Advanced Course in Yogi
Philosophy and
Oriental Occultism
By Yogi Ramacharaka
Lesson VII Bhakti Yoga
As we have stated in previous lessons, the
Yogi Philosophy is divided into several branches or
forms, each specially adapted to the requirements of
certain classes of students. And yet, each path
leads to the same end - unfoldment, development, and
growth. The man who wishes to grow by force of will,
or by the steady pressure of the mind upon the
sheaths enfolding the Higher Self, will he attracted
to Raja Yoga. Another who wishes to knowing-
by studying the Riddle of the Universe, and by an
intellectual comprehension of the principles
underlying Life, naturally is attracted toward Gnani
Yoga. A third whose "religious nature is largely
developed, prefers to grow into an understanding and
union with the Absolute, by the power of Love - by
the inspiration that comes from the love of some
conception of God, and some form of worship that may
accompany that conception of Deity. Such an one is a
follower of Bhakti Yoga.
Of course one may be an ardent Raja Yogi, or
a learned Gnani Yogi, and at the same time be filled
with such a reverence and love of the Absolute that
he is an advanced Bhakti Yogi. In fact, we fail to
see how one may avoid being a Bhakti Yogi, if he
studies any branch of Yoga. To know God is to love
Him, and the more we know of Him, the more we must
love Him. And, likewise, to know ourselves is to
love God, for we perceive our relationship with Him.
And the more we develop ourselves, the more we find
ourselves filled with a love of the Absolute.
Bhakti Yoga supplies the craving of the human
heart for the love for, and of the Absolute, which
craving manifests itself in what we call the
"religious instinct" - the instinct of worship. All
men have this instinct, manifested in various forms.
Even those who style themselves "free-thinkers,"
"agnostics, as well as those who deny the existence
of God at all, and who accept the intellectual
conceptions of the materialists, feel this
instinctive urge, and manifest it in the love of
"Nature," or Art, or Music, little dreaming that in
so doing they are still loving and practically
worshipping some of the manifestations of the God
they deny.
But when we say that Bhakti Yoga is the
science of the Love of God, we do not mean science
which separates those who love and worship some
certain other conceptions of Deity. On the contrary,
the true Bhakti Yogi recognizes that the love and
worship of any conception of Deity is a form of
Bhakti Yoga. To the Bhakti Yogi all men are
worshipers of the Absolute--the Center of
Life--Spirit--God. Notwithstanding the crude and
barbarous conception of Deity the ignorant savage
may have, the Bhakti Yogi sees that that man is
worshiping and loving the highest conception of
Deity possible to him in his underdeveloped state,
and that he is doing the best he can. And
consequently he sees in the savage a brother Bhakti
Yogi, in the elementary stages of knowledge. And he
feels a sympathy with and an understanding of that
savage mind, and his love goes out toward that
humble brother (doing the best he knows how) and
instead of denouncing as a heathen and an
unbeliever, he calls him "brother, and understands
him. You may see, readily, that there are no closely
drawn lines among the Bhakti Yogis - no feeling of
sectarianism - for they feel that the whole race may
be included in their body, and they are already to
extend the right hand of fellowship to all. '
The Absolute is unchangeable - the same as
yesterday, but the conception of the race makes
evolutionary progress. A man's God is always just a
little in advance of the man--some have said that a
man's God is the man at his best, and in so saying
they have expressed the idea cleverly. The God of
the Old Testament is a different being from the God
of the New Testament. And the God of the Christian
Church of today, is far different from the the God
of the Church of fifty years ago. And yet, God is
the same - no change - the difference comes from the
growth and development of the minds of men and women
composing the Church. As Man advances he sees higher
attributes in God, and as he always loves and
worships the best in his conception of his Deity, he
transfers his from the lower idea of yesterday to
the higher idea of today. And tomorrow, still higher
ideas will be grasped, and the God of tomorrow will
be a still higher conception of Deity than the God
of today. And yet, God has not changed, and will not
change the slightest, but Man has and will change
his conception of Him. The ignorant savage believes
in a God that seems to us like a Devil - but it is a
God something like himself - only a little bit
better. And he carves some hideous image to
represent that God, and he falls down and worships
it - perhaps offers sacrifices to it - perhaps
sprinkles human blood upon its altar, imagining
that, like himself, God loves to see the blood of
his enemies. The savage's enemies are always his
God's enemies - and this idea follows man for a long
time, as we may see by looking around us a little in
our own countries today. After a while the savage,
or rather his descendants, increase in knowledge and
understanding, and they cast down the God of their
fathers, and erect one more in keeping with the
higher conception of Deity that has come with
knowledge and unfoldment. The improvement may be but
slight, but still it is a move in the right
direction and the new God is just a little bit
better - just a little bit kinder - just a little
bit more loving - than the one that went before.
And, so on, step by step the race rises to higher
and greater conceptions of God - each step marking a
throwing down of old ideals and a building up of new
and better ones. And yet God remains the same -
although higher conceptions of Him come into the
minds of Man.
The less developed races cannot form the
concept of One God - they can see Him only
as many Gods, each portraying and exhibiting some
particular attribute of the One - some phase of Life
- some form of human feeling, passion, or thought.
They have their gods of war - of peace - of love -
of agriculture - of trade - and what not, And they
worship and try to propitiate these various gods,
not realizing that underneath it all they are
obeying the religious instinct that will in time
lead the race to a worship of the One - the
Absolute. They clothe their gods with human
attributes (even after they have evolved from the
worship of many gods into the worship of some one
particular conception). They imagine that God
divided men to two classes, friends and enemies, and
rewards His friends and punishes His enemies. They
make their God do just what they would do if they
had the power to reward and punish. They imagine
that they are the chosen people and special
favorites of God and that He goes with them to
battle and will help them to triumph over their
enemies. They imagine that God delights in blood,
and that he commands them to put their enemies to
the sword, even to the extent of killing the women
and little children, yea, even to the ripping open
of pregnant women and the putting their unborn babes
to the sword. Their God is a bloody and savage God -
because they are bloody and savage themselves. And
Absolute - God - is unchanged, and these people are
worshipping and loving him the best they know how,
calling him this name and that name, according to
race and time. And the enemies of these people are
likewise worshipping their own conception of God,
calling Him by some name of their own, and imagining
that He is helping them to fight their enemies and
their false God. And yet these two Gods are both
products of the minds of the two warring tribes,
both being created in obedience to the unfolding
"religious instinct."
We may shudder at these tales and thoughts,
but are we so very much in advance of this idea of
the savage? In modern wars we find the two peoples
praying to their God for success over their enemies,
each imagining that God is on their side. In the
great war between Japan and Russia each
nation is praying to its particular conception of
God, beseeching that He march with them to battle
against His enemies. They do not realize that they
are both worshiping the same God, under different
names, and that this real God loves them both
equally well. In the late Civil War in the United
States, each side prayed for victory and believed
that God must be with them. Churches were rent in
twain by the war, and there was thought to be a God
of the North and a God of the South - the one hating
slavery and wishing to kill those who favored it -
the other believing slavery to be a Divine Right and
privilege, and wishing to defeat those who would
abolish it. And yet, each side was merely seeing God
through their own spectacles, and seeing him as
themselves. somewhat magnified, And now both sides
again agree upon certain conceptions of God, and see
slavery as something that had its rise, progress,
and fall, in the evolutionary progress of Man. And
yet, God has not changed - but Man's conception of
Him has.
Men have persecuted others because they had a
different conception of God from the persecutors.
And the persecuted, in turn, when they gained power,
persecuted weaker men who held to a third conception
of the same God. And each thought he was doing his
God's will by persecuting, and the persecuted
thought they were being persecuted in their God's
cause. The Puritans were driven out of their native
land because of their peculiar conception of Deity,
and when they found themselves in a new land, they
proceeded to punish the peaceful Quaker Friend whose
conception of Deity offended them. And each thought
he was pleasing God by punishing those who did not
agree with him in his conception of Him. How
childish it all seems to those who have attained the
broader view, and are able to see all men as
children of God, each doing the best he can, and
worshiping the highest conception of Deity possible
to them. And yet none are to be blamed for this
narrowness and blindness - they, too, are doing the
best they can. And all are worshiping God - the one
God - the true God - the only God possible - the
Absolute. And all are doing this because of the urge
of the religious instinct pressing forward for
unfoldment and growth. All these people are
followers of Bhakti Yogi [sic] (in its elementary
forms) although they know it not. They think they
are worshiping different conceptions of Deity -
different Gods - but they are not - they are all
loving and worshiping the One - the Absolute - the
Reality. Seen through different spectacles of the
mind, the Absolute presents different and often
grotesque forms to the viewers, but all the while
the Reality remains unchanged - The One - The
Eternal One - The Absolute.
And however crude and barbaric be the forms
of worship, it all ascends to the One. Whether the
visible objects be stick, stone, image, tree, snake,
or some other form of man's desire for an outward
form for his inward belief, the real thing worshiped
is the
One-unchangeable-eternal-omnipotent-omniscient-omnipresent.
And the man who worships his highest concept of
Deity does well. He does the best he knows how, and
it is as worthy of respect as his more enlightened
brother who also worships his highest conception of
Deity. And the conceptions of both the savage and
the advanced man, will grow higher and better, year
by year, and the mind of each unfolds so as to allow
the spiritual knowledge to flow into it. Let us lead
our humbler brethren to better things, if we may and
if they are capable of receiving instruction. But
let us consider them not, for they are our brothers
- children of God - all on the Path, and also are
we. We are but children in various stages of growth
- each doing that which his age impels him to do -
each having the understanding that belongs to his
age - each doing the best he knows how. Let us not
sneer, nor condemn, nor hate - but let our love flow
out toward all our brothers, though they may be but
infants unborn in spiritual knowledge. This is
Bhakti Yoga in one of its phases.
Bhakti Yoga is divided into two great
branches or stages. The first is known as Gnani
Bhakti, and the second, and higher, is called
Para Bhakti, The first, Gnani Bhakti, is the
preliminary stage, and consists of the science of
the love and worship of God by means of the mental
conception of God as a personal being - a "personal
God. The second, or higher stage, Para Bhakti,
consists of the worship and love of an impersonal
God - the Absolute. Of course the same God is loved
and worshiped in both cases, but the mental
development of the follower of Gnani Bhakti does not
admit of his forming a mental concept of an
impersonal God, and he, doing the best he can, forms
a mental image of a personal God. There are many
sub-stages to both of these main stages, the
conception of God depending upon the mental and
spiritual development of the man. We will go over
the question briefly in order that the student may
distinguish the great difference between the two
great stages of Bhakti Yoga, and at the same time
may recognize that both ideas are of the same stock,
the difference being a matter of mental and
spiritual growth.
Primitive man feeling the urge of the
religious instinct, but being unable to think
clearly on the subject, vents his instinctive
worship upon crude symbols. He worships sticks and
stones - thunder and lightning - the sun, moon and
stars - the winds - and other natural objects. A
little later on the race begins to feel that God is
some sort of person - some great big man, living
somewhere in space - unseen but seeing. The mind of
the savage conceives the idea of a God possessing
the same characteristics as himself - only much
bigger and stronger, The savage being cruel and
bloodthirsty can imagine only a cruel and
bloodthirsty God. If he is a black man his God
likewise is black. If he is a Mongolian, his God has
slanting eyes, and perhaps wears a queue. If he is
an Indian, his God is red, with painted face and
feathers, and carries a bow and arrows. If he is an
uneducated Hindu, his God may ride a bull or an
elephant, and be nearly naked. And so on, the God of
every people bearing the characteristics of that
people. Each nation, feeling the religious instinct,
creates a conception of a personal God - and each
conception of a personal God resembles those who
create him. Each of these created Gods loves and
hates the persons and things loved or hated by his
creators. Each of these Gods is an ardent patriot of
the country to which he belongs, and hates and
despises all other countries and peoples.
These created Gods often are given grotesque
forms and shapes. Some have a dozen arms - some have
several heads. They are armed with the weapons of
the times to which they belong. Some hunt and chase
- others indulge in warfare. They are supposed to
grow angry, jealous, and to manifest hate, envy, and
often change their minds. They are revengeful and,
in short, are given all the attributes of a man of
low development. And why not? The people who form
these mental concepts cannot imagine a God very much
in advance of them. These Gods generally demand
flattery and sacrifices,'and have a large following
of priests and attendants to sing their praises, and
to render homage. The priests are supported by the
people, under supposed Divine orders, and claim to
have the ear of the Deity, and to dispense favors.
They all seem to think it a part of their duty, to
chant the praises of their Deity and to boast about
his power, and claim that he can overcome the Gods
of other peoples. These Gods seem to like to have
men grovel in the dust before them, and loudly
proclaim their slavery - following the desires and
examples of the kings and chiefs of the time. They
can be flattered and bribed into giving favors, and
if the sacrifices and offerings are not sufficient,
they visit some terrible affliction upon the people,
in order to make them pay their tithes or to furnish
a sufficient number of objects for sacrifice. These
Gods delight in the smell of burning flesh, and the
aroma of the burnt ox or sheep is a delight to them.
They also favor incense and perfumes. Once in a
while they demand that blood - human blood, often -
be sprinkled upon their altars. They give
revelations through their high priests, and woe unto
him who doubts them. Many of the priests are sincere
and honest, but many more are not, and use the
superstitious people as a milch cow, to support them
in comfort. Heavens and hells have been invented -
the first to bribe the people to follow the laws of
the church of priests, and the second to frighten
them if the bribe failed. Temples are erected, and
certain places are supposed to be "holier than
others, and especially favored by God.
Non-attendance at the temple is a serious offense,
and God is particular to punish the stay-at-homes.
Devils have been invented, as a means of frightening
people, and to account for "evil, although, in some
of the creeds, the devils are not much worse than is
the conception of Deity.
Nearly all people have made images of their
Gods, and the less learned of the people, could see
but little difference between the image and the
personal God somewhere afar off. The image was right
before them, and partook of reality, while the Deity
itself was a poorly understood being.
We are not mentioning these things in the
spirit of unkindly criticism, or of ridicule. Not a
particle of such feelings animate us in this
writing. We merely mention the facts in order to
show the student the rough places traveled over by
Man in his search for God. No matter how crude the
conception of Deity - no matter how cruel and
barbarous the form of worship - no matter how buried
in superstition are these forms of religion - each
is a step in the progress of man to Union with God,
and must be recognized as such. Man has discarded
sheath after sheath of religious ignorance, each
sheath revealing a better form than itself. And this
process is still going on, and will go on. We are
growing out of old forms into better ones. This is a
part of the evolutionary process.
The materialist points out these same facts,
and argues that all religions are false because the
history of the past shows the falsity of the old
conceptions of age after age. Rut he does not see
that his own conceptions of matter and Nature are
likewise steps in the evolutionary process, and that
his present position is merely a step on the ladder,
just as were the forms and conceptions at which he
sneers. He like the savage and his successors, is
seeking God, but he does not realize it.
The student of religions will notice that
Man's conception of God is growing greater, broader,
grander and kinder each year. Even in our own times
is this so. The last twenty years has wrought a
mighty change in this respect. We no longer hear of
God burning infants a span long in eternal flames.
We hear very little of hell, in these days. We hear
more and more of the Loving God, and less and less
of the God of Hate and Anger. The people are being
taught to love God instead of to fear Him. The
change is going on rapidly. And better things are
ahead of us. But we must not forget that each form
of religious teaching - each creed - each church -
no matter how crude may seem their teachings and
forms - fills a needed place in the religious
evolution of the race. Each suits the requirements
of those following them, and each should be
respected, accordingly. When the pews outgrow
certain forms and conceptions, the pulpits drop the
objectionable teachings and modify and alter matters
so as to fall into line. The preachers, as a rule,
see quite a way ahead of their flocks, but know that
the time is not yet ripe for the change. The change
comes gradually. The teachings of the churches today
- even the most orthodox - would seem like heresy
and even blasphemy to our forefathers. Outgrown
creeds fall aside, and new ones take their place,
and yet the church organizations remain under the
same old names. It is like the story of the boy who
had a knife which had been repeatedly repaired. It
had had four new handles and six new blades, and yet
it was still the same old knife. Many of us, when we
outgrow certain old conceptions, display an
impatience and even contempt for those remaining in
the fold from which we have strayed. This is all
wrong. Those who remain are just where they belong -
it is the best place for them for the time being.
When they outgrow their creed, they will drop it
from them like a worn-out garment. Intolerance on
our part would be just as absurd as the intolerance
shown by these people. The true student of Bhakti
Yoga will feel the keenest sympathy and the greatest
tolerance for all who are seeking God, no matter by
what road they are journeying, or what may be the
methods of their search. The undeveloped men try to
prove their love of God, by starting in to hate all
men who differ from them in their conception of
Deity. They seem to feel that such non-belief, or
difference of belief, is a direct affront to God,
and that they as loyal servants of God must resent
same. They seem to think that God needs their help
against His "enemies. This is a most childlike
attitude, and is entirely unworthy of those who are
reaching the age of spiritual maturity. The
developed man,, on the contrary, recognizes the
relationship of all lovers of God - regardless of
their conceptions - and sees them as fellow
travelers on the same road. The way to love God is
to Love Him instead of hating some fellow
man.
The worship of a personal God, whether such
worship be of a God of the savage, or the personal
God of the educated man, is all a form of Gnani
Bhakti. It is only when man drops off the "personal
idea of God that he passes into the stage of Para
Bhakti, and has an understanding of God in His
higher sense. that God is devoid of personality - He
goes beyond personality, not contrary to
it. The Absolute may be loved as one loves a father
or mother - as one loves a child - as one loves a
friend - as one loves a lover. He includes in His
being all the attributes calling for such forms of
love, and responds to each demand. In fact no demand
for a return of love is necessary between Man and
God. Just as man steps out into the sunshine and
opens himself to its rays, so does the man who loves
God step out in the rays of the Divine Love and
receive its benefit. The very act of loving God
opens up one to the Divine Love. If one feels the
need of the protecting love of the Father, all he
need do is to open himself to such love. If one
needs the tender and sympathetic love of a mother,
such love comes to him if he but opens himself to
its inflow. If one would love God as one does a
child, such love is open to him in the same way, and
many who have felt the need of such a bestowal of
love, but who have feared the apparent sacrilege of
thinking of God as one does of a loved child, may
find that such a giving of love will ease many a
heartache and pain, and will bring to them the
comforting response that comes from the answering
pressure of the loved child. The Western religions
take no account of this last form of love, but the
religious Oriental knows it, and it is no uncommon
thing to hear a Hindu woman (using the poetical
language of her race) speaking of herself as a
"Mother of God.˜ Startling as this may seem to the
Western mind, it is but a recognition on the part of
these women of the fact that God supplies every need
of the human heart in its desire for Love. And one
may love God as a friend and brother and companion.
And one may feel toward God the burning love of a
lover. All these forms of love of God are known to
the Bhakti Yogi, Our Western conceptions of God have
allowed us only to feel for Him the love of a child
for a Father - while every human heart, at times,
feels the need of a Mother-love from God. God is not
a male being - nor is he a female. Both of these
forms are but partial manifestations of Him, and he
includes all forms within Himself - and many unknown
to us today.
The Bhakti Yogi knows that by this constant
love of God he will grow nearer to Him, and will in
the end come to a consciousness and "knowing of the
true relationship between them. The lover of God who
has not advanced beyond the Gnani Bhakti stage,
knows nothing of the wealth of love and nearness
experienced by the end in the Para Bhakti stage. The
one may be compared to the little child who is fond
of its playmate, and thinks he knows what love is -
the other is like the same child, grown to maturity,
who feels the sweep of deep, pure and noble love for
his true mate. The one touches God at but one point,
at the best, while the other finds that God responds
to every human need, and may be touched at a
thousand points - He is always there, just as is the
sun, and all that one needs is to step out into the
sunshine. Nothing is asked by the sun, but the
stepping out, and nothing is asked by God but the
same thing - the need of Him.
The Western student must not suppose that
this Bhakti Yoga love of God is akin to the
hysterical, emotional thing he sees in his own
countries among the followers of certain sects of
church-people. On the contrary the followers of this
form of Yoga are generally men of dignified bearing,
and deep knowledge. They do not roll around shouting
"Glory, glory, and working themselves up into a
frenzy of emotional excitement. Instead, they go
through life - doing their work, and living their
lives - but filled with a deep and abiding sense of
the love of God, coming from their consciousness of
their relationship to, and nearness to Him, and from
the consciousness of His accessibility. They realize
that in Him, indeed, do they live and move and have
their being, and that He is not a being afar off,
but is right here, all the time, nearer than one's
very body. They are not "goody-goody people, but men
and women who see God everywhere, in everything, and
who feel that they are worshiping Him in every act.
They seek diligently the Kingdom of Heaven, but they
realize that the Kingdom of Heaven is within
themselves, and also all around them. They feel in
Heaven every moment of their lives. They worship
God, all the time, everywhere; in every act - they
know that every act is a service to Him, and that
every place is His Temple. They feel constantly
filled with the Power of God - constantly within his
sight and knowledge - constantly in His Presence.
And they fear not - Love fills them so completely
that there is no room for anything else. Love casts
out all Fear, for them. Every day is Sunday to such
people - every hill, plain, field, and house is the
Temple. To them every man is His priest - every
woman His priestess - every child an attendant at
His altar. They are able to pierce the disguise of
man, woman and child, and to see the soul underneath
the often hideous fleshly covering.
The Bhakti Yogi does not feel that God
demands Man's love, or that He holds favors
and benefits as a reward for those who love Him, or
reserves punishments and penalties for those who do
not manifest such love. On the contrary, his idea of
God would cause him to regard such an idea as
unworthy of a true lover of God. He knows that God
is above such primitive feelings and
characteristics. He knows that the love of God
extends to all of his children, without regard to
whether or not they love Him or worship Him. They
know that God does not demand services or duty;
worship, or even reverence. They compare God to the
sun which is no respecter of persons or motives, and
which shines on the just and unjust alike - his rays
being open even to those who deny his existence. But
the Bhakti Yogi also knows that there is a
reward and benefit awaiting those who open
themselves to God's love - not as an act depending
upon God's favor, but as an effect resulting from
the act of Man. Just as the man who steps out into
the warm rays of the sun is relieved of cold, and is
thus rewarded for his act, so is the man rewarded
who steps out in the sunshine of God's love which is
there awaiting his coming, and is thus relieved of
the cold resulting from a failure to take advantage
of the warmth of such love. It is not to be wondered
that throughout many Oriental writings the Sun is
used as a symbol of the Absolute. We find this
symbol used in nearly all sacred writings, even in
the Bible, which, of course, is of Oriental origin.
Some of these ideas about God may seem
strange to the Western student, but if he will take
the trouble to look into the matter he will find
that this idea runs along through the Christian
teachings like a golden thread upon which the beads
of the teaching is strung. Christ's teachings are
full of this truth, which, however, has been lost
sight of during the centuries. early Christians saw
these truths plainly, as may be seen by a reading of
the works of some of the early fathers of the
church, but the theologians have built much rubbish
around the early teachings so that unless one looks
under the surface the central truths are not seen.
The Bhakti Yogi prays to God. In the
elementary stages of Gnani Bhakti he may word his
prayers so that they seem to be asking God for
favors - this, later, is discarded. The man of crude
spiritual discernment may come to God as a beggar,
asking for this thing and that (usually material
benefit). A little later on, Man sees that this is
not the way to approach God, and he asks to be given
strength and courage and to be helped in spiritual
unfoldment. In this stage the man thinks that God
rewards the prayer by bestowing strength and courage
and the rest, just as a king may bestow gifts to
those asking for them. But the Yogi who follows the
road of Para-Bhakti does not expect rewards of this
kind, and yet he obtains the richest rewards. He
knows that prayer does not help God, nor does God
delight in being besought and praised in prayer. And
yet prayer is of the greatest benefit to Man, for,
by means of it, he brings himself in tune with the
Infinite, and opens himself to the strength,
courage, and wisdom that comes from the nearness to
God - the nearness to the Centre of Power and
Wisdom. This is the secret of prayer. The man who
prays earnestly - from the heart - brings himself
into a closer touch with the Absolute. No word may
be uttered, but the mental condition of prayer
brings man into a form of union with God, and allows
the strength and wisdom of the Infinite to flow
freely to him. And yet the most of us prefer to use
words, and find them a great help in producing the
proper condition of mind. But the words are merely
helps to that end. God does not need to be spoken to
in words - when the finite mind calls to the
Infinite Mind its message is heard and understood.
Prayer to be efficacious must not be mere
lip-service - mere parrot-like repetition of words,
for such performances do not tend to open up the
mind to the inflow of the Divine Strength and
Wisdom. One must have a heart-to-heart talk with
God. Not that God needs to be told what we want - He
knows far better than we do - but by a heartfelt
confession and talk we open up our mind properly -
we uncover the empty vessels needing filling, and
the Divine pours into the void. The Divine Power and
Wisdom is ours, if we but open ourselves to it. That
is all there is to it. It is as free as the air and
sunshine, but we must remove the barriers that we
have erected. We have imagined God to be afar off
from us, and we must cultivate the consciousness
that he is right Here - Now. Talk to God as you
would to your Father, or Mother, or loved Child, or
Friend, or Husband or Wife, or Lover. He is all this
and more, and whatever form represents to you the
closest relationship, that is the form to use.
Realize the sense of the nearness of God, and He
will be near. Fine words are not necessary - use the
same words that you would in addressing the person
dearest to you and who loves you the best. God does
not sit as a king on his throne, expecting you to
prostrate yourself at his feet and stammer out your
message. He bids you seat yourself beside Him, and
He places His arm around you - makes you feel at
home - and you forget your fear and bashfulness and
tell him your story in your own words.
Do not imagine that God needs your advice or
suggestions. You must have the confidence in Him,
and know that He will abide with you, and guide your
steps. Your mind will be filled with the knowledge
that will enable you to know how to act - you will
then be given the strength to act. If the mind does
not seem able to grasp the situation - if no way
opens out before you - open yourself to the inflow
of the Divine, and you will be led by the Spirit to
see the first step to be taken - then take that
first step in confidence, This is not mere "churchy
talk, such as has been poured into your ears from
every pulpit as a matter of form. It is a great
reality, and thousands live in this way. You
gradually will gain courage and confidence in
leading this life, and will begin to realize what a
great field has been opened to your view.
The main idea in considering one's relation
to God, is the fact that God is the great Centre of
Life. He is the centre, and we are like atoms in the
rays emanating from that centre. We are not apart
from Him, although we are not the centre itself. We
are connected with Him, as the rays are connected
with the sun. The power and wisdom flowing out along
the rays are ours, if we but elect to use them, and
allow them to The little wheel in the centre of the
symbol used by the publishers of these lessons
(found on the front of the cover of all their books)
- the little wheel within the triangle - represents
this truth. The symbol is imperfect, for it shows
that the rays terminate, while the rays of the
Absolute never terminate - they are infinite. But
infinity cannot he represented by finite symbols,
and so a circle must be drawn around the rays, which
circle represents the finite understanding of Man.
If you will but fix this idea of God and His
emanations in your mind, you will find yourself
gradually growing into a better realization of the
matter. The Centre is pure Spirit - God - and as we
unfold spiritually we draw nearer and nearer to that
centre. Those in whom the Spirit has not manifested
so freely as in us are farther removed from the
centre than are we. And those who are further
advanced spiritually are still nearer it than are
we. The further from the centre, the more material
is the atom. The nearer the centre, the more
spiritual does it become. There are far off from
this planet, atoms of a still greater degree of
materiality than we can dream of. And closer in to
the centre are beings so far advanced beyond Man in
the spiritual scale as to be impossible of
comprehension to his intellect. Man, as we know him,
is only midway between the two extremes of conscious
life. There are intelligent beings as far above us
in the scale as we are above the jelly-fish. And yet
even the jelly-fish, and still lower forms, are
within the circle of the Divine Love. Then why
should we fear - why should we lose courage? We
cannot die - we cannot be wiped out of existence -
we are parts of a mighty Whole, ever advancing
toward the centre - ever unfolding and growing. The
why and wherefore of it all is wrapped within the
Central Intelligence, although as Man advances
spiritually he begins to grasp fragments of the
truth. As he advances toward the Centre he grows in
Power and Wisdom - both Divine attributes. All Power
and Wisdom emanate from the Centre, and the nearer
we approach the Centre the more powerful are the
rays that beat upon us. The Divine Attributes -
Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence - are
partaken of by us in an increasing ratio as we
approach the Centre. This is a hint of a mighty
truth - are you prepared to receive it?
Do not for a moment imagine that the lover of
God need assume an unnatural mode of life in order
to please Deity. Let him lead a perfectly natural
life, entering into all the occupations, recreations
and pleasures that he may see fit. Be free to
choose, and neither force yourself into things, nor
away from them. Do not imagine that a stern, serious
expression is more pleasing to God than a smiling,
cheerful face. Just be natural - that's all. The man
or woman who feels the love of God flowing through
him, is apt to be of a happy, cheerful disposition -
radiating sunshine everyone need not be afraid to
laugh, and sing, and if he feels like it, for these
things are all good if we use them and do not let
them use us. Let us love the sun, the rain, the
heat, the cold. Let us delight in the plain, the
mountain, the sunrise, the sunset. Let us enjoy to
the full the things of Nature. The closer we get to
God, the closer do we enjoy the things of Nature.
Let us lead the natural, simple life. Let us make
the best of everything, and turn everything to good
account. Let us be sunny - let us be sweet. Let the
keynote of our life be "Joy, joy, joy!
Edward Carpenter, in one at his poems, voices
this sense of joy that comes to him who feels the
great love of God surging through him, and who
recognizes the nature of this God, and who feels his
relationship to He says:
"I arise out of the dewy night sad shake
my wings. Tears and lamentations are no more.
Life and death lie stretched before me. I
breathe the sweet aether blowing of the breath
of God. "Deep as the universe is my life - and I
know it) nothing can dislodge the knowledge of
it; nothing ran destroy, nothing can harm me.
'Joy, joy arises - I arise. The sun darts
overpowering piercing rays of joy through me,
the night radiates it from me. I take wings
through the night and pass through all the
wildernesses of the worlds, and the old dark
holds of tears and death - and return with
laughter, laughter, laughter. Sailing through
the starlit spaces on outspread wings, we two -
O laughter! laughter I laughed!
The true lover of God is an optimist. He
looks for - and finds - the bright side of things.
He is able to extract sunshine from the darkest
corner. He walks through life with a smile, a
cheerful song, an abiding faith in the Absolute. He
loves all of Life, and carries a message of hope,
and courage, and a helpful suggestion to all. He is
broad and tolerant - merciful and forgiving - devoid
of hate, envy, and malice - free from fear and
worry. He minds his own business, grants all the
same privilege. He is full of Love, and radiates it
to all the world. He goes through life in his own
sunny way, joyfully meeting things that drive others
to despair and misery - he passes over the stony
road unharmed. His peace comes from within - and all
who meet him feel his presence. He does not seek
after friends or love - these things come to him as
his right, for he attracts them. He is as much at
home in the tenement of the laborer as in the palace
of the wealthy - both places seem as home to him,
and their occupants on a level. Brother to both
saint and sinner is he, and he loves them both - for
he feels that each is doing his best. He looks for
good in the sinner, rather than sin in the saint. He
knows that he himself is not without sin, so he
casts not the stone. The outcast recognizes in him a
brother - the woman who has passed through the fiery
furnace trusts him and is not afraid, for she knows
that he understands. He, being near the sun, knows
that it shines on saint and sinner - he feels that
when God withholds his sunbeams from his most
disobedient child, then may mean withhold his love
from his most degraded sister or brother. He does
not condemn - he does not attempt to usurp God's
prerogative. He works and works well. He finds joy
in his work. He likes to create things - and he is
proud of that desire for he feels that it is an
inheritance from his father. He does not hurry, nor
is he rushed. He has plenty of time - all the time
there is - for eternity lasts a long time, and he is
in it He has an abiding faith in the Absolute. He
believes in Infinite Justice and Ultimate Good. He
knows that the Father is near him, for he has felt
the pressure of the Unseen Hand, In the darkness of
the night he has felt his Father's presence - by the
glare of the flash of illumination he has seen His
form for a moment, and that memory is burned into
his mind. He is simple, loving, kind. He is a
prophecy of the future. If you would be like him -
if you feel the call - do not resist, but answer
cheerfully, "I hear; I obey; I come. When you feel
the impulse, do not resist - open yourself to the
Sun - receive its rays - and all will be well. Be
not afraid - have within you the love that casteth
out fear - place your hand in that of the Absolute,
and say: "Lead Thou me on. After long ages of
wandering, you are coming home.
Perhaps you think that you do love God - do
know how to love Him. Listen to this Hindu fable,
and then see if you do. The fable runs thusly:
Once upon a time a chela (student) came to a
Yogi guru (teacher) and asked to be taught the
higher stages of Para-Bhakti. He said that he did
not need the preliminary stages, as he already knew
how to love God. The Yogi merely smiled at the
youth. He came again and again, making the same
demand, and receiving the same answer. At last he
became very impatient, and insisted upon an
explanation of the Yogi conduct.
Then the Yogi took the youth to a great
river, and leading him out into it, he plunged him
beneath the water, and firmly held him there. The
young man fought and struggled, but could not raise
his head above the surface. At last the Yogi raised
him out of the water, and asked him: 'Son, what
did'st thou desire most when under the water? "A
breath of air, replied the youth, gaspingly. "Yea,
verily, said the Yogi, "when thou desirest God as
much as thou didst desire the breath of air, then
wilt thou be ready for the higher stage of Bhakti -
then indeed wilt thou love God.
Peace be to thee!
