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To find truth,
all the great sages have told us that one must go beyond all outer divisions of race,
creed, caste, nationality or culture. Only those who can step beyond the outer identities
that divide human beings can arrive at the one source of all things-- the true Self of all
beyond time, space and circumstance.
This, however, does not mean that culture has no purpose or value in the spiritual life.
Many of the same sages were also great founders, upholders or reformers of culture. Many
left not only works on spiritual knowledge but those on the arts and sciences, and social
and political issues. This in fact was the tradition of the Vedic seers, who first
established Hindu culture in ancient times.
They
were said to be "bhutakrit," world-makers or establishers of culture and
custom. If we look at humanity through history we can observe that men and women of
spiritual realization have not come equally from all cultures, which would be the case if
culture were merely a neutral factor in the spiritual life.
Author : David Frawley
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