THERE IS NO SIN!
There is no sin; it is a misconception of the mind. Sin is something you have done for which you feel guilty. This guilt is the most significant disease in the world today.
It is not heart disease that is the greatest killer, and neither is cancer, but the greatest killer in the world today is the sense of guilt. This sense of guilt gnaws at your conscience and puts your mind into greater and greater confusion.
What do we mean by sin? Any act we have performed that is not conducive to society’s standards is a sin. Something might seem sinful in one country, while it might not be in another. For example, polygamy is not immoral in Tibet, while here it is.
THE CONCEPT OF SIN IS A CREATION OF MAN’S MIND
Various organised religions, like Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity, perpetrated this conception on man’s mind to formulate a society that could stay together. When they could not tell people, “Love thy neighbour as thyself,” and “You are your brother’s keeper,” they introduced the concept of wrongdoing and eternal damnation.
They have succeeded in implanting greater fear into the minds of people. In this process, man is involved and starts believing he has sinned. While today, all these psychologists, psychiatrists and gurus are trying to rid man of fear from their minds, guilt is so much associated with fear.
Repeat to yourself over and over again, “I am weak, I am weak, I am weak,” and you will become weaker. One psychologist, Emile Coue, started a clinic in France. The only formula he gave to people was this: “I am feeling better and better. I am feeling better and better.” Repeat that morning, noon, and night as an affirmation. Repetition produced significant results, where the sick person became better.
THERE IS NO PLACE FOR SIN, AS THE TRUTH IS YOU ARE DIVINE
If you call yourself a sinner, you are weakening yourself by saying I am a sinner; I am a sinner. There is no hope for me—eternal damnation. I will burn in Hell and all these kinds of things. These are just creations of the mind; there is no truth.
The truth is that you are divine. Divinity knows of no sin. If we believe that Divinity or God is omnipresent, then He is present in every action of ours. He is present in every cell of our body. He is present everywhere. Where could there be anything that would be contrary to that which is omnipresent? Then, of course, they had to introduce the concept of Satan. If God is omnipresent, then where could Satan be? There is no place for Satan. There is no place for sin.
Since childhood, People were taught to believe that “this is sinful.” It is foolish to believe that one is sinful. It starts with the mothers reprimanding their children – you do this, it is wrong; you do that, it is wrong. Of course, they should be disciplined, but that discipline can be exercised without making the child feel guilty.
It reminds me of this burglar who spanked his child for stealing some cookies. The child later asked, “Dad, I know what kind of work you do. I took a few cookies, and you spanked me.” So, the father replies, “I did not spank you for stealing the cookies, but I spanked you for leaving your fingerprints on the jar.” You see, so these fingerprints are in your mind!
The entire training, from childhood through the church and the schools, has weakened man and brought him unnecessary suffering. They have brought about suffering where there should be no suffering at all.
Whatever we sow, we will reap. That is one of the valid injunctions, for if you plant tomatoes, you do not expect pineapples to grow. If you plant tomatoes, you will grow tomatoes – there is no doubt. But how does that affect you as far as your inward Self is concerned, that inner Self beyond the thinking, analytical mind?
WRONGDOING
What suffers, and what you think that you have committed wrong, is the analytical left hemisphere of your brain that tries to evaluate. In my opinion, wrongdoing makes you work against the laws of nature, not the laws of man, but against the laws of nature, which brings you more misery.
That is wrongdoing. That is planting the seed incorrectly and not nurturing it so the plant can grow. What do we do with this mind forever thinking in this mould? What shall we do with this mind? What is the way out? Can anything be done with this analytical mind, the brain’s left hemisphere? So much can be done. We have twelve billion cells in this three-pound brain box, and we are only using one-millionth of twelve billion cells, and that one-millionth part that we are utilising is creating all the trouble. The rest is lying dormant.
Through meditation and spiritual practices, we awaken the other cells lying dormant within ourselves, within the brain. As more cells are awakened, we allow the mind to come through. The brain is only an organ, not the mind.
THE UNIVERSAL MIND
There is only one mind, and that is the Universal Mind. It is the primal manifestation of the Manifestor. To categorise, we divide that one Universal Mind into sections. We call it the conscious mind, the subconscious mind, and then what I call the Superconscious level of the mind. This Superconscious level is universal.
Each and everyone is connected to the universality of the superconscious mind. It is so connected that every action you perform will react somewhere else. If you stand on this side of the seashore and move the waves, those currents will keep on moving, moving, moving to the other shore because everything in this universe is connected. So, when these psychologists have group therapies for some of their patients, they can do a lot of good for them because every mind is connected. The separation only rests on the conscious level and the subconscious level.
ACCEPT LIFE AS IT IS
One way to reach the Superconscious level is through spiritual practices. Other methods exist, such as devotion and analysis, but eventually, it will all end up in spiritual practices. By practising spiritual practices, you automatically become devotional, develop a new perspective, and create a greater awareness of life.
You can accept life when you can look at it as it is. That is the quality that is missing: acceptance. When acceptance is missing, then all the fears start ruling. The waves of the ocean are turbulent, and you cannot get rid of them; they would always be there, but you can become a surfer and enjoy them.
… Gururaj Ananda Yogi: Satsang US 82 – 44
