“Yoga and meditation do not offer any opposition to religious or philosophical beliefs or non-beliefs. On the contrary, the practice of yoga and meditation makes an individual a much more active and better practitioner of his or her own particular way of life. What will surely happen is that the practitioner will gain more understanding of other people’s beliefs and hence a more harmonious interaction with them in everyday life.
Many highly evolved souls have said: the same thing using different words. All of them have said: Look within and know thyself.
For example, Christ said: “The kingdom of God is within you”. Greek philosophers said: Man, know thyself, and thou shalt know the universe.” All the eastern religions put forth the same idea. Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and even Judaism believe in meditation. Meditation in Muslim tradition like Sufi meditation is also very well known. Paramahansa Ramkrishna said: “The fabled musk deer searches the whole world over for the source of the scent which comes from within.” In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says, “Meditation is better than intellectual knowledge.”
Therefore, learn from other people’s experiences. The path of the evolution of the spirit to self-realization, towards the truth, does not lie in the outside world. It lies within your own being, only waiting to be discovered. You must dive deep inside yourself to find that which has been always there. So the choice is yours: either you continue to devote all your attention to fumbling around in the outside world, the way that most people now lead their lives with its unhappiness, or you start to develop a new direction, inwards, and follow the advice of wise men throughout the history of mankind who have made the same journey. You do not have to give up your present lifestyle. All you have to do is to supplement it with spiritual aspiration and practices of yoga which will gradually lead you along the path to meditation.”
Inspired/Stated By: Satyananda Saraswati
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