The Wholesome Believer

We defined the wholesome scientist as a person that is using all the available tools (regardless of their labels) to expand his or her understanding of Life, so analogously, a wholesome believer is a person that, even though practicing one particular religion, respects all other faiths as vehicles for initiating the relationship with God; and practices a method of scientific meditation in order to establish the communion and oneness with Him.

If we look closer, we will find that we all believe that our God is all-powerful, omnipresent, omniscient and eternal. Because, each religion will claim that such is the Lord, and based on the premise that there could be no two (separate) omnipresent eternal beings, one should conclude that we essentially believe in the same God!

To have two (or more) separate omnipresent eternal beings is an oxymoron (i.e. impossible). They cannot be separate because they would mutually exclude some ‘living’ space out from each other and hence they wouldn’t be omnipresent. And if they are omnipresent and still exist separately they cannot be eternal, because the only possibility for them to coexist as separate and be omnipresent at the same time is to exist at different time intervals (and hence they would be mortal).

Therefore, we should all agree that behind all the names that He collected throughout the history of the mankind – is the one and the only almighty Spirit. Those children of His that became one with Him, and have identified with His being, do not consider themselves separate from Him, so believing in them we still believe in the One who is everything, everyone and everywhere; all of the time. Jesus said “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30), Krishna said “For I am the basis of the Infinite, the Immortal, the Indestructible; and of eternal Dharma and unalloyed Bliss.” (Gita XIV:27)

In his book “The Second Coming Of Christ” (SCC) Paramhansa Yogananda underlines this discussion with the following words: “All prophets who sang truth through their lives, in the different ages, were fountains of the One Divine Source. It was God who spoke through the Vedas and Upanishads, the Bible and the Koran, the Dhammapada, Talmud, and Grantha Sahib. Whenever darkness has ravaged the earth, those that groped in it sent forth muffled cries. The anguish of millions of benighted souls silently passed through the ether of human consciousness. Divine souls, those who have dispelled from within themselves the darkness of delusion and have become transparent channels as sons of God, arise at Divine Command from the womb of time to render help and redeem souls entombed in the sepulcher of ignorance.” (SCC, Discourse 75)

Even science has provided a theory which (if proven valid by the larger scientific community) will confirm the above discussion. The new theory named “The Geometric Concept of Matter” claims that matter is created by the primordial vibration and that the same process also creates the space and time. This means that matter, space and time exist relative to the surrounding ‘outside’, which envelopes the creation. This ‘outside’ is infinite and eternal (or better said, it’s endless in every aspect) because notions of space and time apply only to ‘within’ the creation.

Science also teaches us that every vibration must have the substance which vibrates, so we can conclude that this infinite and eternal ‘outside’ is in essence the Universal Substance that structures everything in the creation. Being the alpha and omega of everything created, it can be said that this Universal Substance is omnipresent in the creation, because there is no particle which is not made of it – so, what is this Universal Substance?

The answer to this question must come from the religion, because science restricted itself to search only within the natural domain (i.e. creation) and it cannot adequately qualify and quantify something which is supernatural, something which is outside of the creation. From religion we know that God is the One that causes the above mentioned primordial vibration to occur and that He is also the Universal Substance out of which everything is created (click here for the more detailed discussion). Hence, by connecting the dots, we should conclude that even science (with this new theory) will claim that there is but one God!

The question now is how do we approach God? This is where religions seems to differ, and it seems that each one will have certain rituals and forms of worship aimed to prepare believers in the particular way so they are able to receive God’s grace, open up to His wisdom and establish the relationship and communion with Him.

God could be likened to a high mountain and various religions could be likened to the different paths that all lead to the same mountaintop. Because these routes start at the different sides of the mountain, the scenery could be very different as one travels on them, but as paths approach the top they become closer and closer and finally unite at the summit. Unless a traveler gets close to the top, he would not be able to see that others also (but on different religious paths) are successfully approaching the same Goal, and so he might think very little of them.

In order to help His children, God had dispatched prophets throughout history to different geographical localities with the task of showing a way to the mountaintop. Obviously, their message had to be understandable, adjusted and suitable for the particular cultural setting they came into, but a methodical eye and dissecting mind should be able to see that the same Truth is shining through their seemingly different messages.

When we look at the ‘western’ religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), it is easy to note that they all point to the same God, due to the fact that they all share the common ancestry and some parts of the scripture. A similar situation is found with the ‘eastern’ religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, as they all originated in India, with the latter two sharing many similarities with the Advaita Vedanta and Yoga schools of the Hindu philosophy. But the question is, can we successfully draw parallels between these two religious streams (i.e. ‘eastern’ and ‘western’)?

Exactly this is the object of Swami Sri Yukteswar’s book “The Holy Science” (HS). In the introduction he wrote “The purpose of this book is to show as clearly as possible that there is an essential unity in all religions; that there is no difference in the truths inculcated by the various faiths; that there is but one method by which the world, both external and internal, has evolved; and that there is but one Goal admitted by all scriptures.”

His disciple, Paramhansa Yogananda wrote the following words in the foreword of the same book; “Prophets of all lands and ages have succeeded in their God-quest. Entering a state of true illumination, nirbikalpa samadhi, these saints have realized the Supreme Reality behind all names and forms. Their wisdom and spiritual counsel have become the scriptures of the world. These, although outwardly differing by reason of the variegated cloaks of words, are all expressions – some open and clear, others hidden and symbolic – of the same basic truths of Spirit… It is owing to Jnanavatar (Incarnation of Wisdom) Swami Sri Yukteswar’s unerring spiritual insight that it now becomes possible, through this book, to establish a fundamental harmony between the difficult biblical book, Revelation, and the Sankhya philosophy of India.”

Paramhansaji himself wrote at length about the similarities between the teachings of Krishna and Jesus in his books “God Talks With Arjuna – The Bhagavad Gita” (BG) and “The Second Coming Of Christ” (SCC). The parallels drawn in these (and other of his works) are helping to bridge the gap between the east and the west and are showing that there is only one God that we all worship; and even though He is formless, there is no form void of His presence.

Because God “is the origin of all knowledge and love, the root of all power and joy” (HS I:2) there is no person on this planet who is not in pursuit of Him! Even the greatest skeptic is running after the knowledge or love or power or joy, not knowing that in doing so, he or she is trying (unconsciously) to reach that lost state of oneness with the ever blissful, omniscient and omnipotent Spirit. Because God created us “in His own image” (Genesis 1:27), He had already made us all that He is: Knowledge, Love, Power, and Joy. The only unanswered question now is how to recollect our own divinity; and each one of us will have to answer it by himself (or herself).

So, the goal of all religions is to point out the importance of climbing onto the mountaintop for the reason of getting into the unshakable relationship with the One who is the source of all goodness and beauty; all wisdom and life. For he who has God for his best friend does not lack in anything – such is the promise to those who are willing to climb up (labor for) their salvation.

Even though the harvest is truly great, the laborers are few (Luke 10:2), and that is because the climbing is not easy. Danger lurks everywhere; wild animals of greed, selfishness and anger will strike at any place and any time those that are unprepared and without guard, regardless of which path they are currently threading upon. “One of the most decisive reasons why men succumb to the lesser pleasure of temptations is because that is their first taste of enjoyment. If they had attained the superior joy of ecstasy (of the union with God) first, they would find all sense pleasures insipid and flat.” (BG IV:39)

It is the nature of the world we live in that things might not always look very clear (if ever!); perhaps we don’t even see the mountaintop we are trying to reach. Hence it is important to obey certain navigational rules (the “do’s” and “don’ts” of a religion). At this stage it is very important to be disciplined. By following the given directions one is able to navigate out of the depressing labyrinth of common life and enter the greener valleys that lie at the foot of the mountain. It is also advisable to travel in a group, because members of a group can help each other out.

As one starts to breathe the fresh air of a happier life, one looks up the mountain and is beginning to think that undertaking the journey was a good decision. Nevertheless, he will find that many of his mates are apparently satisfied with the rejuvenating life in the green valleys and don’t think it necessary to continue to climb any further. They will settle in the area happily drinking the dewdrops of love and joy that gather in the misty mornings of spirituality and religious rites.

But one who is willing to compare the difference between the newfound good life and his previous existence in the lower regions, will naturally conclude that much more of the same goodness (and even better stuff) awaits him on the higher slopes of the mountain. “His heart then becomes propelled to learn the real nature of the universe and, struggling to clear his doubts, seeks for evidence to determine what is truth… (He) affectionately keeps company with those who destroy troubles, clear doubts, and afford peace to him, and hence avoids whatever produces the contrary result; he also studies scientifically the scriptures of divine personages.”(HS III:25,26)

It is said that when a person desires God a little, God sends him books and teachers, but when a person wants Him badly, He sends him a guru. “Christ said, ‘No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.’ (John 6:44) When a devotee’s prayers touch the Supreme Being, He sends him a guru through whose agency He draws the seeker to Himself. It is God who speaks through the guru’s voice and guides the devotee through his spiritual perceptions.” (BG IV:34)

A true guru is an experienced mountaineer; one who has made it all the way to the top and knows all the traps and dangers on all of the mountain trails. Having such a guide and friend, man can continue to climb up with the confidence that his every step is watched and that the effective help is just a ’shout’ away. “Through sympathy and deep vision, a true guru sees the Lord suffering in the physically, mentally, and spiritually poor; and that is why he feels it his joyous duty to assist them. He tries to feed the hungry God in the destitute, to stir the sleeping God in the ignorant, to love the unconscious God in the enemy, and to waken the half-asleep God in the yearning devotee. And by a gentle touch of love, he instantaneously arouses the almost fully awakened God in the advanced seeker. A guru is, among all men, the best of givers. His generosity, like that of the Lord Himself, knows no boundaries.” (BG XVII:20)

Under the guidance of a guru man continues to perfect himself in virtue by practicing Yama (morality or self control; religious “shall-not’s”) and Niyama (religious rules; “shall-do’s”) which gradually removes the eight meannesses of the heart, which are: hatred, shame, fear, grief, condemnation, race prejudice, pride of pedigree and smugness. As these are removed from the heart, magnanimity comes in “and this makes man fit for the practice of Asana (remaining in steady and pleasant posture), Pranayama (control over prana, involuntary nerve electricities), and Pratyahara (changing the direction of the voluntary nerve currents inward). These practices enable man to satisfy his heart by enjoying the objects of the senses as intended for Garhasthyasrama (domestic) life.” (HS III:12-18)

Thus man’s relationship with God develops. As man is becoming more and more united with the Lord, his heart is becoming more and more loving. He is starting to see how this relationship is beneficial to everything he does and to everybody around him. He is more and more devoted to the path and is starting to believe that nothing else is more important than to continue his climb up towards the top of the mountain. Firmly established in this upward direction, guided by his guru, he is able to avoid major setbacks and obstacles. But if he trips and falls he quickly picks himself up and moves on, because he knows that a child of God cannot be defeated unless it affirms: ‘I give up!’

As said before, this climbing is not easy; God does test His devotees. Everybody can say ‘I love you’, but do they really mean it all of the time; under all of the circumstances? Because once God gives Himself openly and unconditionally to His child (i.e. they become one), He will never retract that gift; they will remain together in oneness for the eternity.

Hence, He wants to make sure that we know how to properly handle that Gift; that we are worthy of its power and responsibility. “There is a Bengali song; ‘O devotee, I can give thee salvation, but not My love and devotion; for when I give those away, I give Myself away. Ask of Me salvation, but not My love and devotion; for indeed, when I give those away, I became poor, walking on your heart’s wave’. That’s it; that’s when God gives, He becomes poor – when God gives His love. And that love He has given us; that is the only thing that is ours to give or to deny.” (Paramhansa Yogananda speaks; CD entitled “Awake in the Cosmic Dream”, published by SRF)

“For God has everything, but He hasn’t our love. He created us with one expectation; for chance we would use our free choice to love Him in preference to His gifts. That’s why Jesus said ‘bread the men of the world seek after’, gifts of God the shortsighted people of the world seek after. But he who art wise, he who loves God, ‘love the Giver of all gifts, and all things will be added unto you.’” (Luke 12:31). (Paramhansa Yogananda speaks; CD entitled “Beholding the One in All”, published by SRF)

So, how do we show our love to God? Where is He, so that we can embrace and love Him? Well, He is everywhere and every living being, hence to love Him means to love Him omnipresently, beyond the narrow scope of selfish love for oneself, family, friends and one’s compatriots. “Expansion of love beyond the confines of self-centeredness begins with family – the role of parents provides the initial instinctive introduction to reaching outside of oneself. One who can then love his neighbors – human beings, birds, animals, flowers, every living thing existing in the neighborhood of the Self, his soul – as expressions of God feels the Divine Presence in them all. To love these expressions of the One Life as one loves the Self is to know the presence of the Infinite Self, the Spirit, as all-pervasive.” (SCC, Discourse 63)

To learn to love ‘big’ is man’s ultimate goal and to reach that state should be the preoccupation of one’s life. But to perform that task relying solely on the religious injunctions is like paying off the mortgage – much of the effort goes on paying off the interest; the little is dispensed on removing the actual principal. “Though scriptural commandments are the irreducible beginning point of a lastingly happy life, outward moral and religious observances in themselves afford man only a very slow means of elevating human consciousness to divine consciousness. That is why yoga, the complete science of purifying the inner consciousness for God-awareness, specifies the further practices of asana (bodily discipline), pranayama (control of life energy), and pratyahara (interiorization) for achieving actual contact of God in the meditative states of dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.“ (SCC, Discourse 63)

Hence, to expand his love into infinity much quicker, one needs a method that allows him to make bigger and more frequent downpayments. Such method is yoga ( means ‘union with God’), and yoga meditation is a technique (or better said a set of them) tailored for the quickest possible attainment of the oneness with the Lord.

As Paramhansa Yogananda writes in his “Autobiography of a Yogi” (chapter 26) “even the yoga-beginner soon inwardly hears the wondrous sound of Aum. Receiving this blissful spiritual encouragement, the devotee becomes assured that he is in actual touch with divine realms…The yogic science is based on an empirical consideration of all forms of concentration and meditation exercises. Yoga enables the devotee to switch off or on, at will, life current from the five sense telephones of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Attaining this power of sense-disconnection, the yogi finds it simple to unite his mind at will with divine realms or with the world of matter.”

The speed of yogi’s climb onto the mountain depends on his success in switching off the distractions of the senses (as said above) that are pulling him down, his own efforts to push in the opposite direction (i.e. upwards) and his guru’s efforts to pull him towards the top. While he continues his quest for God in his meditations he “progresses in godliness, hears the holy Aum sound, and becomes a Siddha, divine personage.” (HS IV:8) As he is experiencing the reality of the inner world in his deep meditations, yogi grows in faith. This faith provides the positive feedback loop to his efforts and strengthens his devotion and resolve to go all the way (up the mountain) until the Goal is reached.

“Being made in God’s image, man too has that omnipotent will and self-confidence hidden within his soul, empowering him to create or accomplish anything he can imagine. When one dislodges from his soul the octopus grip of human habits and hereditary beliefs, replacing impossibility consciousness with the realized power of faith, one gains over the natural order a supernatural sovereignty. It is by deeper and deeper meditation that one can unite his intuitive imaging power with the almighty conviction of God and realize the relation of intuition and matter. All manifestations of cosmic vibration are controlled and guided by God’s ideated intuitions. When by God-communion the convictions of advanced souls are attuned with God’s conviction of His own omnipresent omnipotence, that faith creates vibrations so potent that if so willed it can literally uproot a mountain and cast it into the sea. (Mark 11:22-24)” (SCC, Discourse 46)

And when man reaches the mountaintop he understands that the “entirety of vibratory creation is an externalization of Spirit. Omnipresent Spirit secrets Itself in vibratory matter, just as oil is hidden in the olive. When the olive is squeezed, tiny drops of oil appear on its surface; so Spirit, as individual souls, by a process of evolution gradually emerges from matter. Spirit expresses Itself as beauty and magnetic and chemical power in minerals and gems; as beauty and life in plants; as beauty, life, power, motion, and consciousness in animals; as comprehension and expanding power in man; and again returns to Omnipresence in the superman.” (SCC, Discourse 7)

Nito

Dwapara 308 ( A.D. 2008 )

Tags: God, religion, yoga, Life

Share this article: :: :: :: :: ::