Baruch Spinoza (also known as Benedict de Spinoza) was a Dutch philosopher. Spinoza's life is full of inspiration for the people of 21st century. Today, I want to discuss the details of his life and thinking.
He was boycotted in the whole of Christian and Jew community because he didn't accept Jesus Christ as God. Prior to Spinoza, a Roman philosopher called Bruno, too, was put afire for making a statement as Nature is God and God is Nature, and that God is there inside every man.
Philosophy of both these men is explained in a few lines of the following poem -
When you, with the help of language
Call a river a river,
Do you know…?
It is a flower, too.
It is a sun, too.
It is all of Nature.
When Spinoza was expelled from many lands due to his atheist-like beliefs about God and was not getting lectureship in any college he was offered a help of $500 a year by one of the wealthy men of then. But he did not accept it. At the end of much insistence he said: My yearly expense is $50, and only so much I will accept. The rest of the money you may give others needing it. To earn more than is needed is an offense towards the mankind. After saving as much as one's need one should help others as we all are a part of God. When you help them, God would be happy. Love all as you love God.
Spinoza was born 374 years ago in a Jew family. At the time when all the Jews were expelled from Spain he took birth in Amsterdam, Holland, in a successful merchant's house. He was brought up at the place in Europe full of opposition for Jews. He did not want to run business and earn money. He never digested things as a man condemning another man, or a religion fighting against another religion.
He read many scriptures. At last, he concluded that God is in the form of Nature. God does not have a separate body. As he went on reading Christian, Jew, Hindu and other scriptures, his faith in the religions kept dwindling and finally vanished. He rebelled against the belief of “humans never dying”, then being popularized by some Christian priests. As a result he was excommunicated at the age of 24. It is interesting to know the method and the words the fat-headed Christian priests adopted to set an opposition for him.
Henceforward no one should talk with Spinoza. Or write to him. Or read what has been written by him. No one should offer work to him. No one should stay in the house with him. Everyone should keep a three-feet distance from him. And what ever book he does write should not be read.
Withstanding such contempt the young philosopher went on to live alone, but never joined any religious group. His father relinquished him. He could become a Hebrew scholar and a priest, but did not. His sisters did swindle him over inheritance from his family property. Friends went aloof. His heart grew evermore hard towards those “trading religions”. He said all the monks are thriving on the ignorance of learned wealthy men. They do not know the true element. Or do they know but do not teach the truth to people. Because if they said, “Man, you are yourself a part of God, and thus grow your own potential and you will become one with God”, then the whole bazaar would no more remain. The monks earn billions worth of properties and respect just being the brokers of God and religion.
Spinoza's real name was Baruch, which he had to change, owing to his boycott, to Benedict. A merciful family in Amsterdam gave him the place to live. He started giving tuition to the school children. Then he felt that earning only from teaching religion is a bad business. He said, every scholar should take up some or the other work involving bodily movements. So, being an all-rounder he took upon the work of making spectacle glasses. By this he hardly earned enough to keep going. But still he took tuition fees only if offered. He adopted the sutra: Work keeps one virtuous whereas every learned man who fails to acquire a trade will at last turn out rouge.
After teaching philosophy to children, Spinoza lived some years on the income of spectacle glasses. The lady who had given him the room brought tiffin for him. He ate, but not fully. He kept track of his, though small, income. Gave away to poor children what ever he earned over and above his needs. He wore slovenly, simple cloths.
His simple advice was concerning “self preservation.” He denied accepting the advices of Self Control and Suppression then being given by the priests. He said desire is the essence of being human. What is a man after all? A man is formed out of desires. Gratify the desires. Do enjoy. Pain and grievances will come even if you put control on yourself. But if along with fulfilling your desires you conserve yourself then there is no harm in enjoying. The world is your father's property, use it to the fullest. You have to go to the other side of passion. Instead of condemning the lust, you have to enjoy it, understand its nature, and cross it.
Jews boycotted him. Not only that, he was charged for having rejected God and disrespected the Jesus, and given ten years' imprisonment. During that time he wrote his important book. It was only published after his death. He had many against him, but also, many who respected him. One wealthy man of Amsterdam sent him a gift of $1000, but he did not accept it. One other did leave all his property to Spinoza in his will. Spinoza said to him: I do not need it; your brother needs it more. Even then, that man left $250 a month after his death to be given to Spinoza. Spinoza did not accept that too. After that, the king of Holland, Louis the 14th offered him a life-time pension, on the condition that he submitted his book to the king. He refused.
Do you see a philosopher monk like Spinoza today? When he came to know that he has caught TB due to the particles of the glass he worked with he did not have enough money to get it cured. The University of Heidelberg offered him professorship. He politely said to the chancellor of the university: If I accepted the professorship, you will not allow me to express some of my beliefs. So he did not accept it too. People asked him the reason for such a foolery. He said: I was separated from wealth and respect at the very time I was boycotted; all is for good. Wealth and fame are the only reasons for all the pain of the humankind.
The love towards a thing eternal and infinite alone feeds the mind with a pleasure secure from all pain. The greatest good is the knowledge of the union which the mind has with the whole Nature. – Baruch Spinoza.
This article was originally written by the Gujarati-language writer Kanti Bhatt. Translated into English by Darhan Chande.
He was boycotted in the whole of Christian and Jew community because he didn't accept Jesus Christ as God. Prior to Spinoza, a Roman philosopher called Bruno, too, was put afire for making a statement as Nature is God and God is Nature, and that God is there inside every man.
Philosophy of both these men is explained in a few lines of the following poem -
When you, with the help of language
Call a river a river,
Do you know…?
It is a flower, too.
It is a sun, too.
It is all of Nature.
When Spinoza was expelled from many lands due to his atheist-like beliefs about God and was not getting lectureship in any college he was offered a help of $500 a year by one of the wealthy men of then. But he did not accept it. At the end of much insistence he said: My yearly expense is $50, and only so much I will accept. The rest of the money you may give others needing it. To earn more than is needed is an offense towards the mankind. After saving as much as one's need one should help others as we all are a part of God. When you help them, God would be happy. Love all as you love God.
Spinoza was born 374 years ago in a Jew family. At the time when all the Jews were expelled from Spain he took birth in Amsterdam, Holland, in a successful merchant's house. He was brought up at the place in Europe full of opposition for Jews. He did not want to run business and earn money. He never digested things as a man condemning another man, or a religion fighting against another religion.
He read many scriptures. At last, he concluded that God is in the form of Nature. God does not have a separate body. As he went on reading Christian, Jew, Hindu and other scriptures, his faith in the religions kept dwindling and finally vanished. He rebelled against the belief of “humans never dying”, then being popularized by some Christian priests. As a result he was excommunicated at the age of 24. It is interesting to know the method and the words the fat-headed Christian priests adopted to set an opposition for him.
Henceforward no one should talk with Spinoza. Or write to him. Or read what has been written by him. No one should offer work to him. No one should stay in the house with him. Everyone should keep a three-feet distance from him. And what ever book he does write should not be read.
Withstanding such contempt the young philosopher went on to live alone, but never joined any religious group. His father relinquished him. He could become a Hebrew scholar and a priest, but did not. His sisters did swindle him over inheritance from his family property. Friends went aloof. His heart grew evermore hard towards those “trading religions”. He said all the monks are thriving on the ignorance of learned wealthy men. They do not know the true element. Or do they know but do not teach the truth to people. Because if they said, “Man, you are yourself a part of God, and thus grow your own potential and you will become one with God”, then the whole bazaar would no more remain. The monks earn billions worth of properties and respect just being the brokers of God and religion.
Spinoza's real name was Baruch, which he had to change, owing to his boycott, to Benedict. A merciful family in Amsterdam gave him the place to live. He started giving tuition to the school children. Then he felt that earning only from teaching religion is a bad business. He said, every scholar should take up some or the other work involving bodily movements. So, being an all-rounder he took upon the work of making spectacle glasses. By this he hardly earned enough to keep going. But still he took tuition fees only if offered. He adopted the sutra: Work keeps one virtuous whereas every learned man who fails to acquire a trade will at last turn out rouge.
After teaching philosophy to children, Spinoza lived some years on the income of spectacle glasses. The lady who had given him the room brought tiffin for him. He ate, but not fully. He kept track of his, though small, income. Gave away to poor children what ever he earned over and above his needs. He wore slovenly, simple cloths.
His simple advice was concerning “self preservation.” He denied accepting the advices of Self Control and Suppression then being given by the priests. He said desire is the essence of being human. What is a man after all? A man is formed out of desires. Gratify the desires. Do enjoy. Pain and grievances will come even if you put control on yourself. But if along with fulfilling your desires you conserve yourself then there is no harm in enjoying. The world is your father's property, use it to the fullest. You have to go to the other side of passion. Instead of condemning the lust, you have to enjoy it, understand its nature, and cross it.
Jews boycotted him. Not only that, he was charged for having rejected God and disrespected the Jesus, and given ten years' imprisonment. During that time he wrote his important book. It was only published after his death. He had many against him, but also, many who respected him. One wealthy man of Amsterdam sent him a gift of $1000, but he did not accept it. One other did leave all his property to Spinoza in his will. Spinoza said to him: I do not need it; your brother needs it more. Even then, that man left $250 a month after his death to be given to Spinoza. Spinoza did not accept that too. After that, the king of Holland, Louis the 14th offered him a life-time pension, on the condition that he submitted his book to the king. He refused.
Do you see a philosopher monk like Spinoza today? When he came to know that he has caught TB due to the particles of the glass he worked with he did not have enough money to get it cured. The University of Heidelberg offered him professorship. He politely said to the chancellor of the university: If I accepted the professorship, you will not allow me to express some of my beliefs. So he did not accept it too. People asked him the reason for such a foolery. He said: I was separated from wealth and respect at the very time I was boycotted; all is for good. Wealth and fame are the only reasons for all the pain of the humankind.
The love towards a thing eternal and infinite alone feeds the mind with a pleasure secure from all pain. The greatest good is the knowledge of the union which the mind has with the whole Nature. – Baruch Spinoza.
This article was originally written by the Gujarati-language writer Kanti Bhatt. Translated into English by Darhan Chande.
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