A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

288 REALIZATION.arguments. So with the physicists, so with all othersciences, all knowledge must stand on certain perceptionof facts, and upon that we have to build our reasoning.But, curiously enough, the vast majority of mankind tHnk yespecially at the present time, that there is nothing to belearnt from religion, and religion can only be perceivedby vain argument outside. Therefore we read, the mindis not to be disturbed by vain arguments. Religion is aquestion of fact, not of talk. We have to analyse our ownsouls and to find what is there. We have to understand itand to realize what is understood. That is religion. Noamount of talk will make religion. So the question ofwhether there is a God or not can never be proved by vainargument, for the arguments are as much on one side asthe other. But if there is a God,* He is in our own hearts.Have you ever seen Him ? Just as the question as towhether this world exists or not has not been decided yet,the fight between the idealists and the realists is eternal.It is a fact, yet we only know that the world exists, goes on.We only change the meaning of the word. So with all thequestions of life, we must come back to facts. There arecertain facts which are to be perceived, and there arecertain religious facts, as in external science, that have tobe perceived, and upon them religionwill be built. Ofcourse, the extreme claim that you must believe any dogmaof a religion is nonsense, degrading to the human mind.That man who asks you to believe anything degrades himself, and, if you believe, degrades you too. The only rightthat the sages of the world have to tell us anything,is thatthey have analysed their minds and have found these facts,.and if we do the same we will believe, and not before.That is all that is in religion. But you must always takecare of this, that as a matter of fact 99*9 per cent, of these