The Absolute and Manifestation

[Guest guest]

I would say one thing more in connection with this philosophy. In the

old Upanishads we find sublime poetry; their authors were poets.

Plato says, inspiration comes to people through poetry, and it seems

as if these ancient Rishis, seers of Truth, were raised above

humanity to show these truths through poetry. They never preached,

nor philosophised, nor wrote. Music came out of their hearts. In

Buddha we had the great, universal heart and universal patience,

making religion practical and bringing it to everyone's door. In

Shankaracharya we saw tremendous intellectual power, throwing the

scorching light of reason upon everything. We want today that bright

sun of intellectuality joined with the heart of Buddha, the wonderful

infinite heart of love and mercy. This union will give us the highest

philosophy. Science and religion will meet and shake hands. Poetry

and philosophy will become friends. This will be the religion of the

future, and if we can work it out, we may be sure that it will be for

all times and peoples. This is the one way that will prove acceptable

to modern science, for it has almost come to it. When the scientific

teacher asserts that all things are the manifestation of one force,

does it not remind you of the God of whom you hear in the

Upanishads: " As the one fire entering into the universe expresses

Itself in various forms, even so that One Soul is expressing Itself

in every soul and yet is infinitely more besides? " Do you not see

whither science is tending? The Hindu nation proceeded through the

study of the mind, through metaphysics and logic. The European

nations start from external nature, and now they too are coming to

the same results. We find that searching through the mind we at last

come to that Oneness, that Universal One, the Internal Soul of

everything, the Essence and Reality of everything, the Ever-Free, the

Ever-blissful, the Ever-Existing. Through material science we come to

the same Oneness. Science today is telling us that all things are but

the manifestation of one energy which is the sum total of everything

whichexists, and the trend of humanity is towards freedom and not

towards bondage. Why should men be moral? Because through morality is

the path towards freedom, and immorality leads to bondage.

 

Another peculiarity of the Advaita system is that from its very start

it is non-destructive. This is another glory, the boldness to

preach, " Do not disturb the faith of any, even of those who through

ignorance have attached themselves to lower forms of worship. " That

is what it says, do not disturb, but help everyone to get higher and

higher; include all humanity. This philosophy preaches a God who is a

sum total. If you seek a universal religion which can apply to

everyone, that religion must not be composed of only the parts, but

it must always be their sum total and include all degrees of

religious development.

 

- Swami Vivekananda

 

.... to be continued