Vivekananda Mailing List - 2/21/03

[Guest guest]

The worshipper, by keeping constantly before him the idea of God and a

surrounding of good, comes to the same point at last and says, " Thy

will be done, " and keeps nothing to himself. That is self-abnegation.

The philosopher, with his knowledge, sees that the seeming self is a

delusion and easily gives it up. It is self-abnegation. So Karma,

Bhakti, and Jnana all meet here; and this is what was meant by all the

great preachers of ancient times, when they taught that God is not the

world. There is one thing which is the world and another which is God;

and this distinction is very true. What they mean by world is

selfishness. Unselfishness is God. One may live on a throne, in a

golden palace, and be perfectly unselfish; and then he is in God.

Another may live in a hut and wear rags, and have nothing in the world;

yet, if he is selfish, he is intensely merged in the world.