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leading to the birth of an individual utterly depleted of strength, and finally to death. Since, in this manner all the faculties of the individual conspire together to bring about self-destruction, life becomes ugly, uninspiring, and futile. Beauty, Truth and blessedness are attainable only if life were to be engaged in the creative cultivation of the self. Sermons on the suppression of the self cannot, however, produce notes of harmony within. On the other hand, they generate discord and disharmony and lead to misery, anxiety and frustration. The person who is filled with mutual conflicts, he who begins to fight with himself, he who splits himself into a friend and a foe, he who considers some of his faculties to be his adversaries and pits some others against them, actually creates a hell for himself. The pity is that we had been considering such a life of conflict, a righteous one, a virtuous life! In my view, a virtuous life is entirely different. It is not a life of internal conflict but that of internal peace, harmony and music. It is not a life of 'self-hostility' but that of unison and integration. Those who wish to acquire this harmony of the soul have to lay its foundation at the very outset. Those who start with a conflict cannot dream of reaching a state of bliss without conflict, for the end is already present in the beginning itself. Let it be remembered therefore that the first stage is far more valuable than the final one. The Supreme Soul is perfect harmony -- is perfection itself. If I wish to be merged into that Divine Harmony, it is essential that I should have a note of harmony within me. How can this note of harmony be produced? Never by treating the self with contempt, nor by self-reproach and self-hostility. It can be produced by love of oneself.
SELF-LOVE VERSUS SELF-SUPPRESSION
The very first foundations of a life of spiritual endeavour are love of oneself and spiritual harmony. Surely you will be confounded to hear this, because you have been often advised to suppress something within you. But I say that there is nothing within you that needs suppression or extirpation. There are certain drives within every man that need
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