I. D. Soni
(a) There are times when it seems that all hope is gone, when the cupboard is bare, when the logical mind sets out before us a future of such bleakness that only torment and pain can be our companions. There are times when the fears take over, chronic and unrelenting worry sets in and the body aches with futility, lifelessness, lethargy and sadness.
Beneath these human experiences, when we feel as if we are wandering and are feeling lost and deserted, there is wonder-land of care, of peace, of possibility, of knowingness, of clarity and of direction. Beyond the loss there is freedom and beyond the gloom there is laughter.
Inside each and every human being is a point of contact with everything that exists, a spark of life that can never be distinguished and a brightness of value which guarantees the worth and wonder of each and every individual.
It is in those moments we need to call out, to listen, to remind ourselves that all is well, to reach in deeper than ever before, give to others, take small steps and keep moving. We need to hold steady when the wrestling worrying mind seems to be racing around in perpetual cycles.
Faith is ours whenever we need it, but it is locked away beyond the crust of fears and we have to draw it out little by little. Every now and then we will gain a glimpse of what ‘Faith’ really means. At that moment we are deeply touched because we know that each of us has access to it, we sense the enormity of it and we can but speculate on what it would be like to have it as a conscious part of us each moment at all times.
If we want to find faith, if we really want to be in touch with our real spirit and if we really want to discover true peace then we need to patiently and consistently still the mind that seeks to control, and go beyond the personality will and its desire for recognition, power, popularity and protection.
The most important thing to remember is that we are never alone. Whatever our eyes tell us, we are never unheard even when we are alone and we are always encouraged and spoken to even if we seem to hear nothing. This is the result of our deep faith.
In its issue no 134 (1992), the Journal, Faith and Reason, published from Manchester College, Oxford (England), brought out an article titled, The Relationship between Faith and Reason; by Dr. Paul Badham. His paper in this issue had been presented at a conference of the institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Science in Mascow in November 1991.
Professor Badham’s paper can indeed be called thought provoking, and as such, is worth reading, but he has made certain points with which one cannot agree. He states that philosophical certainty should not be confused with religious certitude. He writes: “As a philosopher of religion, I feel compelled to acknowledge that faith could never be placed on the same level of certainty as scientific knowledge. On the contrary, Indian philosophers feel that faith and belief can be placed on the same level of certainty as scientific theory. Although a building is composed of many parts, what really holds up the whole structure is its pillars. If they are strong, the whole structure will be sound. Therefore, faith, humility, fortitude, compassion, courage, conviction, character, recognition of the rights of others and unity are the pillars on which rests the entire edifice of all religions.
Faith in God as one’s Lord is like making a convenient to place Him at the central point in one’s life, so that He may become the pivot of one’s thoughts and emotions. Faith in God helps us to lead the life of truthfulness, purity, simplicity, humility, selfless service, and conquest of desires, having God as the sole goal. In the midst of all activities and duties dutifully done, ever keep in mind the great goal and remember God constantly with love and faith, seeing His presence in all things, doing all things in the spirit of worship comes to us through ‘Faith’.
(b) THE ESSENCE OF FAITH:-
Faith in God in like the Electric current which illuminates the whole environment and sets all machines to motion. When a man finds the link of faith to connect him to God, he experiences just such an illumination from within sudden and all-embracing. His latent spirit is then awakened and his heart is warmed by his new-found faith. A new kind of fire is kindled within him. Man, born of the womb of his mother, has his second birth from the womb of faith. He now experiences what is meant by union with God. He who is inspired by his faith in God, he sees the glories of God in heaven’s blue vaults, and His might and grandeur in the fury of tempests. A person having faith in God is like a diver in the divine ocean. Every plunge that he makes serves to unite him in his experience more and more inextricably with his maker, so that he belongs to God as God belongs to him.
(c) FAITH IN GOD:-
Faith means belief in divine truths, prayer, in essence, means bowing before the glories of God, so that any sense of superiority a man may have will be dispelled. Faith in God means faith in a Being who is at once creator, Master and sustainer of all creation. Everything has been made by Him and Him alone, and receives eternal sustenance from Him. There is nothing which can exist without Him. Consciousness of this and faith in God go hand in hand. As a consequence, a man of faith begins to look upon himself as a servant of God. In each and everything he witnesses the glory of God, and every blessing he receives strikes him as a gift from God; hymns to the deity and remembrance of God springs from his heart like fountains. He lives not – in forget fullness, but in a state of acute awareness, all events being reminders to him of God. When he awakens from a deep and refreshing sleep, he begins involuntarily to thank his Lord for having blessed him.
The discovery of God is an entirely different phenomenon, it is the direct apprehension of a Being who is all-seeing and all-hearing, and who is the repository of all wisdom and might. That a magnificent Universe should stand mute, without its true significance ever being understood and appreciated, is in conceivable when its ‘Creator and Sustainer’ is an all-knowing God.
(d) FAITHLESS IS FOOLISH ONE!
Time is fleeing, it is said, and life, at its longest, is so brief. And yet is it not also true that there are moments when time seems to stand still and life becomes oppressively long? At such moments fear of the future robs us of peace and rest and joy.
“What will happen to us in the long and weary years that lie ahead of us?” is a question that raises its ugly head again and again. At such moments, if we will but open our inner ear we may hear the still small voice say: “O faithless, foolish one! Leave the future in the safe hands of Him who hath taken care of us in the long, long past. Cast all our cares at His feet! Chant His Holy Name, and our life be one continuous, unceasing sacrifice unto Him, the Lord of life and Love!”
He found us enmeshed in the world – attached to things and objects. And looking long and deep into our eyes, he said, “My children! What men call gold is but yellow dust! And what men treasure as currency notes are but scraps of coloured paper! The wealth of the world is ashes and dust! Its pleasures are fleeting! Its pomp and power are evanescent as bubbles on the surface of water.”
“Kingdoms crumble and dominions become a dream! Give not thy heart to the world! But give thy heart to that which abides and never passes away – the Imperishable, the Immortal, the Eternal! That is the Atman! That is within thee! Tat Twamasil! That art thou!”
Our hearts are restless and will continue to wander, until we go back to our original state of perfection and purity. Pure were we and perfect before we entered the stream of time. Then we lived and moved and had our being in love. Until we return to love we shall continue to flit from one sensation to another, in a vain search of the peace that transcends the senses and all sensations.
“The Nama, the Holy Name, is the cure of all ills!” says Guru Arjun Dev. And the Name of names – the Name Divine – is love! Verily, love cures all ills.
(e) FAITH WILL NOT LET US DOWN:-
There are times when we need to accept the lack of activity, there are times when we need to know that we can accommodate the rush, there are times to know that however great the odds seem against us that we can succeed, and that even if we feel little, in competent, lost and out of our depth remarkable and miraculous break-through is totally possible. Faith is knowing that some times we have to a point of surrender where, as we let go, some force, some intelligence and some infinite quality moves in and is again our partner.
Sometimes we need to step back from all we think we know so that we can be open and receptive to that power which goes beyond description. When we try to analyse it we love it. If we try to own it, it disappears and when we want guarantee, it is no where to be found. But when we look deeply under the debris of broken dreams, humbled ego, failed fantasies, trampled arrogance and futile comparisons we will find it as close as it has ever been. It is a gift of such infinite quality that in the same way as we cannot own it, nobody, whatever their power or persuasions, can take it from us. When everything is in chaos and we perceive that all we aspire to and wanted is gone or in jeopardy, always remember that these are the times and indeed the only times when we access, we develop and we actually discover new dimensions in faith. The question we each need to ask ourselves is, ” which do I prefer: security based on external sameness, or assurety based on internal peace and knowing that all is well, all is in order and we will know what to do, how to respond and where to take our next step when the time is right?” Be strong in Faith-it will never let us down. Man’s life is like a piece of land on which he must build a house to God’s liking. His first step must be to accept God as his Lord and have full Faith in Him.
(The writer is President Home for the Aged & Infirm, Ambphalla, Jammu).