Passage 7

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In plain words

You too are doing japa, doing dhyāna, reciting mantras. All this you do only for a small satisfaction, for a peace that does not last. The peace gained in this way is not lasting. This is not Peace, it is Pieces! When you turn a japa-mālā once round, the 108 beads pass by one after another. But what runs through them all is the one thread. In the same way, manyness changes, but the oneness within it remains eternal. That is divinity.

What makes oneness known is true sādhana

Divinity is like a ‘magnet’. This ‘magnet’ is drawing the whole world. This power of attraction is greater at certain places; there it is special. Look at one small example. How is it that so many thousands come here? Who invited you? This ‘magnet’ alone is drawing so many people. This is the divine power of attraction. This power does not come because someone thinks of it, nor does it come because someone calls it. It is gained only through Prema. Prema is something that wells up from within, not something stuffed in from outside. Worldly knowledge can be stuffed in from outside. But the principle of Prema must well up from within. Prema is God. Worldly knowledge shows manyness in oneness. The principle of Prema shows the oneness that is in manyness. So if you want to know the truth that the principle of the Ātma in all is the one in us, you must foster Prema. Hunger is natural to all. But each one satisfies his hunger by eating a different food. The foods may differ, but the hunger is one, is it not! “The foods differ; the hunger is one”. Your sādhanas and your delusions may differ, but the Ātma in all of you is one. To try to recognise such oneness is true sādhana. You must keep the principle of Prema in you steady and pure. But in the youth of today, Prema keeps changing from moment to moment. Today it is pure; tomorrow it turns impure. The principle of Prema that changes in this way cannot be Bhakti.