The Complete Works of Yogy Ramacharaka. William Walker Atkinson
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the vanished civilizations), but it must come. It is mortal—man’s work—and the mortal ever must perish and pass away.
Men look around them, and, becoming conscious of the unreality of all that goes to make up mortal life, begin to ponder over the meaning of it all. They ask “Whence come we—whither go we—what is the object of our existence?” They try to solve the riddle of life by countless theories. They discard the dogmas that are handed down to them, only to create fresh dogmas equally unsatisfying. They travel around like a squirrel in a cage, and exhaust themselves on the wheel—but they stop just where they began. They are like a caged bird, that beats itself to death against the confining bars of its prison. They go around and around the circle of intellectual reasoning, only to find themselves travelling over and over the same ground, and making no real progress. They try to explain things, but succeed merely in giving things new names. They climb the mountain of knowledge, and when they reach the top they look around them and see that they merely have reached the top of a small foot—hill while, far above them, towering higher and higher, rise range after range of the real mountains, the highest peaks of which are hidden among the clouds.
The mistake of the searchers is that they are continually seeking the truth from outside—it is not to be found there, for it is within. It is true that with the inner light every outside thing may be studied to advantage, and bits of truth gathered therefrom. But without this inner light the outer objects will give no real answer, and one may shout aloud to nature and hear only the echo of his own cry. The seekers on the relative plane find only that for which they look. They find that which they expect, for there is more or less truth in the theories favored by them, and accordingly they must find something that will correspond with that bit of truth. But the man looks for the thing exactly opposed to that sought for by these seekers also will find that for which he looks, for he, likewise has a bit of the truth, and must find that which corresponds to it. Each realizing that he has found a bit of the truth, but each making the mistake of supposing it to be all of the truth, disputes the claims of the other, and various schools form. Then the schools quarrel over details, and split into sub-schools, and so it goes, and the inquiring student is perplexed more than ever to know just what is the truth.
Let not our students suppose that we are speaking alone of the western schools of religion and philosophy—the Eastern world is just as bad. In India there are countless sects, schaols and cults. Each started with a bit of the truth, but they have added much nonsense to that sacred thing, until the real truth has been lost sight of by the followers, and superstition and idle theories have taken the place of the calm, clear reasoning of the founders. The Easl and the West stand alike in this respect—but while this is so, there is a small number of men in all parts of the world, who keep alive the lamp of truth—who keep the flame burning by watchful care, and unceasing devotion. These men refuse to allow any theories of their own, or others, to he mixed up with the truth. They say: “Let us speculate if we see fit—let us listen to the speculations of others—but let us not confound it with the bit of Divine Truth that has been handed down to us. Let us mix no alloy with the pure metal.” It is true that India always has been the source and center of great spiritual truths. All great religions have had their real birth in the East. Ance in India today the conditions are more favorable for deep thought and study than is the case in the bustling West. But this does not mean that the masses of the Hindu people are highly developed spiritually. On the contrary, there is no land where the weed of superstition grows more rankly. And the reason of this may be understood, readily, when we consider that the same conditions which are conducive to high metaphysical and spiritual research and study, likewise furnish the best soil in which the weeds of superstition may grow. In the soil of California, fruits and flowers grow in a way unknown to the rest of the United States, but the same soil will grow a rank vegetation of weeds if untended and neglected. In India, if a farmiag settlement be neglected, in a year or so the jungle has again claimed its former home, and rank vegetation nourishes where the field of the farmer formerly stood.
In the East, the false gods of superstition are found in great number, while in the West the new god (equally false) of Material Wealth occupies the place in the temple. Between Mammon and the false gods of India there is a strong family resemblance.
The Gnani Yogi sees truth in all forms of religion, and in all schools of philosophy, but he recognizes that this truth is but a small part of the great truth. He finds no fault with any religion or school of philosophy—he has no argument with them—the only point he raises is "this is not the Whole Truth." He has no special school or creed, for he recognizes as brothers all thinkers and professors of religion, everywhere, of all sbades of opinion. His belief is large enough to take them all in—but he refuses to be bound by the limitations of any of them. The trouble with the conflicting schools and creeds is that they wish to limit God, and to exclude some men. The Gnani Yogi can see no limit to God, and can conceive of no exclusion of any of God’s children or creatures.
In this lesson, we will try to give our students a plain idea of the f«ndamental ideas and teachings of the Gnani Yogis, divested of the conflicting theories of their several schools of followers, each of whom accept the main premise, and then build up certain arguments and conclusions from the same. These fundamental truths are to be found in the esoteric teachings of all religions, among all races, and have been imparted to these religions by the original founders (who obtained them through their Spiritual Minds), through their favored disciples. These teachings become impaired with each generation of followers, until the original truths are almost entirely lost sight of, As an illustration of this fact, read the “Sermon on the Mount,” the teachings of which are understood and venerated by occultists and mystics of all schools and countries. Then see how His followers maintain the outward form while stating boldly and unblushingly that Christ’s teachings are "not practicahle.” Unbelievers may deny the truth of Christ's teachings, but it remains for professing Christians to pronounce them "foolish" and not fitted for the use of mankind. And so it is with the mass of the followers of all religions—they maintain the name and outward form, but accept only such the teachings as fit in with their lives. Instead of making their lives conform to the teachings, they make the teachings conform to their lives. We mention these things, not in the spirit of harsh criticism, but merely as an example of the difference between the esoteric and the exoteric teachings of all religions.
In these fundamental teachings of the Gnani Yogis, there is nothing to conflict with the real teachings the esoteric teachings—of any religion, and one may retain his connection with any form of religion while accepting these fundamental truths. In fact, such knowledge will enable anyone to see the esoteric side of his own religion, and appreciate the beauties thereof, while his fellow worshippers tie themselves to forms and words, And, likewise, those having no special form of religion will find that these teachings accord to them the spiritual comfort that they have not been able to find elsewhere, and that, when the idea is fully grasped, these teachings are found to be in full accord with reason. And the unbeliever, and materialist. may find in these teachings the spirit of the thing to which he has held. He has been talking about “Nature”—let him consider that to the Gnanis the words “God” and “Nature” have the same sense, and the scales will drop from his eyes.
In this lesson, we will state fundamentals only, and shall not attempt to build up any special theories or philosophy. The material furnished should give one to all philosophies, and each student may build up a little philosophy to suit himself, remembering always, that all such theories are to be used merely as working hypotheses, and not as fundamental truth. With this understanding, we will proceed with our work.
In the consideration of one Riddle of the Universe we of necessity must go hack to first principles—to that which underlies everything evident to the senses. average man dismisses this thought with the remark that “God is back of everything, and we cannot understand Gad,” which is very true. But ask him for his conception of God, and you will find that it varies with each individual. Each has his own idea—or lack of idea—but nearly all will tell you that God is a thing or being outside of Nature, who has somehow started things going, and then left them to run themselves in some mysterious manner. The average man considers the answer “God did it” as a sufficient explanation of everything, notwithstanding the fact that such a man’s idea o! “God” is but very little advanced above