Practical Vedanta

Practical Vedantabetween weakness and strength is one of degree; the difference between virtue andvice is one of degree, the difference between heaven and hell is one of degree, thedifference between life and death is one of degree, all differences in this world areof degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything. All is One,which manifests Itself, either as thought, or life, or soul, or body, and thedifference is only in degree. As such, we have no right to look down withcontempt upon those who are not developed exactly in the same degree as we are.Condemn none; if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, foldyour hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way. Dragging downand condemning is not the way to work. Never is work accomplished in that way.We spend our energies in condemning others. Criticism and condemnation is avain way of spending our energies, for in the long run we come to learn that all areseeing the same thing, are more or less approaching the same ideal, and that mostof our differences are merely differences of expression.Take the idea of sin. I was telling you just now the Vedantic idea of it, and theother idea is that man is a sinner. They are practically the same, only the one takesthe positive and the other the negative side. One shows to man his strength and theother his weakness. There may be weakness, says the Vedanta, but never mind, wewant to grow. Disease was found out as soon as man was born. Everyone knowshis disease; it requires no one to tell us what our diseases are. But thinking all thetime that we are diseased will not cure us — medicine is necessary. We may forgetanything outside, we may try to become hypocrites to the external world, but inour heart of hearts we all know our weaknesses. But, says the Vedanta, beingreminded of weakness does not help much; give strength, and strength does notcome by thinking of weakness all the time. The remedy for weakness is notbrooding over weakness, but thinking of strength. Teach men of the strength that isalready within them. Instead of telling them they are sinners, the Vedanta takes theopposite position, and says, "You are pure and perfect, and what you call sin doesnot belong to you." Sins are very low degrees of Self-manifestation; manifest yourSelf in a high degree. That is the one thing to remember; all of us can do that.Never say, "No", never say, "I cannot", for you are infinite. Even time and spaceare as nothing compared with your nature. You can do anything and everything,you are almighty.These are the principles of ethics, but we shall now come down lower and workout the details. We shall see how this Vedanta can be carried into our everydaylife, the city life, the country life, the national life, and the home life of everynation. For, if a religion cannot help man wherever he may be, wherever he stands,it is not of much use; it will remain only a theory for the chosen few. Religion, tohelp mankind, must be ready and able to help him in whatever condition he is, inservitude or in freedom, in the depths of degradation or on the heights of purity;everywhere, equally, it should be able to come to his aid. The principles ofVedanta, or the ideal of religion, or whatever you may call it, will be fulfilled byits capacity for performing this great function.file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Chitra%20Selvar...ooksBySwami/PracticalVedanta/PracticalVedantaPDF.html (6 of 113)2/26/2007 12:24:33 AM