 53. Evil |
The conventionally religious mind is not free, not liberated from the force of phenomena, or the dreadful and marvelous Machine of Nature. Therefore, even though so-called religious people may be full of God-Talk, curious beliefs, and mystical profusions, they do not typically acknowledge or Realize the present inherence of all beings and things in the Transcendental Reality. And this absence of direct Realization obliges them to function, and experience, and presume within the domain of phenomena, or Nature in itself. In this manner, conventional religion is often bound up with tendencies, motives, expressions, and philosophies that are "evil" and not "good." Therefore, anyone who is moved by arguments of a religious kind should consider all of it to the point of ecstatic surrender, awakened wisdom, and a profoundly activated love of all beings (expressed through non-threatening service, tolerance, compassion, and help).
Be more sensitive to the "evil" that is always persuasive in your fear, regardless of the glamour of your "experiences" or your beliefs. And oblige yourself first of all to surrender the self and all its internal and external possessions to the Infinite Being and All-Pervading Life-Radiance that are God.
