Ramanathan (Parananda) • The Spirit of the East Contrasted with the Spirit of the West (OCR).pdf

The spirit of the East contrasted with the spirit of the West : being a lecture delivered by P. Ramanathan before the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences at its open meeting of the season of 1905-6. Iramanatan, P., 1851-1930. New York : Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sc ien ces , c19 06. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/yale.39002088670527

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The Spirit of the East as contrasted with the Spirit of the West is the theme on which I have been invite d to speak this evening. I understand the request to mean that I should speak not so much of the things of the body as of the mind; not so much of superficial growths as of fundamental lines; not so much of the outer life as of the inner life, o f the East and W est. I understand the the wish wish of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences to be that I should abstract from the vast and com plicated phenomena of Eastern and Western civil izations some central, animating principle or prin ciples—some ciples—some main main current or currents o f tho ug ht that characterize each of these civilizations, and show the basic differe dif fere nce between them. them. I shal shalll not therefore contrast the institutions common to both East and AVest, such as Home, School and Profession, Married Life and Society, Govern ment and Politics, Industry and Amusement, but shall consider only the special fundamental modes of thought which run through these institutions and make them so different from each other in the E as t and and W est. The task task imposed upon me is by no means easy, for though sociologists are agreed fchat, as regards the civilized countries of the world, the the West contai contains ns “ pro gre ssive” societ societie iess Digitization Digitization Sup port by

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The Spirit of the East and West.

and and the the East “ stationa ry” societ societies ies,, no no one has has attempted to explain the real stand-point of view of the two classes of societies, and Sir Henry Maine, the famous historian of legal ideas and in stituti stitutions ons,, frank ly admits admits that that “ the the difference be tween the stationary and progressive societies is one of the. gr g r e a t se c r e t s which enquiry has yet to penetrate.” penetrate.” To consider consider fully a subject subject so so deep deep as this, four lectures at least are necessary, but I shall endeavor to outline the whole in one lecture.


The words of Sir Henry Maine just quoted oc cur in his work on An A n c ie n t L a w which was pub lished in in 186 1861. 1. A ft e r that that he he had twenty-five years more of his favorite study of social and po litical phenomena, while holding high offices of state under und er the Br itish itis h govern ment. me nt. In 188 1886 6 the results of his further observation were given in a Po P o p u la r G o v e r n m en t , but the mystery book called of the difference between the main modes of thought among Eastern and Western nations re mained uncovered. Inde ed li liee fou nd a new d if ficulty ficulty had arisen. arisen. He traced the the idea o f P ro gress gress in in “ Progre ssive Socie ties” to the the anc ancie ient nt Greeks. Greeks. Fr om that source it passed to the an cient Romans and thence, through the period of Renaissance, the Lutheran Reformation, and the struggles for political freedom in Holland, Eng land, France and America, to the present genera tion. But Bu t what Pr og ogre ress, ss, in the abstract, meant he could not tel tell. “ P rog res s,” said said he, “ is a word of which I have never seen any definition and which seems to have all sorts of meanings, many of them extraordinary; for some politicians in our day appear to employ it for mere aimless movement , while others actually use it for move ment backwards towards a state of primitive na ture . ”

How strange that social scientists should speak of the West as consisting of Progressive Societies without analyzing and determining the meaning Di gkiza ti on Sup po Ft b y MICROSOFT

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o f P ro g re ss ! I cannot cannot liel lielp p attemptin attempting g the the very thing they have avoided, inasmuch as the solution of the question asked of me lies in the results of such analysis. Unless we know what Pr ogr ess is in the truest sense of the term, we shall not be able to say whether or not the movements observ ed in Europe and America in the different spheres of life deserve the the name name of Pro gress . The simple simple issue is, Are Western nations really progressing, and if so, whither are they going? To progr ess is literally literally to go forward. I f pr o gress were confined to movement in space, and there were metes and bounds to it, the beginning of pro gress would be the point from which a person started. started. I f he he had a goal to reach, reach, but moved mov ed out out o f the line of that goal, he would be said to be wan dering der ing from it. There is no difficul difficulty ty about es p r o g r e s s in spac sp ace, e, once we know where timating pr we intend to go from the starting point; nor of pr p r o g r e s s in ph p h ysic ys ical al gr ow th as of an animal, plant or other thing. These two kinds o f progres pro gresss are visible to the the eye and measurable by tape. tape. But what is Indu It expresses a In dust stri rial al P r o g r e s s ? mental attitude, as well as as the outcom e of it. In dustry is diligence in any employment, is a fea ture of the mind, and when the mind eye and hand work together on some raw material, wares of different kinds are produced; and if such products are useful or ornamental, they become articles of merchandise. The West has great ideas of Industrial Devel opment in regard to its two phases, mental and material. The West We st believes it to be an end in it self, and works unceasingly, multiplying objects Each branch branch o f industry is sup of enjoyment. posed to have an unlimited unlimited line line o f adva advance nce.. Ad vance where? wh ere? No one can tell tell.. The possibilities possib ilities of shoe-formation or house-formation or macliinerv-formation. or the formation of any other com modity of trade, are like the possibilities of cloud

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formations in the sky, or waVe formations in the ocean. ocean. Eve n as the winds raise clouds fo r some worldly end, currents of thought raise objects of fo f o r the grat gr at ific if icat at io n o f the se nses ns es . industry Let us not misunderstand the meaning of the expression Industrial Pro gres s, or the the raison d’etre of Industrial Progress. Industrial Progress means nothing more than the impulses of the creative talent applied to the production of things for sensuous enjoyment, and this this work of pro du ctio n is not an an end in itself. It is only a means to an end. end. T o the pr od uc er his oc cupation brings some money wherewith to supply himself and those whom he loves with the needs and comforts of the body, but money is not an end in itself. Many millions are made in Am erica by by industrial occupations, buEthcn comes the ques tion of the millionaire, lktr what uses are the hoard ed moneys to be pu t? Schools and asylums, asylums, hospitals and soup kitchens, kitchens, are organized. In schools, ey ey e s, hands hand s and mincls are trained, and the youth of the country are made clever and dili gent ; and in asylums, hospitals and soup-kitchens, the bodies of the diseased and needy are cared for. But do bodily health and cleverness of mind ne cessarily imply moral character or spiritual ele vation? A re not Righteousness and Lov e of God the noblest part of human nature, the part or re gion within the body which it is the duty of every one to attain by Work? The West has yet to learn the real raison d’etre o f W ork. In a house is sheltered sheltered the bo d y; in the the body ,the m ind ; in the mind, the spirit. T he mind is is the medium between the spirit and the outer world. world. W hen the the mind is set set upon Work , upon upon Indu In dust stri rial al Work, it becomes sharp and discrimin ate, ate,— — “ cleve r,” as they they say, say,— — able able and and willing willing to know, and to persevere in the pursuit of higher knowledge. Then does it turn its attention from without to within. within. It gets to be reflective. Dur-





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mg this stage of Introspection or Reflection, it dis cove rs signs signs o f the spirit spiri t enshrined in it. it. It be comes meditative, and its interest in matterscon cerning the Spirit waxes wax es fast. Even Ev en as, in days gone by, the mind stood united to things of the flesh, it now prefers union with the things of the spirit. Once carnal-minded, and therefor the reforee dis turbed easily, given to hate, wanting in restful ness, and crass in understanding, it is now spirit ual-minded, and therefore forgiving, charitable, peaceful and enlightened. This is the history of Industrial Indu strial work, the mind set on industrial work. done ably and with a law-abid ing heart, is indeed a means to the end called spir sp irit itua uall-mi minde ndedn dnes ess, s, which is Righteousness and Love of God; and the greatness of industrial work consists not so much in the the production of p erishable good s and “ skyskyscraping scrap ing ” cities, as as in the the cleansing and strengt h ening of the mind, which then is prepared to see the vain-glory of such worldly treasures and to labor for the attainment of Spiritual blessings. I mean to say that two classes of benefits flow from Industrial work, one external and the other internal. The externa l benefi benefits ts are the the production produ ction of beautiful homes and cities, of increased com forts and conveniences of the body, all of which pe p e r i s h a b l e .. A boy are bo y was taught to make make bubbles bubbles out o f soap soap and water. He gave his his mind to that that work, blew the bubbles through his tube and con templated them as they floated gaily in the air. The hand that worked to produce the glittering effect rested, as the mind and eye watched the vain glorio us thing fad ing in the the distance. distance. The boy felt happy, but that happiness was as fleeting as the bubble. bubble. In a similar way did Alexand Alex ander er the Great and Napoleon project Empires, which rose and and burst even as they were looking on. on. The ex tern te rnal al benefits of work, political or industrial, are o f little value to the worke wo rkerr himself. T o him, him, to the individual, far more important is the inter.-

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not no t benefit to tlie mind, foi when the mind has been


cleansed and strengthened, it becomes qualified for the higher work of reflection and meditation, by which alone the Spirit within us may be found. If a nation rests content with the external benefits of Industrial work, without settling its refined mind to the holier work of attaining spirituality, it must be held to have missed the true end of life. The West again is proud of its Scientific Pro This kind kind of progress consist consistss o f discov gr es s. eries and inventions which ex pand far and wide our knowledge of things pe p e rc ei v a b l e by the th e s e n s e s , with the aid of such instruments as the microscope and telescope. The bru te-for ces o f nature un earthed by it have been used in quotas of horse power, to facilitate the operations of agriculture and manufacture, to transport men and goods, and to des troy on e’ s enemies. enemies. Ingen ious implements of husbandry, trade and war conduce some to the preservation, and some to the destruction of the Th ey are signs of the thecarnal side of civili body. za tion ti on and intensify the belief of man se in n su o us ness. The myriads who were proud of life in Ba bylon, Sodom, Tyre, Carthage, Athens, Corinth, Pompeii and imperial Rome, died no better than dogs, ignorant of the glory of the spir sp irit itua uall side of civilizati civilization. on. The chief value o f Scient Scientifi ificc P ro gress is not its discoveries in the worldly plane, not its advancement of the pampering luxuries of the body, but the strengthening and broadening of the mind, and so qualifying the mind for research within us, us, within the Spiritu al Kin gdo m . ^ Not more than 250 years ago, Thomas ITobbs said in his famous work called The Leviathan “ The regist register er of knowledge knowledge o f fact is is cal calle led d H istory . W he reo f there be two sorts, one called called Na tura tu ra l H i s t o r y , which is the history of such fa ct s or effects of nature as have no dependence on Man’s will, such as are the history of metals, plants, animals, regions and the like, the other Di gkiza ti on Sup po Ft b y MICROSOFT



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Civil History, which is an history of the voluntary


actions of men in commonwealth. ’ ’ Facts or effects of nature or Phenomena were thus treated under the two heads of Natural His tory to ry and and Civil H istory. istor y. In modern mod ern days, the the sub ject je ctss incl in clud uded ed in these the se terms ter ms have hav e been bee n classifie class ified, d, with many other new subjects, on a different basis as Science Sciences. s. The Sciences Sciences of Biology , Geology, Physiology, Astronomy and the like have given the death-blow to many a superstition and mis take. take. Th ey have scoured Nature, Nature, namely, the bo dies of man, beast, bird, reptile, insect, worm and plants, as also the sky, air, fire, water and earth, and find everywhere modifications of one great fundamental unity — uniform ity o f structure structure and function pervading the universe in its three fold kingdoms of mineral, vegetable and animal. But the Sciences know nothing of the Unity It self. Ps ych olo gy is the the Science Science which which in the the W est ‘ ‘ pro fesses to exhibit exhibit what what is actually actually known known or may be learned concerning the Soul in the forms of science, namely, the forms of exact observation, precise definition, fixed terminology, classified ar rangement and rational rational explana tion.” (Po rter, Huma Hu man n Inte In tell ll ec t, 2 , p .l.) F or want want of Spirit Spiritual ual Discernment this science is in a hopeless muddle. It is only those who have pure Spiritual Discern ment that can see the mind and other parts of the subtle body of the Spirit or Soul as something dis tinct from the Spirit itself, and Spiritual Discern ment cannot be developed until one hears and un derstands the Sound Doctrine, or the Doctrine of Truth, called in the West the Word of God, which St. St. Paul observes is “ quick quick and pow erful, sharper than a two-edged sword, so sharp as to sunder the Mind from the the S p irit ” (Heb. iv, iv, 12). 12). This separ ation of the Spirit from all that is flesh, from even K ai va ly a the Mind, is known to Indian Sages as Kai or Alone-becoming or Isolation, and to the Sages Mo no gene ge neia ia . of Judaea as Mo It is assuredly a mis



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take to render tlie world-renowned expression Its pro monogenos huios as” only-be only-begot gotten ten son.” per translation is Al The Spirit A l o n e -b e c o m e So Son. n. or the Son is the head or king, whom the Mind, the Senses, and other instruments in the body should serve. serve. As Western Psycho logists have have not dis covered as yet the Spirit within the tangible body, as an entity separate from the Mind and the other parts of the Subtle Body of man, nor the Boundless Being who is the Father and in whom all Spirits live and move (Acts xvii, 28), the na tions tions o f the the W est make much of Phenomena and of the knowledge o f Phenomena. Until W estern Scientists cert.if}Tthe reality of the Noumenon and have the light or knowledge of the Noumenon in actual experience, they will continue to be quoted as supporters of Infidelity and Agnosticism. The true goal of Science is God and not the world. The world is only the st st e p p i n g - st o n e to God. Sci entific Progress misses its inheritance if it re mains satisfied with its rambles in the world. The West speaks also of Po liti A li tica call P r o g r e s s . long-suffering people, goaded beyond endurance by misgovernment, rises!/ against their rulers, overthrow# them and established another set of rulers. rulers. This kind o f Re-f orm is Revolution. When, in fear of further misgovernment, the peo ple agree that they shall be governed by their own nominees, the peaceful reform of abuses and other social diso rder s is effected by Legislation . The materials for it, having been developed by discus sion in domestic and social circles, are taken in hand hand by the the politician s o f differ ent parties. The enthralling game of Modern Politics then begins. It is a never-ending pastime between Blue and Y e ll lloo w in and an d out ou t o f Pa rlia rl iam m en t, D iet ie t o r Senate. Sena te. Public men, public discussion and public events constitute the panorama of Politics, the withdraw al of which from the gaze of the people would make make life in the the W est drea dfu lly dull. dull. Law s are

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made, but amendments quickly follow . It must be admitted that the ceaseless meetings and talks about social troubles, and the shifting quick-sands of wordy legislation, together with the changes pe pe rs on ne l of the government, are that occur in the the phenomena represented by the term Poli Po liti tica call Pr P r o g r e s s . Ho w can can the the tinkering o f the the gove rn ment, ousting of ministers, the making of enact ments and the speeches of politicians develop each citizen ind ivid ual ly! Ho w can can the the powe r given to each citizen to nominate a member of the governing body, or the measures of the govern ing body for the promotion of sanitation in towns and of security of the persons and properties of the inhabitants of the country, make them individ ually better in regard to Righteousness and Love o f G od ! Individual development in the the plane plane of spirituality is not the consequence but the cause, o f social amelioration. The aggregate called called Society is made up of units, and unless the units are good , the aggregate cannot cannot be good. I f Soci ety is to be improved, each individual should be improved first. Progress, as understood in the West, is mostly the movement of thought towards the comforts and conveniences of the body, not towards self denial or God. Pr og ogres res s here is human human activity allowed to freely vent itself for and in the gratifi cation of the senses, or the pleasures of thought. It does not aim directly at the improvement o f the Spirit. Spir it. It does not know what the Spirit Spi rit is, or w hat relation the Spirit Spir it o r Soul bears to the Mind. It fancies on e’ s thoughts to be one self, and is therefore constantly making thought, as if to be sure of being alive and to look alive. Progress in the West is the making of thought for amusement and entertainment, so as to have some sensuous or intellectual enjoyment, or the making of thought in the field of one’s works so as to have some money or other world ly end. end. The vast ma-

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jo r i t y o f tlie p eo p le here her e kn ow n o th ing in g de defin finite ite o f the spiritual side of human nature, or of Spiritual Discer Discernment nment or Spiritual Spiritual Enjoyment. “ Quen Quench ch not the the S p irit ,” said St. St. Paul from tlie tlie East ( 1 Thess. v, 19). His vo ice has been unheeded. Blessedness, or Spiritual Happiness, or the un changeable joy that comes of knowledge of the Spirit, should be the goal of life, said another voice from the East, Jesus Christ, but that too has remained unheeded. unheeded. Even Psych ologis ts, as al ready said, do not appear to understand what Spirit, or Spiritual Discernment, or Spiritual En joy jo y m e n t means. mea ns. I t has thus com co m e to pass pa ss that th at it is considered right and proper for anyone to pro je c t a new thought, and if it be skilfully and show ily started, the unthinking world would merrily stalk stalk it. it. In the the W est, the the A ge o f Pro gre ss mea means ns only an age in which novel ideas of the machinery of business, amusement and entertainment are al lowed to live and die in due course as a remedy for the tedium of work. There Th ere is is no final final end and aim associated with this idea o f Pr ogr ess. Hence, it is supposed that the Age of Progress is never end ing. Its interest, no doubt, is in betterment, but that betterment or improvement is of everything sa ve the th e Sp irit ir it,, which it has heard of but not found. So, all things that relate to the com fort and adornment of the body are bettered. W e have novel pens, paper, eraser, knife; novel tables, table-linen, china, carpets and other articles of household furniture; novel drinks, cereals, and other food-stuffs; novel dresses and jewels; novel houses, carriages, and ships; everything presented in novel forms and colors, season after- season. < N o v e l t y everywher everywhere, e, ev even en in information. information. “ What news V 7 is the news i s the anxious question on the lips of is modern nations, even as it was on the lips of their ancient teachers of worldly wisdom, the Atheni ans, ans, fo r it is reco rded in Act s xvii, 21, 21, that that “ all the Athenians and strangers which were there,





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spent their time in nothing else but either to tell ne w tiling.” To be better or to hear some new better to-day than we were yesterday, to be better to-morrow than we are to-day: to be better in food, raiment, wealth, household furniture, social position and rank, is the sum and substance of the belief of what Sociologists complacently call Progressive Societies. New ideas ideas live and die like like flies; and sensible men and women look on, puzzled and be wildered, at this ‘ ‘ up-to-date *’ craze, knowing not what all this crop of new thought and new prac tice,— tice, — new fads, fad s, fancies fan cies,, and isms,— isms ,— mean. mean. They Th ey are all Passing Fashions, cried St. Paul, but the$ the latest announcement of the inventive milliner and dressmaker at Newport is that Fashion has now been ranked among the Fine Arts. Western Progress claims to be heaven-born, be cause it is rooted roo ted in Freedom Free dom . But what is this this Freed Fr eedom om ? Matthew A rnold rn old declares it to be be the ability to do as one likes, likes, and and explains that “ E v ery man man fo r hi m sel f” is its rule o f action, action, whethe whetherr at home or in society, business, politics or religion (Anarchy and Culture). This is surely the free dom o f the the wild ass. ass. “ Israel is gone to Assyr ia, a wild ass ass alone by him self,” said said Hosea (viii, 8 ), another man of the East, meaning that the Jews, disregarding the teachings of the Law and Pro phets, and estranged from God, the Father of all spirits, were betaking themselves to sensuous me thods of life. Is it difficu difficult lt to understand that man always serves mammon or God, that he can not be without service to either the one or the other, that he is either Earth-bound or Godbound? boun d? It is simple fact that that he is always, in every country, in bondage to either the world or God, and that it is only when love of the world wanes that love lov e of God waxes. Wh en Jesus, than than whom there has been no greater man from the East, taugh taughtt his his disciples, disciples, “ W hosoeve r commitcommitteth teth sin sin is the the servant servant o f sin,” and “ Truth shal shalll



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make make you fr e e ” (Jo lm viii, 32-34), 32-34), lie lie meant meant the the Freedom of the Spirit, that is, its liberation from corruption or sinhood; and he taught that such Spiritual Freedom was necessary for the purpose o f entering into spiritual union with God. It is is a contradiction of terms to suppose that a man may be a slave slave to his desire— to his likes likes and dislikes— and yet be be free. “ I wou ld like like to hit him back, back, but but I ought not to to do s o ” — “ I like like mince mince pie pie,, but but I must must not eat eat it ,” — ‘ ‘ I dislike dislike this this man man,, but but I must must give him him his his du e,” — “ I disl dislike ike acti action on in this this mat ter, ter, but but public public duty necessitates necessitates it ,” — are expres sions which denote that likes and dislikes, being k ep t in sub su b emotions of our lower nature, must be kep jec j ec ti o n to the laws of morality and sanitation. Therefore, the ability to do as one likes can never be Freedo m, in in the pr op er sense sense o f the the term. term. It cannot lie Spiritual Freedom, for Spiritual Free dom means liberation from corruption or sinhood. It cannot be the freedom which the law grants to each individual under the the name o f ‘ ‘ personal lib er ty ,” fo r the the law law prov ides that that the the liberty liberty of ac su b se rv ie nt to the tion of each individual must be su rights of other individuals and to the rules of morality morality enforced in the the Penal Code. Code. As to “ Politi cal Free do m ,” that that phrase denotes denotes only the the power given by law to the inhabitants of a country to take part in its its administrat administration. ion. An d the the “ Freedom of the the P re ss ” is the the power given to publishers publishers and and editors to express their opinions su b j ec t to the penalties provided for defamation. A con co n sid si d e rati ra tion on o f the term te rm Civi Ci viliz lizat atio ion, n, as un derstood by Western biations, will still further illustrate their confusion of thought in regard to this this “ mysterious mysterious prog res s,” as Emerson call callss it it. En E n gl is h writers are not agreed as to what Civil ization means, or what elements that term repre sents, or whether such factors as religion, liter ature and government are its causes or effects. A m e r i c a n “ Univers A c c o r d in g to the Am Universal al Cyclo CyclopepeDi gkiz gk izat atii on Sup po rt by M IC R O S O F T

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d ia ,” published in New York , Civilization Civilization is a highly and harmoniously developed condition of the individual man, and of a state of society which is conducive to the most favorable relations of the individual individua l man with his fellow-man. I f that that be so, the conclusion arrived at by Buckle and Lecky, in their well-known works entitled respectively the H i s t o r y o f Civi Ci vili liza zati tion on andthe the History of Ration alism in Europe, reduces us to the necessity of supposing that Western nations are not fully civil ized, since the joint testimony of these two philo sophers is that all History proves that Western Civilizations have progressed invariably with the progress of scepticism, and that the general tone and habit of thought produced among the people by such civilizations is irreligion, irreverence, love o f ridicule, and an insatiable insatiable desire f or new things. things. The progressive and protestant wife of Martin Luther is the saddest example of this decline in Love of God, for she is said to have asked her hus band, band, “ H ow is it it that that,, whilst whilst subject subject to Papacy, we prayed so often and with such fervor, whilst now we pray with the utmost coldness and very seldom"?” Not less significant is the idea that the more ad vanced the civilization is, the less powerful be comes the the individual ( H elp s’ Social Pressure, p. 42;) and it is noteworthy that Guizot, who excit ed the hope of being heard on the social and indi vidual aspects of civilization, wrote largely of the development of the social condition, but said no thing o f the development of the the individual individual.. There is no doubt that in the West the contemplation of society and the fulfilment of its demands leave lit tle time for introspection and self-improvement. Emerson has well well said: “ In Greece Greece and and Rome, every Stoic was a stoic, but in Christendom where is the Christian? All men plume themselves themselves on the the ie ty , and noman improves.” improvement of so c iety What confused notions prevail in Western



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minds when they speak of Progress, Freedom and Ci vil iza tio n! I do not blame the the nations o f the W est fo r the the confusions of the the present age. age. No man wilfu lly entertai entertains ns error. The spirit re joic es when when it escapes escapes from the captiv ity o f erro r, and how glorious is the day when, in the words of the Psalmi Psalmist st,, “ Captivity Captivity has has been been led led cap tive’ ’ (cxviii, 18), that is to say, the captivating er rors of the intellect or heart have been found out and put under one’s heel! There is error and confusion in the West be cause the Teachers ordained for it have been ig nored, and the world has run after other teachers who have had only fragmentary views of life and who constantly shifted them them abou about. t. “ I f the the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall pre pare himself fo r the the ba tt le? ” asked St. Paul, Paul, the the veteran, who warred triumphantly against Error and Illusion. Our safety lies lies in our choice of Teachers. “ I f the the blind lead the blind, blind, both shal shalll fall into into the the ditch, ditch, ” said Jesus, (Matt, xv, 14). It is conceded in the West that ‘ ‘ the doctrinaire, with his finalities and finished schemes, must be avoid ed,” but, but, says says Mr. Mr. B. P. Bowne,— Bowne,— “ the law law yer, the economist, the historian and the moralist must work toge the r.” So working together, together, he thin thinks ks,, “ fina finall practical form ula s” fo r the the solution solution of the larger questions of society can be found The truth, however, how ever, is {Principles 'o f Ethics). that such formulas can never be fully or satisfac torily found until Worldly Experience is corrected and chastened by Spiritual Experience. The dis cernment of the worldly mind is far inferior to that of the Godly mind, and both the smaller and larger questions of society will be better under stood and more skillfully and effectively handled in their entirety, not in a fragmentary or piece meal way, by men who have both spiritual and worldly experience. In the West, Physical Science has led to skepti-

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ci s m ; Mental Science lias lias nothing to say definitely definitely o f our spiritual nature; and intellect intellectual ual culture is is found to be accompanied by a decline of Love of God. Hence, Religion Re ligion lia liass been relegated by most peop pe ople le to the domain of Manners. It has has become a ritual o f so cie ty ; a rendering rendering of account account to man man in rega rd to Sunday duties. duties. Of all all idols w or shipped in the West, Manners and Money are the greatest. To men clinging similarly to formalism, devoted to self-aggrandizement, and vainglory,— to the Pharisees and Scribes of old — the great Eastern Master cried nearly twenty centuries ago, “ Ye are are like like unto unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautifulout wards, but are within full of dead m en ’s bo ne s” (Matt, xxiii, xxiii, 27). Can Can dead bones ca rry one one to God? Ar e Manners Manners and Money useful at death-beds? Lov Lovee o f empty shew shew and craving for wealth for its own sake, or for the sensuous pleasures it is able to buy, form the leaven o f worldliness. worldliness. “ A littl littlee leaven leaven leaven leavenetl etlii the whole lum lu m p” (Gal. v. 9). So a little little leaven of worldliness, in the shape of regard for show instead of substance — in the shape of deference to Manners instead of loving kindness, and defer ence to Mon ey fo r wo rldly rld ly gains — is suffic sufficien ientt to mar wholly the the beauty o f hum human an life. Re ferr ing to this liability of the mind to be ruined by love of show and the praises of foolish men, Jesus said “ Beware of the the leav leaven en of the the Ph arisees” (Matt (Matt,, xiii, 33 and xvi, 6 ). On the other othe r hand, the leaven of Light or Spirituality, such as humility, steadfastness,'fear of wrong-doing or righteous ness would prevent the Spirit from becoming a “ smoking smoking flax” (Isa. xlii, xlii, 3). The Godly leaven would bring out of it Discernment or Light and Love. W ant o f Spiritual Discernment Discernment and and want want of Lovin g Kindness to all are the surest indi cations of what is commonly called Foolishness, or Ignorance or Barbarism. In these circumstances, we must not be sur-



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prised to find that Matthew Arnold has assigned to the the Aris tocr acy , the Midd le Class and and the the W ork ing Class of the West, the name of Barbarians, Phillistines Phillistines and Pop ulace, respectively. 4‘ A ll o f us,” he says says,, “ so far as we are are Barbarians, Barbarians, Phil listines or Populace, imagine happiness to consist in doing what what on e’ s ordin ary self likes likes.. What one’s ordinary self likes differs according to the class to which one belongs, and has its severer and its lighter side; always, however, remaining machinery (that is, mechanical agencies or formal ities) and and nothing more. The gra ver self of the the Barbarian likes likes honors and consid eration; his his more relaxed self, field field spo rts and pleasure. The graver self of one kind of Phillistine likes fanati cism, cism, business business and mo ney makin g; his mor e re re laxed self, com for t and tea-meeting. tea-meeting. O f another kind of Phillistine, the graver self likes rattening; the the relaxed self, deputations, or hearing Mr. Odger spea speak. k. The sterner self o f the the Populace like bawling, hustling, and smashing ; the lighter self self beer.” p. 98). He (Culture and Anarchy, vindicates his designations by explaining that the culture culture o f Euro pe is is mostly exterior on ly: that that the the Barbarians, who overthrew the the Roman Emp ire and re-invigorated and renewed Europe, accom plished those feats by staunch individualism and the passion for doing as one likes, and that these qualities, together with their passion for field sports, care for the body and cultivation of good looks, fine complexion, distinguished bearing and choice manners, have been perpetuated in the families of the the Aris tocr atic C las s; that that the the Phil listines were enemies of the children of light, and that the preference on the part of the Middle Class of commercial, professional and industrial busi ness to culture has brought them to the level of Ph illistin es; and that the the wo rkin g classes are very illiterate and unthinking, if not drunken and venal. But Bu t in each of these these classes, classes, he admits, Di gkiza ti on Sup po Ft b y MICROSOFT




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there are born a certain number of persons with a curiosity about their best self, with a strong bent fo r the pursuit o f individual individual perfection. By thi thiss talented body, which is the flower or cream of the three sections of Society in Europe, he says, class life and worship of machinery have been checked to some extent. A s regard s the United States States o f Am A m eric er ica, a, he is o f the op opin inio ion n that neit ne ithe herr the class corresponding to the English Aristocracy nor that corresponding to the Populace exists. The bulk of the nation consists of a class similar to the Middle Class of England, and the talented class in America has been described as follows,— “ In about every small small town o f the northern, northern, middle and southwestern states of America, and in each of our great cities and their environs, there will be found almost invariably a group of people of good taste, good manners, good education and of self-respect, peers of any people in the world. Such people read the best books, they interpret the best music, they are interested in themes world wide, and they meet each other with that mutual courtesy and that self-respect that belong to men and women who are sure of their footing.” Ha ppy are A rn old ’s phrases phrases,— ,—--“ class class li fe ” and “ worship of machine ry,” which which the tale talent nted ed class is ende avoring avor ing to minimize in the the West. Let us understand “ cl ass ass l i fe ” to be the life that de lights in differentiations of all kinds and believes in their reality, having no eye to see the harmonies of the Spiritual Being which underlie all differen tiations; tiations; and and “ worship worship o f machinery” to be be blin blind d devotion to the institutions of social life—to the wheels and body of the carriage called Civiliza tion, — without attending to the famished and fainting spirit for whose special benefit all the Institutes of Civilization were intended. W ith class class life and and worship worship of such uch “ machi machin n e ry ” as manner manners, s, money money and and physical physical pow er; with activities all devoted to the production of



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The Spirit of the East and and W est. est.

things new and astonishin g; with mind bent bent on on impressing others and gra tifyin g the the sens es; with wits sharpened sharpened for jest and fu n ; without the the leas leastt suspicion that the love of the sensuous, the sensa tional and the ridiculous quenches the spirit; without love of God and reverence for the Spirit and the the things things o f the the Sp iri t; without any knowl edge whatever of Spiritual Happiness and the methods of attaining it ; men and women in the the West are passing through life gaily dressed, too occupied with the things of the world to consider why fatigue is in their faces, unrest in their eyes and sadness in tlieir hearts. Sucli being the conditions in the West, Matthew Arn A rn o ld , w ho well we ll knew kn ew the cou co u n trie tr iess on both bo th sides sid es of the the Atlantic, Atlantic, deplored the the confusions o f thought and absurd practices that have led to a miscar riage o f life life in the the W est. He was was o f the opin ion that, while the work of bustling politicians had created an anarchy of ideas, the followers of cul ture should do their best to obtain some public recognition recognition of “ the duty and and possibil possibility ity of extri cating and elevating our best self. *’ “ E very one , ’ ’ said said lie lie, “ is boasting o f what he has done to edu cate men’s minds and to give things the course they are taking, but we, the followers of culture, do not pretend to educate anyone, for we are still t r y in in g t o c l e a r and e d u c a t e o u r s e l v e s It is

only men imbued with high enthusiasm for trutli and deep humility of character that can make such a confe ssion as this this in public. He raised his voice once once again again and and cried cried “ W e want want a clue to some sound order and authority. ” This clue happily exists in the East to guide us safely through the mazes of worldly existence. The Sages of India — Sanctified Spirits in actual fellowship with God — have taught from days of yore up to the present day, by word of mouth and in books, known as the Vedanta andSiddhdnta Shastras, that life on earth is not a farce, comedy Di gttizati on Su p po Ft by MICROSOFT

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or tragedy, but a great sphere of education, in J dt m a ) is the learner (Sisya), which the Soul Jiv ( ivdt and God Is ( s v a r a ) the teacher (Guru)', that the I lesson which the Soul has to learn is that it is in bondage to Corrup tion or E vil or Darkness Darkness ( malam malam oravid yd) and should free itself from it; M that for the attainment of freedom Mo ( o k sh a ) God has endowed the Soul with four sets of appli an ces; ce s; that the the first of them is is called its subtle subtle body (Sukshma Sarira) consisting of the invisible instruments instruments of nutrition, nutrition, knowledge and action; that the the secon d is called its tan gible bod }r (Sthula Sarira), consisting of nerve matter and the chan nels o f the the nervous and other inter-related systems of the visible body, in which the invisible instru ments fu n ct io n ; that the the third is called the train ing ground or sphere of action ( bhuvana) of the Soul, consisting of such institutions as home, school and profession, married life and society, industrial occupation and amusement, and gov ernment and p ol it ic s; that that the the fourth fourt h is is called Experiences ( bhoga) of pain and plea sure ; that, that, with the help of these agencies, the Soul must gradually forsake Corruption and attain the state called Brah Br ah mi stliit stl iitii or Godliness, so as to be able to enter into fellow ship with Go d; that this this pil pi l grimage from worldliness to godliness is called Pr ogre ss o f the the Sp irit or Spiritual Spiritual Progress ; that that the goal o f all all Pr og ogres res s should be G od ; and that that he who misuses any of the appliances for spiritual progress for base ends will have to render an account when the day for it comes, for God exists and is the rewarder and punisher of men accord ing to their deeds on earth. These teachings are not foreign to the West. They are to be found in that best book of Christen dom most app ropr iately called called the the Bible. Bible. When properly understood, it will be found to be truly the Book of Life, capable of solving not merely the question what individual development is, but also



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what Civilization is, what the difference between the so-called Progressive and Stationary societies is, and in what way the East and the West stand in contrast. The difficulty of interpreting the Bible in terms of its intended meaning has discredited the book and its unspiritual interpreters, but its true mean ings are manifest to those who have Spiritual Dis cernm ent; and Spiritual Discernm ent is is the natu ral inheritance of those who have broad minds and pure heart hearts. s. It is not to self-lovers, but to those in whom neigh borly love abounds. It is the com mon experience of humanity that philanthropic men see better and furth fur ther er than selfish selfish men. Lo ve is never blind in regard to the interests of those whom it loves. The wider is N eigh borly Love, the the more all-round does it see, both without and within. W ider id er than than this love is what is is called Perfect Love or Christly Love, the Love that knows no depth or height, length or breadth (Eph. iii, iii, 18). The true meaning o f the sayings o f Jesus and the Apostles are easily understood by those who have wide Neighborly Love in them, and the surest Interpreters of the Bible are those who have Perfect Love, and the great Spiritual Experien ce called called Kn owled ge of God. God. Fr om the them m may be be known known the the fact fact that that “ the the Gospel of G od ” means the Teachings of God, delivered through the Sanctified in Spirit (like Jesus and other Mas ters), as to the way in which God carries on His work of illumination and emancipation, right in the midst of worldly life, unseen and unthanked by most men, through agencies of different sorts. Ad A d d r e ssin ss in g as I do a C hris hr isti tian an audi au dien ence, ce, I ve vent ntur uree to think that it will be pleased to hear of the clues furnished by those great Eastern men who have been ordained from days of yore as the proper Teachers o f the W est. W hen some some of the the sayings sayings of these Hebraic sages have been sufficiently inter preted, you will see how their conclusions stand




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corroborated by the teachings of other Eastern Masters whom India adores. Then shal shalll we un derstand not only the animating principles of Eastern Civilization, but also the position which the great and I10 I10II57 Power called Civilization occu pies in the Unfoldiuent of Nature called Creation. The first clue to ‘ ‘ some sound order and author it y ” which which Matthe Matthew w A rnold lamen lamente ted d the the West had not yet found, is to be found in the parable of the the Pr od iga l Son. Son. A parable parable is o f course a com parison or contrast, and what was contrasted was the son that was lost and found, with the son that was never nev er lost. Jesus meant by the the the son that was lost and found the spirit who had st ra ye d aw ay into the maze ma zess o f worl wo rldl dlin ines ess, s, andreturned to Godliness, — the spirit who, through


ignorance of his great heritage of Light and Love, fell into the slums of sensuousness and material ism and then, being tired of them, became, by reflection, reflection, alive unto God. This parable is worthy wort hy of all consideration. It I t depi de pict ctss in a f ew wo rds rd s the Wh en man finds finds himself history of civilization. in possession of the good things of the world, he fancies that they are intended for the gratification of the senses, and plunges headlong into sensuous enjoyment. enjoym ent. But as indulgence in in it increases increases more and more the craving for it, and brings with such craving* the torments of unrest, fatigue, disease, nervous prostration and even insanity, man sees the fol ly o f carnalcarnal-mindedne mindedness. ss. With drawing his his thoughts from carnality, he endeavors to establish them on spiritu spir itual al it}7, and is at last re warde wa rded d with wit h eternal peace. The course of human progress from worldliness to godliness — from carnality to spirituality — is thus beautifully outlined in this little parable, given in Luke xv, 11-3 11-32. 2. “ I will will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven heaven and befo re thee” the e” (ver. 18), expresses the determination of the soul who has



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seen the folly of a sensuous sensuous life to seek seek the help o f a spiritual guide and through him attain the Father o f all all spirits. spirits. “ Let us search search and try our ways and turn turn again again to the the L o rd ,” in Lamentations iii, iii, 40, expresses the same truth. Of Him, our Father, Eastern nations have no doubt. He is is the the Boundless Be ing in in whom we all live and move (Ac ts, xvii, 28). H e is in and out of us. us. He is the the ve ry basis basis o f all all things, things, even even o f the space in in which all orbs float. float. Sp Space ace itse lf floats in a corner of Infinite Being, which is quick with knowledge all throug h Itse lf. It is also able to do all things, and every form of power, spirit ual. ual. mental mental and physical, pro ceed s fro m Him. He is the Father of ah nations, who are made of one blood (Acts xvii, 26), whatever the color of the skin or type of the face may be, and is therefore designated in every country as 1‘ Our Fath er. ’ ’ Since all Power belongeth to Him (Ps. Ixii, 1 1 ), it is He who has endowed each soul with a mind and body and sphere of action, and sense of pain and pleasure, so as to enable him to see the real value of life and escape from worldliness to Godliness. The parable o f the the talents talents (M atthew xxv, 14-34) teaches the truth that our belongings are G od ’s. ’s. The talents talents are refe rre d to by Jesus as “ go o d s” belonging to the the Master, and souls souls as as ‘ ‘ servants. servants. ’ ’ They were given a choice o f occupa tions, but the duty imposed on them was that they should work on such work as would produce the profitable fruits called intellectual and moral at tainments. The soul that was given to sloth and did not obey the command that it should work profitably is called called in verse 26 “ slothful and wicked servant,” and and in in verse verse 30 30 “ unprofi unprofitab table le servant.” servant.” But the soul who, with a fair share of ability which had been entrusted to him, made the best use of his talents in the profession he followed and multiplied his virtues, was allowed to enter into “ the joy o f th the L ord ,” and and made made “ rule rulerr over over





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many th ing s” (v. 23), by which which is meant meant that he was admitted to the blissfulness of the spiritual kingdom and given many a worldly blessing also. “ Seek ye ye first first the kingdom o f God, and and all all else else will be added unto unto y o u ” said Jesus in emphatic words (Matt, vi, 33). In the the parable parab le be for e us, us, Jesus declares that the Kingdom of God is the goal of all endeavor for man, since, even before he was created, it was the Divine will that industrial work, effectively and righteously done, should in due course bring the worker into fellowship with God. The Th e word wo rdss of v. v. 33 33 are that such souls shall shall pre p re p a r ed f o r them the m f ro m the “ inherit inherit the the kingdom kingdom fo unda un dati tion on o f the worl wo rld d.” The parable of the Unjust Steward, given in Luke xvi, imparts the truth that man is a trustee of God as regards the resources lent to him for the purpose of emancipating himself from worldli ness. ness. A steward who had been entrusted with large quantities of oil and wheat by a rich man to be laid out profitably profit ably was was called to account. account. The steward, steward, being idle idle and vai vain, n, said to himself “ I cannot dig,— to beg I am ashamed,” and and took took measures to conceal his acts of misappropriation and to save save his reputatio n with men (v. 4). He cooked up vouchers in support of false entries. The Master is the Lord, the Steward is the Soul. The Lord smiled at the folly of the Soul caring for the praises of men and not regarding the forgivness ness o f God. God. “ The childre children n o f this this w orld ,” says says the the Lord, “ fancy themselve themselvess wiser than than the the chil dren of light who prefer honor with God to good repute among men. men. I f it it cannot be faith ful in the the matter of perishable articles, like stores and money, which are false riches, how can I trust it with true riches, or the powers and glories of the spiritual spiritual kingdom ? To make a friend o f the the mam mon of unrighteousness is to qualify for much so rro w ” (vs. 9-1 1); and and Jesus said said unto unto the the Pharisees, who were unrighteous at heart and

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loved loved tlie tlie praises praises of worldly men, men,— “ Ye are they they which justify yourselves before men, but God knowetl knowetlii you r he art s: fo r that which is is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight o f G od ” (v. 15). Those who endeavor to make make money and reputation by unrighteous means have missed the true goal of life, which is spiritual happiness or peace. “ The law of the the Lord is pe rfect ,” said said the the Psalmist Psalmist,— ,— “ converting converting the the sou l” (xix, 7), that that is to say, the will or design of the Lord, in making the world and placing the soul in it, is compre hensively benign, is the consummation of all that is good, namely, to make the soul pass from world liness liness to godliness. This passage or pilgrim age has to be made in Ear thly life. Se lf-lov e has has to be converted into Neighborly Love, and Neigh borly borly Love int intoo Perfect Love. Love. Pe rfect Love is is Love at its its full maturity. “ Be ye per fect, even as the the Father in heaven heaven is p er fe ct ” said said Jes us ; and t ls ls possible fo r every sp irit, said St. St. Paul, Paul, “ to attai attain n to the the Ma M a tu r i t y of the state called iv, 13). 13). Fu ll n es s o f C h ri st .” (Eph. iv, These words maturity and fu ln es s, (in Greek helikia and ple p le r om a ) occurring in Eph. iv, 13, are o f prime importance to every one who is is concerned with with “ the thin things gs o f the the Sp irit” (Pom . viii, viii, 5), for they call attention to the mysterious fact that there is a growth of the Spirit, even as there is a grow th o f the the Bo dy. It is given to all, all, excep t the blind of eye and palsied of touch, to see the body grow from the stage called infancy to youth, and from yout h to to middle age and old age age.” .” Ea ch o f these stages manifests its own phase, and the phase phase of “ old ag e” or the the ripeni ripening ng of the the body, are the wrinkles of the skin, the grey hairs of the head and the the stoop o f the shoulders. shoulders. ’ But the fact of the Rip R ip en in g o f the th e S p irit ir it is beyond the ken of most men. men. Th ey have not even heard of it. it. Nevertheless, Jesus and Paul often spoke of it; Di gEtiz gEtizati ati on Sup po rt by M IC R O S O F T

Ori gin a I fro m V A L E U N IV E R S I T Y

The Spirit of the East and West .


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and their teaching is identically the same as that of other Masters in India, namely, that the Soul or Spirit in man is Love, and that its growth is de noted by the words Self-Love, Neighborly Love and Infinite Love. Paul describes the characteristics of the stage called Self-Love in 2 Tim. iii, 2-7, which may be rendered as as fo llo w s: ‘ ‘ In the the domestic circle, circle, it pays no heed to the voice of its natural guardians, is devoid of affection for those whom it should love, is unthankful, not willing to oblige, nor easily pacified. Abroad Abr oad , it puts on the appearance o f goodness without believing in its virtue, is false in friendship, given to belittling others, boastful of its own deeds, u nfor givin g, scornful, scornfu l, much in clined to the pleasures of the senses, easily urged by external influences and led away by divers de sires, owing owi ng to instability o f character. Such a spirit may he ever learning, hut will never know the Truth/’ which is God and Christ. Christ. (See my Eas E as te rn E x p o si ti o n o f St. Jo hn , published by W. Hutchinson & Co., London, 1902, Preface, vii, and pp. 94, 94, 106, 106, 178. etc.). etc .). St. Paul Pa ul explained explaine d furthe fur therr in 1 Cor. ii ii,, 14: 14: “ The natural natural man (or the the self lover) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, fo r they are foolish ness unto unto him. him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually 5-7, he said,— said,— discerned.” An d in Rom. viii, 5-7, “ The y that are are afte r the fle flesh sh do mind the the things things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit mind the things of the the Spirit. The carnal carnal mind (o r mind impregnated with self-love) is inimical to God.” The Spirit’s next stage of growth is called Ne ighbo rly Love, the distinguishing distinguishing marks marks of which are clearly set forth in the parable of the Samaritan and the Jew who had fallen among thieves. thieves. It is is comm only supposed in the W est that the neighbor is the person who lives near another person, and dictionarians give as the wid



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est meaning of that word, one entitled to the con sideration sideration doe to a neighbor. But Jesu s’ meaning is not corporeal. It does does not refer to locality or body. It refe rs to that condition of the Spirit which is helpful to others. others. A s explained in my E a st e r n E x p o si t io n o f St. St . J o h n , the Spirit who, “ putting aside aside his his own business business and and all all the pre va lent notions o f the Jew and Samaritan, went straight to the fallen man, applied healing oint ment to the wounds, refreshed the sufferer with wine, set him on his own beast, brought him to an inn, nursed him through the night, paid the inn keeper the charges due, begged him to take care of the patient till he should return from his business, and promised to make good all further charges that might be incurred, is the Nei N ei gh b or , or Neigh borly L ov e.” Another na name fo r it is the th M e erciful Spirit, that is, the Spirit which melts at the dis tress o f others and longs to help them. them. “ Blessed are are the the m erciful,” said said Jesus, Jesus, “ for they they shal shalll obtain obtain m er cy” (Matt, (Matt, v, 7). The mer cy shown shown by God to Spirits who are merciful is the gift of 7 2 5 0 7 6 8 8 0 2 0 0 9 3 . e l a y / 7 2 0 2 / t e n . d e p l d # e n s a u h . _ l s d s h e / c / : c a p / t t g r h o . t / s u r T t M i h G t a 6 h 2 : . 1 w 1 w w 3 / 0 - / : 2 p 0 t - t 4 h 1 0 / 2 n n o i a m d o e t D a r c e i n l e b u G P

the ability to understand the doctrine of Grace and Truth, for assuredly when Self-Love grows to be

N eighborly-Lo ve,— when the the Self-lov er grow s to be the the Neighb or,— there grow s also in him a natural liking for things spiritual, and a corresponding dislike of things corporeal. The third and last stage of spiritual growth is known as Perfect Love (Matt, v, 48), or Christly Love, the Love that knows no height, or depth, length or breadth (Eph. iii, 18), the Love that makes makes no differen ce between between friends , neighb ors and enemies, but loves them all equally, doing good to all, even to those who hate it and despitefully use it (Matt, v, 35-44). This indeed is the F u l ness of Love, called by Hebrew Sages Ple P le r o m a ur a na m , the Love and by Indian Sages At m a- p ura that sees all round everywhere, and takes a most comprehensive, most loving and most practical Di gfoizati gfoizati on Sup po Ft b y MICROSOFT



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view of the situations of life. It is not misled by appearances, having the gift of seeing the core or substance of every question.


These great facts of the real existence of the Spirit in the Body and the practicability of gradu ally ripening the Soul from the stage of Self-Love to Neighborly Love, and from Neighborly Love to Perfect Love, are fully recognized in India all through the the different gradations of society. society. The Sages of India and Judsea alike have proclaimed the necessity of rearing the Spirit with the utmost care. It I t shoul sho uld d he the g re a te st ivork ivo rk o f life li fe on The Th e Spi rit is like a flame flame that should be Ear E arth th . protected against wind-currents, and fed with oil every ev ery day. Sensualism and emotionalism, emotionalism, irr ev erence and frivolity, are the breezes that quench the Spirit (1 Thes. v, 19) and leave only a smok ing flax flax (Isa. (I sa. xlii, 3 ); and the work of quenching will be all the sooner effected by idleness and too much sleep. The oil that keeps alive the Spirit Spi rit is sound doctrine and wakefulness against error and sin. sin. “ The cares o f this this world and and the the deceitful ness of riches, as also the lusts of other things, said Jesus (Mark iv, 19). Tlig Tlig choke the w or d ,” said cares of the world are the engagements of world[y life which must be attended to, but the West does not know how to fulfill these ivithout being en tangled in them or drowned in the vortex of sor row. T o one who is is devoted to the art o f nursing the spirit, by not allowing it to be quenched by the breezes of corruption, non-entanglement is easy. “ No man,” said said St. Paul Paul,, “ that that warreth warreth agains againstt corruption entangleth himself with the affairs of this this li fe ,” (Tim. ii, ii, 4). The hearing and under standing of sound doctrine, or the doctrine that heals the soul of its worldliness, enables one to perceive that all flesh is as grass, and all the cor pore al glor gl or y o f man is as as the the flower o f grass. “ The grass withereth withereth and and the the flower thereof falleth aw ay ” (1 Pet. i, i, 24).



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The Th e Sp i r i t o f the E a s t and W e s t .

In the performance of the duties of life, whether as husband, father, friend or citizen, it is wise to be detached from things that are likely to perish, and to work for the spiritual welfare of oneself and of those around oneself. It is most necessary to be watchfu l o f the the seductions o f wealth wealth.. Num berless are the men who have been beguiled and ruined through the possession of well furnished houses, gaudy jewels and carriages, country seats and other facilities for sensuous enjoyment, which are barriers to quiet meditation, and which are are therefore therefore sai said d to to “ choke choke the the word o f G od ” rela ting tin g to the things o f the Sp Spirit. irit. T o be in the world, one need not be o f the the world. I f the the trans actions of life are carried on with loving spirit, attentive mind and effective hand, but without entanglement, there will be no fear of the clear flame of the Spirit being converted into a smoking flax (Isaiah, xlii, 3). Space will not allow of enlarging further upon other main currents of thought which work silently in India under all the engagements of world ly life. life. The Spirit o f the the East is alive unto God, and thinks not too highly of the world that is changing, decaying and perishing, even as we are look ing on. on. It does indeed indee d adorn a home, engage in industrial arts, and produce things beautiful to behold, such as marble palaces and all other luxuries which go to make up great cities, but it never forgets that, like the birth and death of each day, the things made of earth and flesh will also soon pass away. It is there th ere fore for e a duty dut y it owes to itself, and the Living God whom it serves, not to allow the treasures of the world, which moth and rust doth corrupt (Matt, vi, 19), to multiply themselves beyond a certain limit and deceive man unto perdition . It is dee ply relig ious. ious. It recognizes as a fact clearer than than the no on day sun that the Lord reignetli throughout the universe (Psalms xciii, 1 ) ; that he is above all, all, Digitization Digitization Sup port by

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MICROSOFT

Y A L E U N I V E R S IT IT Y

The Spirit of the the East and and W es t.


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through throu gh all and in all (Epli. ( Epli. iv, 6 ) ; that that he made the world as a training ground for the soul, is Creator, and faints not in His work of mercy (Is. xv, 88) ; that his his work o f mercy merc y is teaching the the soul soul how how to to be be free from corr up tion ; that that He is the one and only Teacher of all spirits and all nations, the Teacher of Truth and Illuminer of eve ry underst anding; and ing; that He is is Light Lig ht (1 John, i, i, 5) and Love ( ib . iv, 8 ) ; that He teaches teaches man man by the great Spiritual power known as Law, which is unto man a real school-master, able to wring obedi obed i ence to it by its minister known as Government, and to develop in him the love o f Just ice; that that God teaches also by other agencies imbued with love, namely, by parents at home, by teachers at school, by teachers of occupations, by teachers of religion, known as pastors, by evangelists, who are the disciples of the Apostles, and lastly and most gloriously by Apostles of God, who quench not the smoking flax, but bring out of it discernment unto truth (Isa. xvii, 3), a veritable beacon of light and love, love, a thing of o f beauty and and jo jo}^ fo re ve r; that that God is the chastener of the soul (Heb. xii, 9), a dispeller of fears and sorrows, and the strengtliener of all who appeal to Him in abiding faith, who ever ever in in mercy says says “ Fear thou not not,, fo r I am with th ee ; be not dismayed, dismayed, fo r I am am thy G o d ; T will strengthen tliee, Yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my right eous ness’ ' (Is. xli, xli, 10). The Spirit o f the the East also recognizes and feels most assuredly that the Soul is the prin cipal cipa l part of ma n; that that the the help mate of the Soul is the m in d ; that the collecto rs o f worldly information for the Mind are the Senses; that the Mind and the Senses are maintained in strength fo r their respective work by other subtle helpers, such as the Digester of food, the Distributor of the food-essence to all the mem bers of o f the body, e tc .; that the the mud-house of the Soul and its subtle helpmates is the body that



30



falls off at death and becomes food for Forms; that therefore the affections should not be cen tered tere d on the b od y; that, the Mind Min d should be with drawn as much as possible from the things of the body and established on the things of the Spirit, the Son of God, for whose benefit the body and the world worl d was m ade; ad e; and that it is is wo rse than than madness, suicidal, to miss the opportunity of a life-time in gathering and polishing up worldly treasures, like unto chaff. chaff. The Sp irit o f the East is further fully persuaded that the Soul has a growth in light and love, and that it must be carefully nursed in every possible way from day to day, and with watchfulness all all through the the day ; that it is good for a man that he bears the yoke of Sonlcultu re in in his youth (Lam entation enta tions, s, iii, iii, 27) ; that first fir st sharpening this Culture of the Soul begins by and refining the instruments of culture, namely, the Mind and Senses, under the instruction of par bi d in g in se ro nd / h b y a bid ents, teachers and pastors, sero the law and gathering restful guidance and strength for work, thirdly by active work in the world in various ways, such as industrial occupa tions, charitable work and work in and for the Church, and lastly by imbibing sound doctrine from the living lips of evangelists and apostles of God. Knowing as the East does these great truths, it is able to say without hesitation that the high ideals and ethical conduct needed for ripening the Spirit from Self Love to Neighborly Love and Neighborly Love to Perfect Love constitute Soulculture or Civiliz ati on ; and that that the the Mind (re ason and will), if set to work on the things of the world, may produce articles of trade, money, flourish ing homes and lofty cities, but can never produce righteousness, Love of God or Peace, unless it be united with the Spirit and made to mind the things o f the the Spirit. In thes thesee circumstances, no Civiliza tion is complete without its material and spiritual



31

planes. It will lack symmetry symm etry if one outgrow s the other. A constant careerin care ering g o f the Mind in in the path of bodily necessities and luxuries renders it unfit unfit fo r the developm ent o f spirituality. The Bh agav avad ad Gita Git a gracious Bhagavan said (in the Bhag vi, 5),—“ The work of uplifting uplifting the the Spirit Spirit (dtma uddharana) from corruption and its entanglements has to be done by the Mind. “ Since Mind only is the the ally ally of the Spirit, and and Mind only the enemy of the Spirit, the Mind should not be made impure by letting it run on sensuous planes.” A Mind Mi nd that cape ca pers rs about abo ut in the broa br oad d ways wa ys of the senses and turns needlessly on its own axis becomes quite unfit for the edification of the Spirit. It cannot build it up in love and light. It cannot understand the Word of God, called the Juana Jua na Shdst Shd stra rass in India, much less convey con vey their intended meaning to the Spirit, so that the Spirit is obliged to continue in Darkness, that is, materi alism or worldliness. A Civilization that that is with out its full complement of spiritual mindedness may produce clever men and women, willing to do what is proper and right, but they will be unable to resist temptation when it comes associated with the chance chance o f not being found foun d out by others others.. The materialized mind, known of old as carnal-mindedness, however able to perform the ordinary duties of life before the gaze of the public, will fre quently go wrong and even persist in error, if it be sure that its vagaries will remain undetected. In its sight, crime or sin is neither wrong-doing nor estrangement from God, but allowing oneself to be detected in wickedness or impiety. The inner purity of the Indiv In dividu idual al is not so much the concern of the votaries of material civilization as that Society should not have to talk about the latest scandal. scandal. Ex po posu sure re is the one great offence known to material civilization. To endeavor to



32



keep up the appearance of being good and well off is the end and aim of deadly respectability, of “ white whited d sepulchres sepulchres.” .” An y civil civilizat ization ion whic which h doe doess not crave for the spiritual growth of the individ ual, for the active development in each person of Loving Kindness and Knowledge of God, is on the high road of Sensuousness, doomed to become a “ smoki smoking ng flax, flax,”” a thing thing of lurid lurid vanit vanity. y. The Civilization of India lias endured,— has endured endured so so long long as to to be be styled styled “ stationary ” — because of its equipoise between materiality and spirituality. spirituality. The authors o f that that civilization civilization were great Jndni Jn dnis, s, sanctified spirits, who knew human nature in its entirety, and the worldly and spiritual needs of men ushered into life on the soil soil o f India. India. The industrial industrial arts and and popu lar amusements of the Hindus have not been allowed to run riot, so as to quench the Spirit, but have been developed sufficiently to answer the ends of beauty and comfort, and leave enough time to cul tivate the fruits of the Spirit and worship God in peace, this ev e v e r y day da y in all earnestness. Ow ing to this equilibrium between the material and spiritual sides of civilization being carefully maintained up to the present time by generations of Sages, the teeming millions of souls who inhabit the Land of Light (Jnana bhumi ), now known as India, has the singular privilege of surviving all other nations of the world and maintaining almost intact the traditionary ideals and practices of their pious ancestors. I say “ a l m o s t inta ct,” because because the the in flux of Western modes of thought, which cultured men of the West condemn as Materialism and Ag A g n o stic st icis ism m , has, d u rin ri n g the last la st two tw o o r three th ree decades, begun to lead astray the youth of the country who have flocked into English Colleges and trade centres for learning the novel principles of money-making under competition, even at the hazard of their Souls.



TH E

WORKS

OF

SAME SAME

AU THO R

A L R E A D Y P U B L I S H E D .

1.

An E astern Exposition of the the Gospel Gospel of Jesu s according' to to St. S t. Joh n, being an Interpretation Juana Yo ga . thereof by the light of Juana $2. $2 . A Com mentary on St. Matthew in terms of Godly Experience (or Jnana Jnana Y o g a ) . ' $2 .

2.

IN PREPARATION. 1.

2. 3. 4.


5.

Sou l Culture among Western Nations. Bein g the the substance of the lectures delivered before the Monsalvat School for the/Study of(Comparative3 Religions, Religions, at at Green Green Acre, Eliot, M e J U . S. AT AT, in August, 1905. An Exposition of the the Psalms Psalms of David ( i x x x ) according to Jnana Yo ga . Le ctu res on the Serm on on the Mount. Lec ture s on on the the Doctrine of the the Resurrect ion of the Dead, being a Commentary on the XVth Chapter of the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. A T ranslatio n and and Commentary on the the Bh Bh ag av ad Gita.

6.

Phenomena in Spiritu al Bei ng : which is the the A u tho r’s Commentary Comm entary on his translation of the famous Vedanta work in Tamil entitled, Nan a Jiva Jiv a Vada Va da Kattal Kat talai. ai.

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So c i e t y,

244, Lenox Avenue, New York City, T he

M e t a p h ys ic a l

Cl ub,

Huntingdon Chambers, Boston, Mass



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