Picture: Beloved Swami Ramdas
The great Teachers of the world have given us the same truths. Buddha taught us to purify ourselves and have compassion for all creatures. Jesus Christ asked us to love all beings as we love ourselves. Krishna taught us to see the Divine in each and everyone in the world. Mohammed taught us to submit to the will of God and be His instruments. If we but follow the teachings of these great Masters, we have no reason to quarrel among ourselves on any account.
— Swami Ramdas
There are those who like to point out the faults of religion as proof that there is no God. But it is an interesting thought experiment to think of this world without religion, no great religious leaders down through time who called struggling mankind to a higher life. Would this world really be better off?
For any honest appraisal you would have to know that the world is vastly improved for having Rama, Krishna, Loa Tzu, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus and Mohamad to name a few. The fact we can find examples of hypocrites and abusers of faith has to be held in balance with the billions of souls who have striven for a better life because of their faith and spiritual practice.
All religious impulse ultimately leads to the singular goal of Self-realization. To see all mankind in a march toward realization gives new meaning to world events. Through the struggle of sorting through the violence, ignorance, and darkness of collective consciousness, individual souls are inspired to rise above the tumultuous noise of this world to at last find transcendent Truth.
Realizing this Truth will alone free the soul from the thralldom of Maya, universal ignorance. This world is rough play. However, when souls love one another, serve one another, seek the Light within and in one another, this world consciousness is lifted higher, changed for the better and this holds the promise of transforming this world into a peaceful garden; where the lion will lie down with the lamb.
Therefore you should not be discouraged or doubt when faced with the oppositional force you see in the world, and sometimes right within your own self. Rather, you should use these painful events as reminders that you are called to a higher life and heed the call of those great God-men and God-women who have gone before you.
To realize this great Goal of mankind you must submit to the will of God and be His instrument, see the Divine in all creation and its creatures, and feel love and compassion for all. These practices purify your mind and will lead you to the blissful universal vision in which faith and practice is supplanted by actual realized experience. You then know the Truth, and that Truth sets you free.
Health Update: I continue to grow stronger each day. I have greater endurance and am in need of less rest. On Wednesday I had an MRI of the brain and there was no sign of cancer. The surgeon called me his “star,” and noted my recovery was very, very good—thanks to your many prayers and the miraculous power of the body to heal.
I am currently off all medication. I am taking food grade dietary supplements of vitamins and minerals, and I have started a pro-biotic and pre-biotic regimen to reconstitute the intestinal health after the antibiotics (that destroys good bacteria as well as the bad) and surgical assaults on the body.
I will see the oncologist on Monday and find out what he recommends for the immunotherapy. There is the chance there are cancerous cells left in the stomach after the tumors have been removed. Since my immune system was more than capable of eliminating the melanoma on the skin—even without my notice—now it is a matter of alerting the immune system to fighting in the stomach as well. Thank you again for all your loving prayers, my rapid recovery is a clear demonstration of the power of prayer.