The Ancient Trails-A book by Vipin Labroo

 

Photo by Krivec Ales: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-waking-on-hill-554609/

Chapter 1- Genesis

All major religions of the world arose in Asia. Of these there are two separate sets of kindred religions-Judaism, Christianity and Islam and Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The former believe in the doctrine of the Day of Judgment, of everlasting reward or punishment, while the latter preach the laws of karma, of reincarnation and the final salvation of all souls. It was and is still widely believed that the two doctrines are incompatible, perhaps mutually exclusive, yet more wars were fought amongst Jews, Muslims and Christians than with the followers of any other religion or set of religion.

Recently there has been much speculation in the West that Jesus Christ travelled extensively in Afghanistan, India and Nepal in his youth receiving vital spiritual education from Hindu and Buddhist seers and sages which he put to good use on his return to Israel when he began to preach his revolutionary brand of Judaism. The interest in the West may be recent but on the Indian sub continent it is widely believed that not only did Jesus visit India in his youth, but that he never died on the cross but escaped to India where he lived to a ripe old age and died. In fact there is a 2000 year old grave in the Indian union territory of Kashmir, near the capital city Srinagar, which locals will tell you is that of Jesus.

Howsoever different we all may be from each other it is often forgotten that every single one of us owes our existence to the same African mother, who lived a very long time ago. Therefore from the mists of antiquity we get the message that a lot more is similar than is different. Fact is stranger than fiction. Native American tribes it is believed migrated from Asia to North America across a land bridge during the dawn of time only to be discovered as American Indians by European explorers in the fifteenth century.

Christianity struck root in India the ancient land of the Hindus through Christ’s skeptical disciple Thomas, much before the savage European tribes had even heard of Jesus. Today the world is divided by strife. People talk of the clash of civilizations. There is an environmental catastrophe staring us in the face. We the passengers of the glorious space ship- the planet earth need to get our act together. We need to stop fighting like children and grow up.

The story described in these chapters might show the reader the folly of our ways-might make him realize that we are not many civilizations, but one seamless civilization which has many facets to it, much like a multi faceted shiny crystal.