08/27/2022
A student of comparative religion posed the Master a dilemma heโd encountered in his studies. โI find,โ he said, โthat every religion defines God differently. It makes me wonder if the founders of the worldโs great religions really knew what they were talking about!โ
Paramhansa Yogananda replied with a smile, โYour mind has been conditioned to think that defining a thing is the same thing as understanding it. No definition could ever encompass God.
โAn architect, upon returning from a visit to London, might describe the city in terms of the buildings heโd seen. A gardener, having viewed all the same sights, might describe the cityโs parks. A politician might speak of the needs of the people of London. None would be able to convey the actual experience of visiting that city.
โTake another example: How would you explain the taste of an orange to someone who had never tasted one? You could never do so adequately.
โThe goal of religion is not to define God accurately. It is to inspire in people the desire to commune with Himโto experience Him in inner silence, in their souls.
The Essence of Self-Realization by Paramhansa Yogananda
