one: sages call it by various names). Such an understanding gives rise to the perennial discussion on the one and many. To recognise, respect, and respond to that which is real is the call and challenge of reasonable human beings. The phrase Triune – one-and-three – is an example of ‘Unity in diversity’, which is the right vision for harmonious living. This vision has been the governing and guiding principle of Indian cultural ethos. Such a vision embodies the openness to truth, goodness, and beauty. The search for reality takes people to encounter multiplicity, and in turn the experience of many leads to unity. Diversity is the matrix of reality. Unity is the axis of reality. The right perception of reality depends on one’s ability to engage in dialogue with diversity. Dialogue presupposes many. The more the dialogue with diversity, the greater is the unity. This holds true for religions, as in other areas of life.
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