Freedom of the soul

[Guest guest]

Existence, and the soul is one with Knowledge. The Sat-Chit-Ananda--

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute--is the nature, the birthright of

the Soul, and all the manifestations that we see are Its expressions,

dimly or brightly manifesting Itself. Even death is but a

manifestation of that Real Existence. Birth and death, life and

decay, degeneration and regeneration--are all manifestations of that

Oneness. So, knowledge, however it manifests itself, either as

ignorance or as learning, is but the manifestation of that same Chit,

the essence of knowledge; the difference is only in degree, and not

in kind. The difference in knowledge between the lowest worm that

crawls under out feet and the highest genius that the world may

produce is only of degree, and not of kind. The Vedantin thinker

boldly says that the enjoyments in this life, even the most degraded

joys, are but manifestations of that One Divine Bliss, the Essence of

the Soul.

 

This idea seems to be the most prominent in Vedanta, and, as I have

said, it appears to me that every religion holds it. I have yet to

know the religion which does not. It is the one universal idea

working through all religions. Take the Bible for instance. You find

there the allegorical statement that the first man Adam was pure, and

that his purity was obliterated by his evil deeds afterwards. It is

clear from this allegory that they thought that the nature of the

primitive man was perfect. The impurities that we see, the weaknesses

that we feel, are but superimpositions on that nature, and the

subsequent history of the Christian religion shows that they also

believe in the possibility, nay, the certainty of regaining that old

state. This is the whole history of the Bible, Old and New Testaments

together. So with the Mohammedans: they also believed in Adam and the

purity of Adam and through Mohammed the way was opened to regain that

lost state. So with the Buddhists: they believe in the state called

Nirvana which is beyond this relative world.

 

- Swami Vivekananda

 

.... to be continued