Guest guest Posted January 2, 2002 Report Share Posted January 2, 2002 Parts 1 to 84 were posted earlier. This is part 85. Your comments are welcome... Vivekananda Centre London Earlier postings can be seen at http://www.vivekananda.btinternet.co.uk/veda.htm SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON THE VEDAS AND UPANISHADS By Sister Gayatriprana part 85 4) We Must Give Up Self-Deception and Face the Whole of God The old idea of the fatherhood of God is connected with the sweet notion of God presiding over happiness. We want to deny facts. Evil is non-existent, zero. The I is evil. And the I exists only too much. Am I a zero? Every day I try to find myself so and fail. All these are attempts to fly evil. But we have to face it. Face the whole! Am I under contract to offer partial love to God only in happiness and good, not in misery and evil? The lamp of the light by which one forges a name and another writes a check for a thousand dollars for famine, shines on both, knows no difference. Light knows no evil; you and I make evil. This idea must have a new name. It is called Mother, because in a literal sense it began long ago with a feminine writer elevated to a goddess. (47) Why is evil? Why is [the world] a filthy, dirty hole? We have made it. Nobody is to blame. We put our hands in the fire. The Lord bless us, [people get] just what they deserve. Only, God is merciful. If we pray to God, God helps us, He or She gives Him or Herself to us. That is the idea of [the ancient Indian philosophers]. (48) If one says that the Lord is causing everything to be done, and willfully persists in wrongdoing, it only brings ruin on him or her. That is the origin of self-deception. Don't you feel an elation after you have done a good deed? You then give yourself the credit of doing something good - you can't help it, it is very human. But how absurd to take the credit of doing the good act on oneself and lay the blame for the evil act on the Lord! It is a most dangerous idea - the effect of ill-digested Gita and Vedanta. Never hold that view. (49) Cross reference to: Rig Veda, 10.125 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.