Many Are the Pathways to Truth
Beatitude 9
Affirmation for September
by Swami Kriyananda
From the book The Beatitudes: Their Inner Meaning by Swami Kriyananda
Many Are the Pathways to Truth
Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within.
The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda.
On the dedication page of Swami Kriyananda’s book The Path appears the following account:
A group of Paramhansa Yogananda’s disciples had gone with him to see a movie about the life of Gyandev, a great saint of medieval India. Afterwards they gathered and listened to the Master explain certain, subtler, aspects of that inspiring story. A young man in the group mentioned another film he had seen years earlier, in India, about the life of Mirabai, a famous woman saint.
“If you’d seen that movie,” he exclaimed, “you wouldn’t even have liked this one!”
The Guru rebuked him. “Why make such comparisons? The lives of great saints manifest in various ways the same, one God.”
The Bible contains a similar account in the Gospel of St. Luke, Chapter 9:
And John…said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.
And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
The more central a truth, the greater the number of contexts in which it can be applied. Truth is like a pure white light, containing within itself the full spectrum of the rainbow.
Let no one tell you what your path to God ought to be. Many are The Paths. Select your own according to the dictates of your own nature, no matter how out of step that puts you with other people.
Sri Krishna in the third Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, states:
Trying even unsuccessfully to fulfill one’s own spiritual duty (dharma) is better than pursuing successfully the duties of others. Better death itself in the pursuance of one’s own duties. The pursuance of another’s duties is fraught with (spiritual) danger.
Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Whispers From Eternity
202. In the Bursts of Blue Brine my spirit bounds with Thee
In bursts of Thy blue, dancing brine my spirit bounds joyfully toward Thy shores of eternal calmness. Abandoned, now, those discouraging lowland vapors and the self-clouded aloofness of proud mountains. The salty fragrance of Thy vast sea fills my lungs, and invigorates my body with fresh strength.
Oh! what volumes of vital life now flow through my veins with the ocean breezes! Seeking Thine endless, calm shore by the heaving ocean of Thy Creation, I know Thee as Perfection beyond even dreams of paradise! In Thy blue brine I will drink dynamic health for my body, vigor and concentration for my mind, and ever-thrilling joy for my soul. As Thou hast joined at the horizon line the deep ocean of outer experience with the soaring blue sky of superconsciousness, so hast Thou joined the troubled waters of our earthly lives to the soaring vastness of Thy overarching Spirit.
Inspiration from the Rays of One Light
“And John . . . said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.”
Luke 9:49-50
We will take these meaningful words into our meditation together for deep reflection and contemplation. But firstly, we will listen to the beautiful Psalm of David, sung by Mary Kretzmann.
Psalm of David
Listen to the Psalm of David
Reflect, Meditate and Listen to Instrumental Music
Reflection from the Rays of the One Light
Peace Sangha,
This week, I was moved by the words of Luke 9:49-50 from Rays of the One Light.
“And John . . . said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.”
This verse, together with the teachings of Jesus and Swami Kriyananda, offers us another way of seeing that we may walk different paths and have different opinions, yet we can still walk together in love.
We may see things differently, but we can still honour one another. We may serve in different ways, but our hearts can remain united in God’s Love.
Perhaps this is what Jesus was reminding His disciples and us. “Do not close the door on another soul simply because they do not walk with you”. Instead, leave room for God to work through each person in their own unique way.
God has given each of us our own nature, our own gifts, and our own way of experiencing and expressing our relationship with God. We may pray differently, serve in different ways, or be drawn to different spiritual practices, but this does not mean that we are walking separate paths.
I believe that true unity does not ask us to be the same. It invites us to recognise the presence of God in one another, whilst honouring each person’s journey while allowing them the freedom to find their own way to God.
These words inspired me to create a poem called “Each Soul Has Its Own Journey.”
Each Soul Has Its Own Journey
There are many paths to God
And each heart must find its way
We may walk along different paths
Yet still be guided by the same Light of the Ray
Let no one tell you where you must go
Or how your journey should unfold
Listen to the quiet voice within
And follow where your heart is called
For we do not have to walk the same path
To walk together in love
Each soul has its own unique journey
And every sincere path
Can lead us closer to our Home In Love
Aum Peace Amen
