Today, Man hopes to dispel darkness by the sword, the gun and the bomb, while what is wanted is just a lamp.
How can darkness be swept away by darkness, hatred by hatred, ignorance by deeper and vaster ignorance?
The very lust for victory promotes darkness.
Leave all thoughts of conquest aside; strive to know the Truth and when that is known, false notions fondly held by you will fall off of their own accord.
See clearly the lovely image that is hidden in the rock.
Release it from that stony prison; remove all the extra stone that is encrusting the idol – that is the task for you.
Do not worry about illusion; concentrate on divinity; you are certain to succeed.
A tree on the banks of a canal will not go dry; it will have a crown of green, for its roots are fed by the underground water.
Similarly, be a tree with the roots in perpetual contact with the flowing waters of the Grace of the Lord and you need not worry about drought.
The dull-witted person runs about madly in pursuit of ‘peace of mind’, trying this prescription for some time and preferring another afterwards.
They are on the wrong path; the path of catering to the senses, the path beset by name, form, and preference; the path to the temporary and the apparent.
But the seeker after divinity gets that peace quite easily.
In fact, the real nature of man is equanimity – steadiness, unshakable resolution, peace.
Nature is a great store where all things which help you to grasp the truth are found.
That truth is first cognised as the veil of Brahman; all this is imbued with Brahman, directed by Brahman, composed of Brahman.
Then the seeker rises to a greater awareness, the awareness of all this is Brahman, only it appears as something else for a time to the unopened eyes.
The lesson is learnt by a person when they study Nature, analysing it and trying to understand it.
It is at the mother’s lap that the child learns the art of living; so also, it is Nature that teaches a person how to succeed in the hard struggle and win that highest peace.
“Break the laws of Nature and she boxes you in the ear; obey her commands and listen to Her warnings and She will pass on to you your heritage of Immortality.” (Prasanthi Nilayam: 6-3 62)
– Message of Hope is compiled by the Interfaith Network of the City of Greater Dandenong. Details on its activities, tours and volunteering opportunities, email executive@interfaithnetwork.org.au
