The true meaning of 'religion'

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The true meaning of ‘religion’	September 14, 2006
Guest entry by Woo Jeong Kim	Unsubscribe
Ken: Wrapping up a tour around the world, Woo Jeong Kim (Korean) concludes his three part series! During the winter of 1996, I travelled for 3 months around India. I first landed in Delhi and travelled south down to Kanyakumari via Rajasthan, Goa, and Kerala, then went up to Calcutta (Kolkatta). To me, India was a sacred destination, or more or less the country represented an ultimate backpacking destination among backpackers at that time. Once while camel-safariing in Rajasthan, I glanced at a piece of a bright-coloured dress that had been deserted in a sand-dune. Naked little kids standing before some gorgeous castles. From deserted remains of Vijayanagar empire to the mesmerizing Taj mahal, from aggressive camels in the burning Thar desert to White-sanded Goa beaches. All the imaginations of the country were extremely contrasty, just like that. As all others who have travelled around this magnificent and mysterious subcontinent, I have gained extraordinary experiences and memories. I was amazed, I was shocked, I was overwhelmed, I was pleased, I was rewarded. Out of thousand other special memories from India, I would like to share with you the most important one. For about a week in February 1997, I stayed at a guesthouse in Kovalam in southern India. (Kovalam is a well-known beach resort in Kerala.) Whilst there, I had the chance to see another philosophical as well as cultural world. I saw it through the eyes of an Indian. He was the guesthouse manager who also worked as the hotel masseur. He explained that during meditation, he prayed to three gods in his heart. The first was Shiva and the second, Krishna. The last one was a Swiss lady, a massage customer the previous year. I was surprised and asked "I understand you may have fallen in love with her, but how could she be a god that you pray to alongside Shiva and Krishna?" He replied. "She gives me great comfort and peace of mind. A god represents an idea or a feeling to me. I respect the woman so I pray to her. Religion is not concerned so much about the physical form we give to it but more for the discipline and lessons we take from it." I was temporarily speechless. For me, it was a moment of true recognition of religion. I finally realized the reason why I could not respect garish and colourful figures of Hindu gods, often strangely decorated and why they disturbed me. I was looking just at the physical forms, not into what they meant and what they represented. I spent the rest of that day at a little temple near the beach thinking about what and how he has enlightened me. After travelling around the world for some time, I felt I was open-minded enough to another culture. However, somewhere deep down in my heart, I was still blinded by the superficial understanding and exploration into other cultures. It was clear to me since that day. Being open-minded to another culture is not just learning about it, but making a continual effort to open eyes beyond our personal boundaries of philosophy and belief. Woo Sunset on Kovalam beach, February 1997 Anjuna beach in Goa. The evening was unforgettably beautiful, January 1997 55m high unbelievably colourful Gopuram at Madurai temple, February 1997