And Now, And Here-第52章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



questions　relating　to　life　and　death　are　not　matters　of　philosophical　or　metaphysical　thought。

those　who　think　about　these　things　never　acplish　anything。

what　i　am　talking　about　is　an　existential　approach。

it　can　be　known　that　〃i　am　life；〃　it　can　be　known　that　〃i　am　not　going　to　die。

〃　one　can　live　this　experience；　one　can　enter　into　it。

but　those　who　only　think；　who　say；　〃well　think　about　what　death　is；　what　life　is；〃　may　think　about　it　a　million　times；　may　think　about　it　life　after　life；　but　they　wont　know　anything。

what　on　earth　is　there　to　think　about？　

we　can　only　think　about　something　which　is　known　to　us。

about　something　which　is　unknown　nothing　can　be　thought。

you　can　only　think　about　that　which　is　known　to　you。

has　it　ever　occurred　to　you　that　you　cant　think　what　you　dont　know？　how　can　you　think；　how　can　you　conceive　that　which　you　know　nothing　about？　we　dont　know　what　life　is；　we　dont　know　what　death　is。

what　are　we　to　think？　thats　why　i　say　that　whatsoever　the　philosophers　have　said　about　life　and　death　is　totally　worthless。

whatsoever　is　written　about　life　and　death　in　the　philosophy　books　is　worth　nothing；　because　those　people　have　written　it　after　a　lot　of　thinking。

it　is　not　a　question　of　thinking　and　then　writing　about　it。

except　for　what　yoga　has　said　about　life　and　death；　everything　else　that　has　been　said　is　only　playing　with　words。

what　yoga　is　concerned　with　has　to　do　with　an　existential；　living　experience。

that　the　soul　is　immortal　is　not　a　theory；　it　is　not　an　ideology。

it　is　the　experience　of　certain　individuals。

only　when　experience　is　what　you　want　can　experience　alone　solve　the　riddle；　〃what　is　life？　what　is　death？〃　and　as　soon　as　you　have　the　experience　you　will　e　to　know　that　life　is；　that　death　is　not　……　that　only　life　is；　that　there　is　no　death　at　all。

then　we　will　be　in　a　position　to　say　that　death　just　happens。

and　what　this　simply　means　is　that　we　leave　the　house；　the　body　we　were　living　in；　and　a　journey　towards　a　new　home　begins。

we　set　out；　leaving　one　house　for　another。

this　house　has　a　limited　capability。

this　house　is　a　machine。

it　wears　out；　it　gets　tired；　and　we　have　to　go　beyond　it。

if　science　would　have　it　so；　it　would　be　possible　to　keep　the　human　body　alive　for　one　hundred；　two　hundred；　three　hundred　years。

but　that　would　not　prove　there　is　no　soul。

it　would　only　prove　that　the　soul　wont　need　to　change　homes　anymore；　that　science　had　now　worked　out　a　way　to　fix　the　old　house。

nevertheless；　scientists　should　not　remain　under　the　illusion　that　by　increasing　the　longevity　of　man　to　five　hundred　years；　to　a　thousand　years；　they　would　have　proved　there　is　no　soul　in　man。

it　wouldnt　prove　anything。

it　would　only　demonstrate　that　because　the　mechanism　of　the　body　used　to　wear　out；　the　soul　had　to　change　it。

now；　if　the　parts　of　the　body　could　be　replaced　……　the　heart；　the　eyes；　the　limbs　……　if　they　could　be　replaced；　then　the　soul　would　have　no　reason　to　change　bodies。

in　that　case　the　old　house　would　do　……　it　is　now　repaired。

but　this　doesnt　even　remotely　prove　there　is　no　soul　in　the　body。

it　is　also　possible　that　in　the　near　future　science　may　succeed　in　creating　a　child　in　a　test　tube；　in　producing　life。

and　then；　perhaps；　scientists　may　fall　under　the　illusion　they　have　created　life。

but　that　would　also　be　wrong。

let　me　say　this　too：　such　an　achievement　wont　prove　anything　either。

what　happens　when　a　union　between　a　man　and　a　woman　takes　place？　together；　they　dont　create　a　soul　in　the　mothers　womb；　they　just　create　a　situation　where　the　soul　can　enter。

when　the　two　elements　of　man　and　woman　meet；　an　opportunity　is　created　for　the　soul　to　enter　the　womb。

it　may　be　that　soon　scientists　may　create　a　similar　situation　in　a　test　tube；　but　that　is　not　the　same　as　creating　a　soul。

the　mothers　womb　is　a　mechanical　system　too；　its　a　test　tube。

it　is　a　natural　system。

soon；　with　full　discovery　and　knowledge　of　those　chemical　elements　which　make　up　the　male　sperm　and　the　female　egg；　a　scientist　in　his　laboratory　may　succeed　in　producing　the　same　chemical　organization　in　a　test　tube。

in　that　case；　souls；　which　before　had　entered　the　mothers　womb；　would　now　enter　test　tubes。

but　even　so；　it　would　not　be　the　soul　taking　birth；　it　would　be　the　body　……　the　soul　would　still　just　be　arriving。

the　phenomenon　of　birth　is　a　double　event　……　the　formation　of　the　body　and　the　arrival　of　the　soul；　the　descending　of　the　soul。

the　future　looks　very　dangerous　and　dark　as　far　as　the　soul　is　concerned；　because　with　each　new　discovery　science　will　convince　man　there　is　no　soul。

but　the　existence　of　the　soul　will　not　be　disproved　by　it；　it　will　only　weaken　the　will　of　man　to　turn　within　himself。

if；　because　of　increased　longevity　and　the　creation　of　test　tube　babies；　man　should　e　to　believe　there　is　no　soul；　even　then　the　existence　of　the　soul　will　not　be　disproved；　only　the　continuing　inner　search　of　man　will　e　to　an　end。

and　this　unfortunate　circumstance　is　sure　to　occur　in　the　next　fifty　years。

in　the　last　fifty　years；　the　ground　has　already　been　prepared　for　it。

there　have　always　been　poor；　wretched；　miserable；　sick　people　in　the　world。

their　lifespan　was　short：　they　neither　had　good　food　to　eat　nor　proper　clothes　to　wear。

but　from　the　point　of　view　of　the　soul；　the　number　of　poor　has　never　been　so　great　as　it　is　today。

this　is　only　because　man　has　e　to　believe　there　is　nothing　within；　and　so；　for　him；　the　question　of　turning　in　doesnt　arise。

once　humanity　believes　there　is　nothing　within；　the　whole　idea　of　reaching　inside　is　finished。

the　future　may　turn　out　to　be　terribly　bleak　and　dangerous。

therefore；　experiments　must　be　carried　out　in　all　corners　of　the　world　so　that　a　few　individuals　may　stand　up　and　assert　……　not　merely　an　assertion　of　words　and　doctrines；　not　just　a　reiteration　of　the　geeta；　the　koran；　the　bible；　but　a　living　affirmation；　〃i　know　i　am　not　the　body。

〃　and　this　should　not　be　just　a　verbal　declaration；　it　should　be　reflected　through　their　entire　way　of　living。

only　then　may　we　succeed　in　saving　humanity　……　otherwise；　the　whole　of　scientific　development　will　turn　man　into　a　machine；　an　automaton。

the　day　man　es　to　believe　he　is　nothing　more　than　a　body；　that　there　is　nothing　within　him；　perhaps　all　doors　leading　inwards　will　be　shut。

what　will　happen　after　that　is　hard　to　say。

even　to　this　day；　the　inner　doors　of　the　majority　of　people　have　remained　shut。

but　once　in　a　while　a　courageous　person　breaks　through　the　inner　walls。

a　mahavira；　a　buddha；　a　christ；　a　lao　tzu　breaks　through　the　wall　and　enters　within。

but　the　possibility　of　such　a　phenomenon　happening　again　is　decreasing　every　day。

i　say：　only　life　is；　death　is　not。

but　it　may　be　that　in　the　next　one　hundred　or　two　hundred　years　man　might　say；　〃only　death　is；　life　is　not。

〃　the　ground　is　ready　for　it。

people　asserting　it　have　already　e　forward。

after　all；　what　is　maraying？　according　to　marx；　〃matter　is；　god　is　not。

and　what　looks　like　god　to　you　is　nothing　but　a　byproduct　of　matter。

〃　marays；　〃there　is　no　life；　only　death　is。

〃　now　if　the　soul　is　not　and　only　the　body　is；　then　obviously　there　is　no　life；　only　death　is。

you　may　not　be　aware　of　it；　but　what　marx　has　said　is　gaining　ground。

there　have　always　been　people　in　the　world　who　have　denied　the　soul；　but　up　to　now　a　religion　was　never　born　of　these　people。

up　to　now　there　never　has　been　an　organization　of　atheists。

charvaka；　brihaspati；　epicurus　and　many　other　such　remarkable　people　in　the　world　denied　the　existence　of　the　soul；　but　they　never　formed　any　church；　any　organization。

marx　is　the　first　atheist　in　the　world　who　created　an　organized　church。

today；　half　the　world　is　already　within　its　fold；　and　the　remaining　half　will　join　it　in　the　next　fifty　years。

the　soul　exists；　of　course；　but　all　the　avenues　through　which　it　can　be　known；　recognized；　are　closing　down　one　by　one。

life　is　there；　but　all　the　possibilities　of　connecting　with　it　are　fading　away。

before　all　the　doors　and　avenues　close　down；　those　who　have　even　a　little　bit　of　ability　and　courage　should　experiment　on　themselves　and　make　an　effort　to　turn　within　so　they　can　have　the　experience。

if　even　one　hundred；　two　hundred　individuals　could　experience　the　inner　flame；　we　will　be　out　of　danger。

the　darkness　of　millions　of　people　can　be　dispelled　with　the　inner　flame　of　the　few。

even　a　tiny　lamp　cuts　through　a　long　darkness。

with　the　presence　in　a　village　of　a　single　man　who　has　known　the　immortality　of　the　soul；　the　whole　atmosphere；　the　whole　vibe；　the　entire　life　of　the　village　will　change。

a　single　flower　blooms　and　its　fragrance　spreads　to　faraway　places。

the　very　presence　of　a　person　who　has　known　the　immortality　of　the　soul　can　bring　about　the　purification　of　the　spirit　of　an　entire　village。

this　country　is　full　of　sadhus；　monks　and　other　people　who　make　themselves　hoarse　shouting　〃the　soul　is　immortal〃　……　there　is　a　whole　line　of　them；　a　huge　crowd。

and　yet；　such　a　low　moral　character！　such　a　downfall　of　the　country！　this　degradation　proves　they　are　all