In the Buddhist tradition, a story is told about the Buddha telling his followers to be careful not to mistake his finger pointing at the moon with the moon itself.
The moon represents your true mind in an enlightened state. The finger represents the teachings of the Buddha.
Without the finger pointing the way, you may not have noticed the moon. So the finger has a great purpose. However, it is not the end goal. It should be used as a tool to help us find the moon and not something to stare at or focus on too much.
Your Spiritual Goal
Whatever your spiritual goal (a relationship with God, salvation, exaltation, enlightenment, good karma, inner peace, etc), this story is a good reminder for us to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
Every religion and tradition has different teachings, doctrines, rituals, etc. If you ask 5,000 people from different religions how to achieve your goal then you will get 5,000 different answers (5,000 different fingers). So, be careful not to put too much trust in the finger itself.
The Fingers Pointing the Way
Figuratively, the moon is hard to find and the fingers are easy to find –mostly because there are so many of them! So many different recommended paths to your goal.
Let’s be reminded of some of the fingers in our religious lives:
- Tradition
- Holy writings (scriptures)
- Teachers (prophets, preachers, rabbis, gurus, etc)
- Places of worship (temples, churches, synagogues, mosques, etc)
Which of these fingers helps you the most with your goal?
Great! Keep using it.
Which one of these fingers do you possibly rely on too much (unquestioningly)?
Hm, maybe take a step back and re-evaluate. If it’s not sending you to the “moon”, maybe you should rely less on that particular finger.
Be Careful
Your spirituality is a sacred thing. It belongs to you and no one else. As such, you should be careful not to outsource it.
When someone or something is telling you to believe or act in a certain way, remember to check in with your inner compass. Ask yourself: is this something that will bring me closer to my goal? If not, then politely agree to disagree and move on.
Life is too short to be outsourcing your spirituality to sources of authority that may or may not have your best interests in mind.
Kev's Blog 