Answwered Prayers

[Guest guest]

Seek the Company of Those Who Strengthen Your Faith

 

Thoughts about God, success, healing, and so on lie in your brain in the form of

tabloid tendencies. You should experience them. In order to experience your

thoughts you must use will power to materialise them, and in order to develop

the necessary strength of will, you associate with those who have great will

power. If you want healing by God's power, seek the company of those who

strengthen your faith and your will.

 

I traveled throughout India trying to find someone who knew God. Such souls are

rare. All the teachers I met told me about their beliefs. But in spiritual

matters I was determined never to be satisfied with words about God. I wanted to

experience Him. What I am told has no meaning for me unless I experience it.

 

Once I was talking with a friend of mine, a broker, about the saints of India.

He did not share my enthusiasm. " All those so-called saints are fakes, " he said.

" They do not know God. "

 

I did not argue; I changed the subject, and we started to talk about the

brokerage business. When he had told me quite a great deal about it, I said

smoothly, " Do you know there is not a single reliable broker in Calcutta? They

re all dishonest. "

 

" What do you know about brokers? " he retorted angrily.

 

" Exactly, " I replied. " What do you know about saints? " He could not answer. " Do

not dispute what you do not know about, " I went on good-naturedly. " I know

nothing about the brokerage business, and you do not know anything about

saints. "

 

The practice of religion has come to a point where very few try to make their

spiritual thoughts a matter of experience. I speak to you only about my

experiences; I do not care to lecture on what I know only intellectually. Most

persons become self-satisfied about what they have read of Truth, without ever

having experienced it. In India we do not seek spiritual guidance from someone

just because he has a theological degree, nor do we seek out those who have only

studied the scriptures, without experiencing their truths. Spiritual victrolas

who merely mouth truth do not impress us. We are taught to recognise the

difference between a man's sermon and his life; he must demonstrate that he has

experienced what he has learned.

 

Contd...