- Reincarnation
Can you convince me by argument at midnight that the sun would definitely rise in the east the next morning?
If I refuse to be convinced, nothing can convince me.
But that cannot alter the fact that the sun will rise.
Your disbelief does not cancel the fact of reincarnation.
- The Self
The Self is all-pervading - it does not come and go, it has no birth nor death - just as Space is all pervading.
When you look into a pot, there is space in it.
Take the pot away and put it elsewhere - the space in the pot does not move from place to place - in the sense in which water in the pot may be said to.
The five elements are shifted from place to place in the darkness of ignorance - and we foolishly attribute this to the self and say that the self is born or it dies.
- The Cross
The cross symbolises man's two-way relationship - the horizontal and the vertical.
The first is man's relation with fellow man.
The second is man's relation with God.
These two are not apart from each other, but interpenetrating.
- Burden on earth
Man - when he lives, is a burden on earth, heavy and troublesome - building houses, running and eating etc.
When he dies, he is no longer a burden; but he is absorbed by the earth to which he contributes some minerals.
If he, while alive, leads a good life - in his loving service lifts the burden of sorrows of others - it is worth it.
Else, he is a dead-weight - hence, the popular expression 'burden on earth'.
The good people are like the aeroplanes which, though heavy itself, are capable of taking itself and more weight off the earth.
- Saints renounce
Saints renounce the world to show us that there is no real happiness in this world and also that for the purpose of living we need very little.
They point out that our dinner table contains more ornaments and art collections, and less of food.