"The four principles of Indian spirituality"

A friend sends me a beautiful set of powerpoints, propagating "the four principles of Indian spirituality": (1) whomsoever you encounter is the right one
(2) whatever happened is the only thing that could have happened
(3) each moment in which something begins is the right moment
(4) what is over is over"

I was forced to respond as follows:

"Dear ....

As most Indians are totally unaware of the history of Indian spirituality, we make things up as we go along (that is the challenge with a culture that has deliberately turned its back on history and truth, to take to myths)

the four principles that you state are, actually, Buddhist principles, not "Indian"

if you are interested in INDIAN spirituality, that is rather more complex, more interesting, more exciting, more worthwhile, as well as more challenging

meanwhile, you might like to consider that if "whatever happened is the only thing that could hae happened", etc, that gives us no basis on which to resist evil or struggle for the good, the beautiful and the true, no basis on which to grieve or celebrate

such a belief would enable us only to accept fate - which is what has historically kept most countries poor, diseased and without hope

we would have no basis on which to resist Hitler or fight disease or environmental disaster

all hope, and all progress, can only happen if such false beliefs are rejected and we accept the pain of making moral evaluations and then struggling sacrificially for what is right". Sphere: Related Content