SALVATION FOR ALL

For about the last 11 years I have been back in India to specially focus on my mission of service to promote Unity of Humanity and Amity among Religions, I have been building structures for the Ashram inmates and those who, with similar visions, visit us and stay with us. While I work with an architect for the soundness of the structures, I modify the flexible aspects of the designs for functionality, Vastu (law of nature for health and prosperity), and aestheticism. The basics of salvation for all humans have been designed by the Great Architect (God) right from the beginning of creation. We humans can work on the non-essential, flexible elements to suit us. Anyone can reach God and God-realization. Only honesty, sincerity, and rigorous and faithful following of one’s conscience are needed. That means no religion is needed to reach God. The basics that we all need to keep in mind are: There is only one God for humanity; we are all brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of this one God. God created all to be saved, and to enjoy the beatific vision of God. The most precious gift of freedom that God gave us can create problems that can come in the way of salvation. But then the remedy of repentance and reconciliation is given to us.to make reparation and amends. God also asks us to love God whole-heartedly and to love all humans as we love ourselves. Loving God is easy; loving humans is difficult. But loving humans is easy if we keep in mind that we do not have to like them to love them.

Flexible elements of our salvation that can certainly help and facilitate our spiritual and social well-being are healthy religions, sound cultures, good rituals and traditions. We need to thoroughly scrutinize them all for helpfulness, usefulness, promotion of good will, peace, friendship, and overall efficacy. All the sages, seers, and prophets like Buddha, Christ, and Sankaracharya (the great organizer of Hinduism, the Sanatan Dharma), around whom great religions originated and developed had great faith in God, were non-violent, and promoted inner conversion (metanoia) and God-realization.or self-realiztion They modeled life for humanity. The teachings of Buddha, Christ, and Sankaracharya cover the entire spectrum of human thinking and life, namely, atheism, theism, immanence, transcendence, and oneness of God and human). We need to take our own religions seriously and examine them thoroughly and impartially. We need to take good elements from other religions. All good elements anywhere come from the Holy Spirit who is the spirit of God. We need to change our religions if our religions do not help us to live morally and spiritually. We may need to change our religions if they violate basic human rights or interfere with our life that is lived according to our conscience, and our consciously adopted value system. 

Some paths and directions are easier, more practical, more meaningful and more pleasing. All that is required on our part is determined effort (sadhana), ceaseless and intense devotion, a sharpened conscience, affective detachment, and purity of intention.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti