New Spiritual Awakening in Europe

RAMDAS feels it is necessary here to sum up in a few words his impressions about the new spiritual awakening evident in European countries. In Switzerland he saw that the groups represented by the Sufi saint and Jean Herbert stood for the unity of all religions. In Germany Dr. Gunter Zuhlsdorf of Frankfurt belongs to a renascent religious society started to imbibe inspiration, light and guidance from all the great spiritual Masters of the world. K. O. Schmidt of Reutlingen, who is the Chairman of the German New Thought Movement and the district President of the International New Thought Alliance, disseminates the ideals of universal religion through his books and magazine Neugeist. Then we have Eduard Ullmann, another leader of the New Thought Alliance, carrying out the same ideals with great zeal in Munich. Again in France, the Centre founded by Swami Siddheswarananda has a universal outlook, befitting the Mission founded in the name of Sri Ramakrishna. Then again the Spiritual Development Centre started by Guy M. deGelder of The Hague, Holland, teaches that spirituality is a matter of soul development irrespective of the creed, colour and country to which the person may belong. In England we have Henry Thomas Hamblin as the leader of the New Thought. He is a dynamic spiritual force. He has contributed towards the liberalisation of the religious outlook by presenting the true Christian beliefs and principles which are perfectly in accord with the teachings of all sages, saints and teachers of the various religions. Hamblin, through his illuminating magazine The Science of Thought Review is bringing thousands of spiritual aspirants all over the world in contact with the Divine—the Divine who dwells in the hearts of all beings.

When we were in Reutlingen our friend Mr. K. O. Schmidt told us about the Quarterly The Voice edited in England. He gave us also a copy of the journal. The Voice has international fame. It also stands for universal religion and brotherhood. It is sponsoring a world-wide spiritual movement, and has opened its columns for voicing the opinions and experiences of great saints and savants of the world, who hold out the goal of world harmony and peace. It claims a wide circulation as it is read in 43 countries of the world. Recently Ramdas had contact with its editor Mr. Joseph Busby, through correspondence.

The work of these spiritual leaders is helping humanity to achieve universal brotherhood and thereby create an atmosphere of goodwill and peace on the earth. The old edifice of dogmatic and bigoted religions, so called, is crumbling down as the heart of man seeks relief and freedom by transcending all the limitations set by a wrong understanding and practice of the teachings of the different religions. This is a happy augury of the times. True religion should unite man and man through the realization of the same indwelling universal Spirit or God, who is the all-loving and merciful Master of us all.

The Course of Human History: A Warning

Here Ramdas may also make a few observations on how human nature develops in a person, or in a group of persons, and how its impact on the environment causes either harmony or discord among the people round about them. If the development of human nature is in the right direction, it will create an atmosphere of harmony and peace. On the other hand, if the development is in the wrong direction, it will bring discord and war. History tells us how empires rose and empires fell. Great potentates and dictators, who attracted the world’s attention to themselves through assumption of false pride and authority, perished.

The world seems to be like a chess-board on which persons who seek to wield power over others come and disappear like the chess-men. Nations by their toil and struggle come up to prominence only to kiss the dust when power and prosperity intoxicate them. Wherever there is power invested in human beings or nations by reason of their military strength, material wealth and prosperity, there they are prone to be affected by a spirit of fear and distrust of their neighbours. This attitude inevitably sets up a competitive and superiority complex by which they arrogate to themselves a false status. It must be admitted by all wise men in the world that such an individual or nation cannot be really free and happy within. True happiness is the outcome of the inner realization of freedom from the clutches of hate, desire and fear. This is true of all individuals and nations in the world who have achieved high material power, riches and prosperity.

For all rising nations of the world, the sages and saints who are blessed with wisdom have given this warning; that material advancement should be founded upon and controlled by spiritual principles and values. That alone will maintain the right relation and balance between the material and spiritual aspects of life and thereby convert the entire life into an expression of the spirit. For, spirit and matter are not two isolated entities, but one integral whole.

The above remarks should not be understood as having been made by Ramdas with regard to any particular country. It applies equally to all nations on the earth who are contributing towards the tense situation which we envisage at present in the affairs of mankind—a tension which spells a major catastrophe in the form of another world war. Above all the din and noise of the world, God’s voice speaks through the sages and saints in unmistakable terms. They say that, however much militarists may try to bring about a global war and produce a state of chaos, His power will prevail. He who is seated in the hearts of all beings will not permit the horrible slaughter of human beings and the ruthless destruction of civilisation on an unimaginably vast scale which the use of nuclear weapons is bound to cause.

The critics may contend that the above statement cannot be justified in the light of past history. But it is not true always that history repeats itself. That evolution takes place in human nature is an admitted fact. A man who is of a violent nature does not ever remain so. When a higher consciousness dawns in him, he turns into a quiet and peaceful being. This is true not only of individuals but also of nations and humanity as a whole. Another fact which cannot be ignored in this connection is that man is essentially divine. God resides in the hearts of human beings and shapes history from within them. God is not an extraneous ruler or controller of the worlds. He is the very Soul of all life and existence. As Sri Krishna says to Arjuna in the Gita:

Iswaraha sarvabhutanam hriddeshe Arjuna tishtati | Bhramayan sarvabhutani yantrarudhani mayaya ||

[The Lord seated in the hearts of every one turns the wheel of Maya, guiding the actions of all beings who are (as if) mounted on a machine.

So the will of humanity for establishing peace and harmony on the earth is nothing but the will of God. For, in humanity dwells God—nay, it is a veritable expression of God. A world war cannot, therefore, come when the enlightened will of mankind wants and works for peace.

When God inspires a human being or groups of human beings from within, He can and does bring about a complete transformation in human nature, which inevitably must influence the destiny of mankind. Nature is not static. It is moving, progressing towards a higher and more refined state, so that the latent divine light and power, standing for peace, unity and harmony, may be made manifest.

A time is certainly coming when human beings will realize the evil and futility of wars and live together, making illumined reason and pure love their sole guides in adjusting their affairs, instead of being impelled to violent action by selfishness, distrust, fear and hate.

God in man wills, one way or the other,—either the way of chaos or the way of harmony. Today mankind collectively aspires for harmony, and so harmony is bound to come. God’s will at the present juncture works this way.