NOTHING LIKE FAITH IN LIFE
(Vinod Anand)
When an aspirant becomes voluntarily affiliated with a Master, he is said to have become a disciple. Discipleship is one, of the fundamental features which characterize the life of the advanced aspirant, and it does not come into existence through any artificial procedure. It arises out of the basic laws of spiritual life. The relation between Master and disciple is an inevitable outcome of intrinsic conditions in the life of the aspirant. It is primarily a relation between the lover and his Divine beloved. From the spiritual point of view it is the most important relationship in a person’s life. The love which constitutes the core of discipleship stands by itself among the different types of love which prevail in ordinary social - relations. Mundane love is interplay between two centres of God- unconscious; but the love implied in discipleship is the love of God- unconscious for God-conscious. Everyone is God, but some are unconscious of their divinity and are conscious only of the body-state, some are partly conscious of it and a few are fully God-conscious. The love which the aspirant has for the Master is really the response evoked by the greater love which the Master has for the aspirant. It is to be placed above all other loves. The Master is the Divine beloved, and when the disciple meets his Master, all that he has to do is to love him; he need not worry about the quality of his love. He should love in spite of his weaknesses and not tarry till he can purify his own heart. The Master is the very source of purity, and to set one’s heart on the. Master is the beginning of self-purification. When the disciple has wholehearted devotion for the Master, all his weaknesses are consumed in this fire of divine love of which he thus becomes the recipient. If the disciple is to be free from all weaknesses and attain incorruptible and infinite purity, he has to dedicate his life to divine love without any reservations or provisions. He must offer his weaknesses as well as his vices, his merits as well as his sins. There should be no “ifs” and “buts” about his offering. Complete self surrender and unquestioning love become possible when the disciple achieves unswerving faith. Once God is realized there is no question of faith at all, just as there is no question of faith when a man knows himself to be a man. But till this state of realization is attained, the faith which the disciple places in the Master is his most reliable guiding light and is comparable to the steering wheel of the ship. Faith has to be short of direct experience until the aspirant realizes God for himself. It is not for nothing that all the religions are referred to as “faiths.” One of the essentials of the aspirant’s life is that he should have faith. Faith may express itself through diverse forms, but from the psychological point of view they are one and the same thing and cannot be diversely labeled. A strong and vital faith is bound to take the aspirant beyond the external forms of religion and help him to eschew the husk and get at the kernel of true spiritual life.

Author's Bio: 

VINOD K.ANAND: A BRIEF PROFILE

Born in 1939, and holding Master’s Degree both in Mathematics (1959) and Economics (1961), and Doctorate Degree in Economics (1970), Dr. Vinod K.Anand has about forty five years of teaching, research, and project work experience in Economic Theory (both micro and macro), Quantitative Economics, Public Economics, New Political Economy, and Development Economics with a special focus on economic and social provisions revolving around poverty, inequality, and unemployment issues, and also on informal sector studies. His last assignment was at the National University of Lesotho (Southern Africa) from 2006 to 2008. Prior to that he was placed as Professor and Head of the Department of Economics at the University of North-West in the Republic of South Africa, and University of Allahabad in India, Professor at the National University of Lesotho, Associate Professor at the University of Botswana, Gaborone in Botswana, and at Gezira University in Wad Medani, Sudan, Head, Department of Arts and Social Sciences, Yola in Nigeria, Principal Lecturer in Economics at Maiduguri University in Nigeria, and as Lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Nigeria. Professor Anand has by now published more than 80 research papers in standard academic journals, authored 11 books, supervised a number of doctoral theses, was examiner for more than twenty Ph.D. theses, and has wide consultancy experience both in India and abroad, essentially in the African continent. This includes holding the position of Primary Researcher, Principal Consultant etc. in a number of Research Projects sponsored and funded by Universities, Governments, and International Bodies like, USAID, IDRC, and AERC. His publications include a variety of themes revolving around Economic Theory, New Political Economy, Quantitative Economics, Development Economics, and Informal Sector Studies. His consultancy assignments in India, Nigeria, Sudan, Botswana, and the Republic of South Africa include Non-Directory Enterprises in Allahabad, India, Small Scale Enterprises in the Northern States of Nigeria, The Absolute Poverty Line in Sudan, The Small Scale Enterprises in Wad Medani, Sudan, Micro and Small Scale Enterprises in Botswana, The Place of Non-Formal Micro-Enterprises in Botswana, Resettlement of a Squatter Community in the Vryburg District of North West Province in the Republic of South Africa, Trade and Investment Development Programme for Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises: Support for NTSIKA in the Republic of South Africa, and Development of the Manufacturing Sector in the Republic of South Africa’s North West Province: An Approach Based on Firm Level Surveys. Professor Anand has also extensively participated in a number of conferences, offered many seminars, participated in a number of workshops, and delivered a variety of Refresher Lectures at different venues both in India and abroad. Dr. Anand was placed at the prestigious Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla in the State Himachal Pradesh, India as a Fellow from 2001 to 2003, and had completed a theoretical and qualitative research project/monograph on the Employment Profile of Micro Enterprises in the State of Himachal Pradseh, India.