Reality and Religion: Meditations on God, Man and Nature

1. REPENTANCE is necessary for salvation, but repentance alone cannot save sinners unless their sins are also forgiven by the grace of God. If I hurl a stone at a man and he dies and I repent, such repentance may prevent me from repeating the folly in the future, but the harm that has been done cannot be undone and the life of the man cannot be brought back. God alone can forgive me and give an opportunity to the dead man to make up in the next life the loss sustained by him by his sudden death. In this way, both the murderer and the murdered may be saved. 2. It is God alone who can punish or forgive rightly, because He alone understands the inner needs and conditions of man and knows what will be the outcome of his forgiveness or punishment. If man punishes, the purpose of punishment is not often attained, because he does not know the inner need and conditions of the wrongdoer. In some cases punishment will do harm, instead of good; whereas forgiveness has an almost magical effect in changing them. In the case of others, forgiveness may mean more opportunities for wrongdoing; punishment is necessary to reform such men. God alone knows the real nature of men and, according to their needs, saves them from the causes as well as the consequences of sin.

3. To obtain real and permanent joy is the aim of the soul. Any attempt to attain this aim by wrong means, such as sin, is destructive of the very capacity of the soul to enjoy happiness; and neglect and disuse of the capacity to enjoy results in its destruction. For God, who in His love has created in us these powers, capacities or senses for enjoyment, desires that in fellowship with Him we might enjoy eternal happiness. This is salvation,

4. Pride is sin, because the proud man thinks of himself as being more than what he really is. By doing so, he loses the grace of God and, falling into sin, destroys his soul. Falsehood is sin, because it is spoken against the Truth. Gradually, the influence of constant falsehood on a liar is such that he begins to tell lies to himself. He ceases to trust in his own inner and outer senses, always doubting their truth. At last he begins to doubt even the love and grace of God and loses his spiritual life and God’s richest blessings. Covetousness is sin because the covetous man seeks satisfaction in created things by forsaking the Creator. Adultery is sin, because the adulterer breaks family ties and destroys purity and life. Theft is sin, because the thief snatches away from others their earnings. He seeks joy in the loss of others. Therefore it is necessary that from these and all other sins we should repent and obtain salvation so that God’s will might be done in our lives on earth as it is done in heaven among saints and angels.

5. Scientists and philosophers who believe in evolution speak of the survival of the fittest by natural selection. There is, however, another greater fact, proved by the changed lives of millions, that in divine selection there is the survival of the unfit (z.e. sinners). Drunkards, adulterers, murderers, robbers, have been lifted up from depths of sin and misery and have received a new life of peace and joy. This is the salvation which is obtained through Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. i. 15).

1. Iris possible that children may inherit the diseases of parents. But if the parents lose hands, feet or eyes, then the children are not necessarily born lame, crippled or blind. So with original sin. Not all the qualities, good or bad, of the parents are inherited by the children; much of the children’s character is the result of their own conscious acts. If they inherited all the qualities of their parents, then they could not be held responsible for their acts. Ability and character are inherited only in a small measure; their growth or maturity depends to a great extent on their own efforts.

2. If some object comes before light, it casts a shadow or produces darkness. The eclipse of the moon is caused by the earth coming between the sun and the moon. When the shadow of another object falls upon us, we are not responsible for it, since it is not we, but the external object, that has cast the shadow. As we are within the range of that shadow, we are affected by it, but we are not responsible for it. But we are responsible for the evil thoughts which rise from our hearts like clouds and float in the sky, causing darkness.

3. Sins and their consequences, though dangerous, are not external. Except God and those on whom He bestows eternity, nothing else is external. If another being were to exist by himself apart from God, he must also possess the infinite attributes which God has. That is impossible, because there is only One Absolute.

God’s existence is the guarantee of an ideal order that shall be permanently preserved. Anything opposed to His nature (z.e. evil) cannot exist in His presence for ever. ‘Therefore the whole creation which is groaning and in travail because of its subjection to evil and vanity shall be delivered for ever from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Rom. vill. 20-22).

1. Accorp1NG to the Vedanta, God (Brahma) alone is real; everything else is an illusion. The human soul is the same as God, though on account of man’s ignorance, it appears to be separate. If this be true, then it would mean that God also is subject to illusion. In that case, He cannot be God. God is really free from all illusion and knows everything. Vedantists also maintain that in deep contemplation (samadhi), the devotee gets rid of illusion (maya) by means of knowledge. ‘The question arises: If everything is illusion, how do we know that the devotee absorbed in samadhi and his knowledge derived from that state are not illusion?

2. If we admit the truth of the Vedanta, then we shall be obliged to admit that God also—man being identical with God—is in evolution, and that by means of illusion and changes of matter He wants to attain perfection. If maya does not do this for God, Vedantists must tell us what the first cause of maya is; as a result of what actions we are entangled in maya; and the purpose and ultimate good of maya. Asa matter of fact, God is iz everything and everything is zz God. But God is not everything and everything is not God. ‘Those who confound the Creator with His creation are sunk in ignorance.

1. A Honey bee goes to a flower to gather honey. While engaged in this delightful task, it is sometimes stung by a spider. This sting makes it numb, and the bee falls an easy prey to the spider. Likewise, Satan may attack us not only in evil places, but also while we are engaged in doing good, useful and pleasant work. If we are not prayerful, there is a danger of our being attacked and overwhelmed by Satan.

2. On account of sin, the conscience becomes numb and the will is made weak and powerless. In such a condition, a man, seeing death and danger ahead, is unable to escape them—so helpless is he—even though he has a strong desire to do so. Once in the depth of winter, a bird of prey sat on a corpse that was floating on towards the Niagara Falls and was busy feasting on it. When the bird came near the Falls, he wanted to leave the corpse and escape. But his claws were so frozen that he could not fly away, but fell into the roaring waters and died a miserable death.

3. To be safe from all attacks and dangers from the enemy, we must, by living in fellowship with the Lord, become like Him. In snowy countries, Nature clothes animals and birds in white so that they are of one colour with the surrounding environment and are thus secure from attacks. Where the environment is different, the animals are clothed in a different way. The chameleon and the bay flat-fish can change their colour in a moment and, assuming the same colour as that of the surrounding environment, escape from their enemies. Blind fish, however, cannot do so as they cannot see the colour around. In the same way, it is most important to have spiritual vision so that by constantly gazing on Christ and following Him, we may become like Him, live in Him in safety for ever, protected from all attacks of the enemy.

1. Man’s deadly enemies are not only big animals like tigers, wolves and_ snakes. Small germs which can only be seen through the microscope and which get into us through our food, water or air are often still more dangerous and cause fatal diseases. Just so, not only are great sins fatal to the soul, but hidden, evil thoughts, which are the germs of sins great and small, are even more destructive. We must try to remove these germs from the very outset from our minds so that we and others may be free from their fatal consequences.

2. In our body there are germs of health (phagocytes) as well as germs of disease

(bacteria). If under any circumstances the germs of disease increase and overwhelm the germs of health, man falls ill and, if he is not treated properly, he dies. But if the germs of health are stronger, they resist and kill the germs of disease, and the man enjoys perfect health. Likewise our good thoughts overwhelm our evil thoughts and help us to enjoy sound health, free from the ravages of sin. ‘This victory cannot be attained without the help of the Holy Spirit, who is the Source of all goodness, joy and perfect life.

3. Evil thoughts so overcome some men that they seem to lose all hope, and in great despair commit suicide. But instead of killing themselves, they ought rather, with the help of God, to kill those thoughts which kill their hopes and their capacity for victory. Instead of using poison or deadly weapons to put an end to our lives, we must use spiritual implements like prayer to destroy evil, root and all. Then we do not kill ourselves but save ourselves, and in so doing help also others to save themselves.

4. Selfishness also is in a way suicide, for God has given us certain capacities and qualities so that we might use them for the benefit of others. In helping others we find a new joy and also help ourselves. This is a law of our inner being. If we do not help others, then we lose this joy. By not loving our neighbours as ourselves, we disobey God. Such disobedience deprives us of the joy which is the very food of our souls. By such starvation, we kill ourselves. A selfish man thinks that he is working for his gain, but unconsciously he is doing great harm to himself. If every one could only make up his or her mind to abandon selfishness, then all the quarrels and struggles in the world would cease and earth would become heaven. All sins arise from selfishness. That is why our Lord commanded us to deny self and to follow Him (Luke ix. 23).

5. If we constantly criticise and blame others, we do great harm both to them and ourselves. But if we abandon self-praise and criticise ourselves, that will reform us and make us sympathetic and loving towards others. In this way, both others and we shall be benefited. And we shall inherit the promised land, which is the kingdom of real love.

1. A PHILOSOPHER travelled around the world to find a place of perfect calm and rest. He found instead sin and sorrow, suffering and death everywhere. By the knowledge and experience so gained thus, he arrived at the conclusion that this world is not meant to be our permanent and real home; but that that real home, for which we have such deep longing in our soul, is elsewhere. There the soul will find perfect rest.

2. Once a bird was caught near the Gulf of Mexico and sent off to a place eight hundred and fifty miles away. It was put in a close cage and did not know the way along which it was taken. But when it grew up, it returned without any guidance or help to the very same spot from which it had been taken away. Instinct did it. Just so, the man whose conscience is alive by the grace of God leaves this transitory world and, with the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit, reaches heaven, the eternal home for which he has been created.

3. A naturalist took the eggs of a nightingale to a cold country, and hoped that when hatched the birds would regard that country as their home and remain there. But they came out, and, after the summer, they flew away to their native home and never came back. Similarly, though born in this world, we are not for this world. As soon as the time comes for us to leave the body, we shall move away into our eternal home.

4. At the time of death the soul does not die, nor does it go away to some far-off place. But through death it begins a new life, entering a new state. Asa child coming out from a mother’s womb begins new life by entering into a new state, but the world or place he lives in continues to be the same, so the spirit after coming out of the body enters into a far better spiritual state, although the world in which it lives continues to be the same. The child in the mother’s womb and the spirit in the body remain in ignorance of their future condition, as that is hidden from their eyes. The child after coming out of the womb is unable to see the womb from which it came, and the soul after leaving the body, except under certain conditions, is unable to see the physical world from which it came, as it lives always in the spiritual world, and the physical world is but coarse matter enfolded in the spiritual. As by cutting the umbilical cord the child is severed from the mother’s womb, so the spirit is severed from the body by cutting off the silver cord (Eccles. xii. 6). The mother’s womb for the child, and the body for the soul, are places of preparation for the future. From the body the spirit passes into God’s presence, where it attains its real destiny and perfection.