Harmony of Religions – Befriending and knowing God

A scholarly monk of India spent many years teaching Vedantic wisdom in Central Europe and USA in the 1930-50’s. Some insights that harmonize all religious teaching, practices.

# The sun is shining in the sky of our heart. It does not rise. It does not set.

# Our Mind is our only instrument for Knowing, Seeing, Realizing, Experiencing the idea of God as It is. The problem is that our Mind is limited to our own past experiences and we’ve no past experiences of God. Nor are most of us interested in talking of God! So, for those of us who may be really interested in knowing, the question is, how do we prepare our Mind to know that God, which isn’t yet a part of our mind’s experience. Apparently, the only way for the time being is to listen to those who ‘claim’ to know; believe in them in good faith and then struggle to ‘see’, ‘know’ ourselves.

# All our ideas of God are so hazy and indefinite. What do we actually mean by God or worshipping the Divine ‘in spirit and in truth’? Just some hazy, vague, indefinite feeling, while the worldly people and things attract our whole attention, because they at least are not hazy and indefinite, but awaken some very definite reaction in our mind.

# When the necessary mental purification has been attained by the aspirant, only then symbols, images, temples, rituals, are no longer of any use. Till then, for most of us, worship of some image, physical or mental, is absolutely necessary, if we really wish to grow, and not merely to theorize. The idea of the formless etc., may appeal to our sophisticated intellects, but we cannot worship God ‘in spirit and in truth’ at our present stage of spiritual development. So, if we go and try to do it in spite of our inability, we obstruct our growth and will never be able to advance.

# Selflessness, spirit of service and helping others is the way to prepare our mind. Selflessness purifies the mind, i.e., expands the mind to feel one with more and more; to grow in love, care, concern for all others – not just our neighbors. Why? Because the Lord lives in the temple of the human body. So, selflessness expands our mind to see that infinite God in the image of man. Let us first come to know Him in and round us. We should first ourselves come to ‘know’ the Lord within; and be able to solve our own problems, and then help others.

By our very being we can help others silently, by radiating Truth, without their being aware of it. But without having obtained anything ourselves, it is quite absurd to think or talk about helping others.

We all want to be preachers, instead of undergoing our respective self-development practices, Sadhana, trying to become efficient and pure instruments of the Lord. That is the whole trouble. First try to attain Him, and then let Him do with you what He wishes to do. Give up the idea of preaching, helping others for the time being.

Inner and outer solitude: Holy company is always very helpful in spiritual life; just as worldly company is very harmful. The real solitude is mental. Every day try to have a dip into this eternal inner ocean of bliss and plenitude and freedom. The whole life then becomes worth living. Just as sleep is essential for the health of this body, this inner solitude is necessary for the health of the soul.

Meditation means coming in touch with the Cosmic Power knowingly, consciously, purposefully, and real meditation always replenishes the body and the soul. Disconnect yourselves from your environment. Unless you put up the hedge, you can never grow. The beginner cannot grow without a hedge. There are always hurricanes and cyclones; and there are goats who come and eat the tender plants.

Who are our relations? Very often those we call dear and near ones, are perfect strangers and very harmful to us. They live on one thought-plane, we on another. Live in your own ‘inner house’, independently. Live as a stranger with your so-called near and dear ones.

Devotees and spiritual aspirants are our very own, because this Divine connection with others is more permanent and even more intense than any earthly connection. It is the only connection that counts.

We are all living like guests in a guest-house. You must get rid of the idea of ownership and bring in the idea of trusteeship. You must never raise any emotional claim on others. They are not your property, and you in your essence have nothing whatever to do with any of them. No aversion, no criticism.

Just as butter pervades milk, God pervades everything. Just as churning separates butter from milk, meditation separates the Real from the unreal. Like butter in milk, Pure Consciousness, God, resides in every being. Seeing the Atman in all beings, even intellectually, and all beings in the Atman, one remains on the path to attain the highest Brahman, God; one realizes that any form of ‘hatred’ for others takes us away from God.

Mere belief and theories can never help. Through Righteousness we’ve to strive to prepare our mind to see God all around us. This alone is our duty.

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