Religion is a common-sense, everyday thing.
1 Religion is not mumbo-jumbo. It is not magic. It is not mysterious. It is not doctrine or dogma. It is not based on tradition. It is based on common-sense. If religion does not permeate the everyday life of its follower, it is not religion; it is something else! This is the view of Swami Vivekananda.
He elaborates this idea variously as follows:
‘Cleanse the mind, this is all of religion.’ 2 Just look at the beauty of this idea. Can religion be made any simpler? We believe that religion is cumbersome, with its heavy load of beliefs, rituals, ceremonies and observances. But, none of those actually constitute religion. Even if we engage in all those so-called prescribed activities, and do not cleanse our minds therefrom, it is not religion, whatever else it be!
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