Faith : What is Transactional Faith?

This article has been inspired by a Whatsapp Discussion; centered around faith, and what is faith. That set my mind racing, as I, perhaps for the first time, tried to come to terms with this rather complex term. Well, upon consideration, it seems to me that  this is a highly individual matter, and would not like to make a generalisation. For me, it is faith in God - Parmatma, and My Religion - Sanataan Dharm. My faith, my beliefs, my rising trust in God,  and that there is a purpose to life; all these are late realisations that came about slowly over a period of time due to abhyaas, practice

THE BASIC NATURE OF FAITH

For what its worth, faith has to be in something Non-Materialistic; and is highly individual. It has to be completely devoid of personal interest as well. Faith isnt faith if there is personal interest in it. Personal interest is the anti-thesis of faith, in reality. One has to rise above Material aspects, and appreciate - or try to  - appreciate the reason for life and the vastness of this creation called life; one has to forget the daily tasks while ensuring that no duty of ours goes unfulfilled. This requires total surrender, and a devotion to your Duty, without worrying of the results therefrom.

TRANSACTIONAL FAITH

Faith with personal interest is a trade, I do this you do this. That is only a level of faith, which goes deeper. Transactional faith is the first level, and then with abhyaas you tend to rise or rather grow – but more of this as I mature in my thinking. If there is a personal interest, that cannot be true faith. The presence of an interest or desire is transactional in nature. Faith is the complete surrender to the higher power – call it the ultimate conscience, or God, Or Parabrahm. If there is a personal interest – it is transactional in nature, and faith cannot be a transaction. Yes, this can be the starting point on our journey to true faith. There is no expectation of I-do-this-and-you-do-this; in faith, I do this as it is my bounden duty to do it, not in expectation of rewards. Now this is hard to achieve, granted. That said, in my experience it is always transactional in the initial stages.

Let us consider it by an example – a simple act of giving something to others. The key here is why are you giving something to others? For what reason? Is there any expectation - even if it means an expectation of Good Deed done, or Punya? To score a point etc? Then, this is a transaction.Transactional faith is Rajasic, maybe even Tamasic.  For it to be Satvic - it has to be in true Satvic Mode, pure - in the case of giving, Satvic giving is that which is given as per the nation, place and time requirements, without personal interest. Again, let us park this thought here – as I delve deeper into these aspects with a deeper understanding as I progress in my personal learnings and growth

Thus, if there is ANY personal interest - it is the first level of faith, and is purely transactional. That is the level at which most of us exist, even I. True Faith cannot be transactional; Faith just exists, just is.

This level {the transactional nature of humans with respect to faith and prayers} is explicitly recognised in our scriptures - to be specific, The Mahanarayanopanishad. It also quite clearly states there is nothing wrong with this transactional level, as most humans are on this transactional place, and need to traverse the  world. While the body exists, its needs are real, and not everyone can rise beyond these aspects of life, hence there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the transactional personal interest view. Problem is, difficulty of maintaining equanimity in a transactional relationship, due to the present of Kam Krodh Lobh; and the sense of self. Personal interest means you expect something in return - which is always going to be hard.

Last point for the article  - going beyond this involves answering " Who am I ? What am  I doing here? What is my purpose?  And when you realise, or begin to - that you are not your body; you are not your mind, or your consciousness or your thoughts - that is the first stage of a  non-transactional level. I am documenting what I have experienced; not claiming absolute correctness in the above… and the way to get there, a level where personal interest does not occlude the mind – is meditation. In a later article, God Willing, we shall see what Transactional Faith exactly is, what it comprises…

A SMALL DETOUR INTO MEDITATION

It would not be right to close the article without giving a glimpse into what actually comprises Meditation. Meditation does not mean closing ones eyes and contemplating and / or praying; every waking and sleeping moment can be meditative, so long as we forget the results, and focus on doing our duties. Yog does not mean exercise; true yog is full control over the senses, and rising above them. You are in meditation even when typing - so long as your focus is on getting the message across without ulterior motive, ego, proving oneself or one's point; and so on....

Life itself is a meditation; what it needs is being situated is God, Parabrahm - meaning performance of duties with total dedication, morality, ethics, purity of body, mind, intellect, and absence of lies, chhal kapat etc. That means doing every single task with complete purity; even if it means a tiny thing like telling a friend "aataa hun". If you say it - do it, or dont say it. Every single action that happens, every word, every thought should be in consonance with the above.

Is this doable? Yes. Is it easy? No. Doable? Yes, definitely.