ATTITUDE TOWARDS SECRET CULTS

Some ardent moralists among the Masters disciples often found fault with certain people of great spiritual attainments, because some of the parctices they followed, being of the secret rites of the Saktas and Vaishnavas, seemed to violate the ordinary rules of morality. To them the Master used to reply always: " They are not to be blamed for that. For they had the thorough conviction that the paths they followed in them selves led to God-realisation. Whatever is ardently believed in and adopted as a means to God-realisation should not be found fault with. No aspirant s attitude should be condemned; since any attitude, if sincerely followed, is sure to lead to God, Who is the consummation of them all. Go on calling upon Him, each in his own way, and don't find fault with another s path or take to it as your own.

With a view to remove the antagonism of his disciples towards these secret cults, the Master would sometimes speak to them about his views regarding them as follows : " Well, why should you cherish hatred towards them ? Know them also to be paths, though they may be dirty. There may be diverse entrances to a house—the front gate, the back-door and the door for the scavenger who comes to clean the dirty places in the house. Know these cults to be akin to this last-mentioned door. No matter by which door one enters; when once within the house, all reach the same place. Are you therefore to imitate these people or mix with them ? Certainly not. But do not hate them in any way.