In one school of Philosophy,  Spirit is one.  In God, it  is called Parmatma (Supersoul).  In the individual,  when it is stirred by Prakriti (Nature) it is called Jivatma (individual soul), identical with Supersoul.  Just as the Ocean is one, but when ruffled by the wind, it becomes separate as waves.  The waves, whatever their dimensions are identical with the Ocean. The individual soul coming in contact with Prakriti is conditioned by it and begins to feel that it is the body, and then feels whatever joy or pain are experienced by the body.  When after many reincarnations, it realises that it is not this body, then liberation occurs.  It gets back into its source, the Supersoul, taking with it, its individuality, and sees itself as the Supersoul, able then to become all- knowing.   Like the wave, when the wind subsides, gets back into the Ocean and becomes one with it and shares what it does.  There are other analogies like the Sun and its rays or like the archipelago when the illusion of the water that separates them is removed,  it i s then one land.

This Philosophy equates well with the middle century poet John Donne when he said;  “No man is an island entire of itself; everyman is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…………Any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee”.   Another contemporary of his, the poet William Blake, when asked by a friend if he believed in the Divinity of Jesus said; “Yes, Jesus is God, so am I and so are you”.

How interesting;  the true seeker of every religion gets  his experience according to the path he diligently pursues and he arrives at the same goal   After enlightenment the yogi and the sufi, though their techniques differ, arrive at he same conclusion; “I AM HE’”.   Jesus said;  “Be ye perfect as  your Father in Heaven is perfect”, which connotes that you and the Father are one as Jesus is; also  “love your neighbour as yourself” which could be interpreted as “Your neighbour is your own dear self”.

Again Jesus said “You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free’”.  When the intellect is enlightened, it intuits and only then, the truth which sets  free is known.

- Randall Butisingh

CommentL

As for me , my role model and motivator is Jesus, the humble Nazarene who is the Incarnation of Love,  who taught Love and who gave his life because of Love for all mankind.  His reason for dying inspired the hymn writer to pen:

“When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain, I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

This hymn was a favourite of the renowned Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu, who in his humble ashram had the only portrait, one of Jesus, hanging on his wall.