It has always been up to philosophy, not religion, to demonstrate that one is before, after and beyond matter. Until recently, this was a matter of consensus, as the humblest peasant could attest to it, even if his only tool for validation was direct perception. Today, of course, everything has changed. And when we take into account the simplicity of the reasoning that leads to the necessity of the old conclusion, it is truly astonishing how many obstacles modern man has to overcome in order to reach it. He first has to undo an infinite number of deceptions, get rid of a series of stupid notions, in short, uneducate himself. And the worst thing is that saying it this way does not express the tremendous effort required to do so, which involves an almost detachment from time and an almost denial of experience. This effort, as we can see, seems to require the fiber of a devotee, which is why the so-called conscience today is more easily attained through religion than through philosophy.
One of the Greatest Inherent Difficulties…
One of the greatest inherent difficulties in investigating reality is harmonizing the awareness of individual insignificance with the individual need to act. The former comes automatically, when one contrasts the size and complexity of the universe with the possibilities of the observer. However, if we accept being, if we accept the irrevocability of being, we must also accept a reason, a necessity. Hence the conclusion: one is almost nothing, what one does is almost nothing, but one is because it is a force to be and to do
The Best Literature Is Always…
The best literature is always that which is most connected to direct experience, on which the author’s individuality rests. No matter how much or how well he idealizes, his spirit will be most intense when describing not what he imagines, but what he knows. This is why, in many cases, it is the biography that supports the author.
Hindu Literature, Whose Real Exuberance…
Hindu literature, whose real exuberance existing translations have not yet been able to reveal to the West, can no longer inspire anything but awe in the Westerner who investigates it. The truth is that, sometimes, an imaginatively poor and precariously translated Hindu text is already capable of evoking a reality so impressive that only by using all his imaginative capacity can the Westerner conceive of it. It is therefore worth admiring it, even if grasping it may seem unfeasible or inconvenient.