| |
then you will need somebody to guide you there. If God is without, somewhere up in heaven, then somebody will be needed to guide you. Alone, you will not be able to find him, where he is. So you say, "God is within me" -- now there is no need for the priest. You are saying it just to avoid the priest -- but you don't know it.
God is all. The distinction between within and without is false. Without and within are on; it is one reality, from one corner to another. It is not two, it is not dual, so don't divide it.
I have heard...
When Xerxes stood on the shore with his army and looked across the Hellespont, he asked himself, "How can I get my men across?" He commanded his generals to build him a bridge of boats, and they obeyed. But a storm came up and smashed his bridge into driftwood. In a towering rage, he ordered the execution of the overseers who had directed the work. But that was not enough to satisfy him as he was really in a great rage, almost mad. So he ordered his slaves to administer three hundred lashes to the sea.
Now this is foolish -- three hundred lashes to the sea. But this how mind works; our mind is very childish. Have you not seen a small child? -- he hurts himself against the door or against the furniture and then he beats the furniture. As if the furniture is the enemy, as if the furniture has done something to him. He may have stumbled himself, but he feels the chair is responsible. This childish attitude continues. People become senile, but their childish attitude never changes.
Now, a priest misbehaved. If you are a little reasonable.... First thing: if one priest has misbehaved, that does not mean all priests are wrong. Second thing: the priest has misbehaved, not God. Third thing: you don't know what happened to that dying man in his innermost core of being.
Don't be in such a hurry to make conclusions. A wise man never concludes so easily, because all conclusions make your mind closed. We don't know enough; conclusions are dangerous. A conclusion is right only when you have known all. The greatest wise men of the world have said they know nothing, so how can we conclude? And whatsoever we know
|
|
|