Around the Campfire
Since the time of Socrates, the human propensity to raise questions has been the first step on the difficult and thorny path of self-knowledge. How? Why? Wherefore? Why not? Questions have constantly exercised man's intelligence, underlining the fact that passive knowledge is not sufficient.
All of us raise questions, but there are few people who can provide us with satisfactory answers. We need someone to assuage our doubts, set our tormented minds at rest and clear the darkness that resides in our hearts!
In his wide ranging travels over the globe, Dada J.P. Vaswani has come to the aid of thousands of such seekers after the Truth. Instinctively, people have turned to him for enlightement on matters spiritual and temporal, issues human and divine, problems specific and universal ....
With his lively, twinkling sense of humour, Dada provides answers to numerous queries that have constantly haunted us. With a story here, an anectode there, with a suggestion here and a tip there, Dada shows us the way out of ignorance to the path of knowledge.
If you have been torn by doubt, if your questions have remained unasnwered, peep into the pages of this book and you will surely find answeres to your questions.
Around the Campfire
Selected Questions and Answers from the above Booklet
by Dada J.P. Vaswani
Contents:
Questions:
- Question: Dada, there is always this million-dollar smile on your face.
What is the secret?
- Question: Why is it that we cannot smile all the time?
- Question: Dada, why did God create us?
- Question: What was the message Sadhu Vaswani wanted to convey?
-
Question: Dada, has the Sadhu Vaswani Mission started a new religious cult?
- Question: Dada, the Sadhu Vaswani Mission believes in the fellowship of races,
and religions. Could you kindly tell us what is the attitude of the Mission towards
religions other than Hinduism?
Answers:
Answer: The secret is a simple one. I seek to live as a little child:
a child who knows that its mother is near and it has naught to fear. No
mother would wish to bring her child to harm. And so, in everything that happens,
in every incident and accident, every illness and adversity, - there is a meaning
of the Divine Mother's mercy. She is All-Love and All-Wisdom. She is too loving
to punish, too wise to make a mistake. And so nothing can ever go wrong.
All is well, as all was well and will ever be well, both tomorrow and a hundred
years hence. The person who believes in this, will always continue to smile the
smile of bliss. The secret of the care-free life is, - walk with God today,
and trust Him for the morrow!
Answer: It is because we are afflicted with the disease of desire. When our
desires are crossed, we feel miserable and unhappy. When we are in a neutral
state,- neither happy nor unhappy, - we feel bored. It is only when we transcend
these three states that we are filled with peace, - the peace that passeth,
surpasseth understanding.
Answer: I think this is a question which only God can answer. Therefore, we
must first seek to reach God. Let us endeavor to reach God, and when we
have attained Him, we can put to Him this and other similar questions. But,
perhaps, when we have reached God, we will find that we have no questions to
ask of Him.
Answer: Sadhu Vaswani's message, in a few simple words, is: Love god with all
your mind and heart and soul, and give the service of love to all the suffering
children of God. Never forget, he added, that birds and animals and all creatures
that breathe the breath of life are also God's children. Creation is one family.
And in this one family of creation, birds and animals are man's younger brothers
and sisters. It is the duty and responsibility of man to guard them, and protect
them, take care of them, and give them the love of this unselfish heart.
These hands are given us to help and heal, not to hurt and harm. They are
given us to save and not to slaughter, to bless and not to butcher. These
hearts are given us to love and not to hate.
Answer: No. The world does not need new religious cults, but New Life. So
many rites: so many creeds. What the sad world needs is the life of sympathy
and love. Sadhu Vaswani said, again and again: "Religion? Let us talk of it less
and practise more!" The emphasis of Sadhu Vaswani was on life, not on words,
or rites, rituals, creeds, dogmas. Creeds, he said, are broken reeds and dogmas
divide. But religion, true religion is life. True religion is that which
teaches us to love God and to serve the God-in-man. For within every man there
dwelleth God. Every man is a living moving temple of God. To render service
to man is truly to worship God.
Answer: The Mission believes in the unity of all religions and reveres the Great Ones
of all Faiths. We have reverence for Krishna and also for Christ, - as for the
other Great Ones of Humanity, including Buddha, Muhammed, Moses, Guru Nanak, Kabir,
St. Francis, Lao Tse, Zoroaster, Baha'u'llah. The list is endless.
In all religions, taught Sadhu Vaswani, there is but one Light. In all
scriptures there is but one Wisdom. In all the Saints and Prophets there is but one
Inspiration. The Sadhu Vaswani Mission celebrates days sacred to all Great
Ones of different religions and races. They all belong to the One Kingdom of
Heaven,- the Kingdom of God.
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