From: 5EQt@dBz.com   
      
   THE TRUE QUEST AND NATURE OF MIND AND SOUL IN RELATION TO   
   SPIRITUALITY   
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
   'The nature of the mind is to become like its object. Superstition   
   of any kind -- social, psychic, or spiritual -- influences the mind   
   to such an extent that the mind, due to its worries, leads a person   
   into difficulty. The mental equilibrium of those believing in   
   superstition is disturbed; and the result is not only do people lose   
   their peace of mind, but they may also be led to perform some action   
   which is detrimental to themselves. This only further strengthens   
   their belief in superstitions: for any ordinary incident is   
   magnified and attributed to some bad omen. It is the characteristic   
   of the mind to become like its object. People who believe in any   
   superstition see ghosts which are purely their own mental creation.   
   If only these persons had the courage and mental strength to catch   
   the ghost, they would very soon realise that their error was   
   believing nothing to be something. Such superstitions have   
   contaminated every field of existence. In the social sphere there is   
   no dearth of superstitions. Witchcraft, the persecution of widows,   
   etc, are curses in society only due to such superstitions.   
      
   In the psychic sphere also there are deep-rooted superstitions like   
   the belief in ghosts, communicating with ghosts, etc. Not only this,   
   but superstitions of funeral ceremonies, etc, have also burdened   
   even the progeny of a person. In the spiritual field, too, ignorant   
   people have been forced to do so many things only because of their   
   deep-rooted superstition of heaven and hell. All of these only   
   disturb people's psychic equilibrium and bring discord and anxiety   
   in society. For the preservation of peace, the fight against   
   superstitions is of prime importance.   
      
   These ideas are not rational and therefore it is erroneous to   
   believe in them.   
      
   The spiritual superstition of heaven and hell and fear of God   
   suppress people and destroy their psychic peace. Not infrequently,   
   fear of such superstitions has had very undesirable reactions on   
   people, totally disturbing their equanimity. Spiritual practices   
   must be based on rationality: a systematic and scientific method of   
   spiritual practices leaves no place  for fear and superstitions.'   
   (SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Ta'ttvika Praveshika', 1957)   
      
   There is no place for dogmas.   
      
   'The people of olden days imagined that there was a certain hell*.   
   It was their conception that if one's son would do the ritual   
   funeral offering then one would be saved from that hell.   
      
   *In the Puranic imagination there is a hell where the god of death,   
   Yamaraj's gate is guarded by sentries.'   
   (VARN'A VIJINA'NA - THE SCIENCE OF LETTERS, DISCOURSE 18, COMPOUND   
   WORDS, 16 October 1983, Calcutta)   
      
   These things are just superstitions and fantasy.   
      
   The notion of heaven and hell is full of relativity.  All that is   
   relative is subject to a process of generation, operation and   
   destruction.  The idea of pleasure in heaven is also relative.   
      
   'After death the mind is incapable of any action due to the lack of   
   its physical base, the brain, and has to be reborn for experiencing   
   reactions of its previous actions. Hence the concept of hell or   
   heaven where human beings are supposed to proceed after death is   
   entirely incorrect. It is believed that one experiences all the   
   pleasures in heaven as a result of one's good deeds and pain in hell   
   for one's evil deeds. But pleasure and pain cannot be experienced by   
   the mind which in the state after death is a non-functional unit,   
   until it acquires a new brain at the time of rebirth. Conception of   
   a world of heaven or hell after death is a greatly-mistaken fantasy.   
   There is no other world where heaven and hell exist. It is in this   
   mortal world only that one has to be reborn to experience the   
   pleasures of heaven and the sufferings of hell.'   
   (WHAT IS MY RELATION WITH THE UNIVERSE AND THE COSMIC ENTITY?,   
   A'NANDA MA'RGA (ELEMENTARY PHILOSOPHY))   
      
   Fundamentally, it must be remembered that God is omniscient and   
   omnipotent and so loves the entire Creation.   
      
   'God - the Supreme Consciousness is omnipotent no doubt, all-   
   powerful no doubt. But He cannot do two things. You may do those   
   things, but the Supreme Consciousness cannot do them. And what are   
   those two things? One thing is, He cannot create a second God --   
   this is one defect. And the second defect is, He cannot hate you. He   
   cannot hate anybody. But you people, you can hate others, so in this   
   respect you are greater and nobler than the Supreme Consciousness!   
   If you so desire you can hate others, but God cannot hate; even if   
   He so desires, He cannot hate others.   
      
   And nobody in heaven or on this earth can control Him. He is the   
   Lord of all, He has no Lord.'   
   (UNIT SPIRIT AND COSMIC SPIRIT, SUBHA'S'ITA SAM'GRAHA PART 21, 21   
   October 1971 DMC, Ernakulam)   
      
   All have the opportunity to attain spiritual liberation or   
   salvation.  This requires surrender to the Supreme.   
      
   'When human beings ask for money they must send some application   
   letters, but when God - the Supreme Consciousness - wants something   
   from you, He will not ask for it, He will demand it. What He will   
   ask you for, you will hesitate to give; for He will ask for nothing   
   less than your whole existence. Those who are prepared to give their   
   all, even though they may be the most ,degraded sinners, become the   
   full responsibility of the Supreme Consciousness, because they have   
   surrendered themselves completely to Him. They have not given away   
   ninety nine cents, keeping one cent for themselves. Hence it is the   
   moral responsibility of the Supreme Consciousness to care for such   
   people. Those who dwell in the "Heaven of Knowledge" may say, "Such   
   a degraded person has committed such a dastardly crime -- his   
   spiritual liberation is impossible, for his past was so black!" The   
   philosophers might busy themselves dabbling in knowledge, but those   
   who have completely surrendered themselves to Him, will certainly be   
   cared for by Him.   
      
   Take the case of flower: it may be defiled with dirt and dust, but   
   if that flower is offered to the water, will the water not accept   
   it? Certainly it will. Likewise the devotees will never be concerned   
   with what a person did in the past. They will think, "I am like a   
   flower offered at His feet which He has graciously accepted."   
      
   The Lord says, "Even if the worst of the sinners worship me   
   exclusively, they will be liberated from all worldly bondages." This   
   total surrender is not attainable as long as there is any vanity of   
   knowledge in a person's mind--it is not possible for such a person   
   to become an A-grade devotee. (Devotees are of several categories).   
   No matter how sinful people may be, they need not worry about   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)