"Would you accept a book as a gift?" my parents asked. I told them, "Sure, of course, I love books." They then explained that maybe I wouldn’t like it because it is written by a priest. They are always sort of trying to bring me back to Catholicism, to make me realize my mistake of not being a follower of the religion I grew up with. I know they love me, and they have the best of intentions. They have gifted similar books before, and I have read them, extracting and learning good things.
What if I gave them a book about the Yogi philosophy? Or even asked them to read these emails? Well, I have tried before, but they just won’t do it.
The difference between our approaches is that I am open to keep listening to others’ perspectives, even if I don’t fully agree with them. They, in turn, don’t want to hear anything that questions the Catholic Church. And it works for them; they are happy and free to believe and do whatever they want.
The thing is that if they were open to hearing about this philosophy, they would actually deepen their understanding of God. In fact, such knowledge would enable them to read between the lines and better appreciate the beauties of Christ’s teachings.
Remember, the Yogis encourage everyone to keep practicing their particular religion if they feel attracted to do so. This philosophy is just a complement to whatever creed you believe in—a philosophy to help you understand yourself and the world around you so that you live with more inner peace and contentment.
As Yogi Ramacharaka writes, “the Yogi sees truth in all forms of religion and in all schools of philosophy but recognizes that this truth is but a small part of the great truth. The only point he (or she) raises is ‘this is not the Whole Truth.’”
I'm not opposed to reading books written by priests. I read the Bible, the Quran, Hindu books, Buddhist books, Chinese texts, scientific books; they are all full of hidden gems and passages. So, even though I've stepped away from religious ceremonies and the church, that doesn't mean I cannot find wisdom there.
Does that mean I believe there’s a God in the form of a human being living high in the heavens who left things running themselves in a mysterious way? No, I don’t. For the same reason that I don't believe there's someone who lives in the North Pole and rides his flying sled to deliver gifts to children all over the world every year. I don't believe in those things simply because they go contrary to reason.
The Yogi science, in contrast, is in full accordance with reason. It is not perfect, but it does its best to explain ‘things as they are.’
The best approach is to be open to reading or listening to different opinions and perspectives. You never know where you can find valuable insights that can make your life better. Just discard what doesn’t serve you and keep that which serves you at this particular point in your development. Wisdom is wisdom, wherever it comes from.
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