Larry suddenly asked me, have you ever been to India?
Never been
Oh, but when I went to the grottoes and stared at the huge three-headed statue and wondered about the story behind it, I heard the people behind me say that you came naturally. I turned around and didn’t recognize the other person for a moment. He was short in plaid suit and priest’s collar, but his eyes were covered with saffron robes. I later learned that it was Elder Ramakrishna wearing his previous funny laughter. The short stature turned into a solemn and refined one. We stared at the spectacular stone statue in front of us.
Vishnu, the patron saint of Brahma, the creator, and Shiva, the destroyer, represent the Trinity Truth.
I don’t quite understand you, I said
I think so, too. He replied with a smile and a wink, and his expression seemed to be slightly mocking. If God can understand words, it is not God’s limit. Can he explain it in words?
He folded his hands and nodded slightly, then strolled away. I looked at three mysterious heads. Maybe I was very excited because I didn’t have a default position. You should know that when we tried to remember a name, it was on our lips, but I just couldn’t remember it. I sat on the stone steps for a long time looking at the sea after I came from the cave. I had a superficial understanding of Brahmanism, but I couldn’t remember Emerson’s poems at that time. It was really annoying. After I returned to Mumbai, I went into a store to see if there were no poems. After that, I found it in the Oxford English poetry anthology.
Abandoning me is thoughtless
They fly away from me, their wings.
I have doubts as well as doubts.
It is also a Brahmin hymn.
I had dinner at a local restaurant and just returned to the boat at 10 o’clock. I went to the seaside for a walk and looked out at the sea. I had never seen so many stars in the sky, and it was particularly cool at night after experiencing the heat during the day. I found a park and sat on a bench in the park. Dark white figures came and went. I still remember the beautiful and dazzling sunshine during the day, the spicy and fragrant oriental smell of the noisy crowd. These are all fascinating. The three heads of Brahma Vishnu gave these places mysterious meaning, just like a painter with one thing. Body or a touch of color makes the composition look exactly the same. My heart beats faster because I suddenly have a strong belief that India can bring me gains. It’s like an opportunity that I can’t miss. If I don’t grasp it immediately, I will lose my arm forever. I quickly decided not to return to the ferry. There are few things in my travel bag. I slowly walked back to the downtown area to find a hotel. Soon I found a horse to rent a room. I was left with that suit and a little loose money. I suddenly felt relaxed and laughed.
At eleven o’clock, the boat left without being noticed. I didn’t go to the dock until the boat arrived. When I watched the ferry, I went to Ramakrishna church to visit the elder who talked to me in the grottoes. I don’t know his name. He said that he wanted to meet the elder who had just returned from Alexandria. I told him that he had decided to live in India and asked him what he should see. We talked for a long time. Finally, he said that he would go to Benares that night and asked me if I would like to go with him. Without saying anything, I agreed that we would take a third-class carriage, which was crowded with noisy I was uncomfortable. I didn’t sleep at night. I was very tired the next morning, but the elder was radiant. I asked him how to do it. He said that he meditated in chaos and rested in absolute. I was at a loss, but I saw with my own eyes that he was refreshed, as if he had slept in a comfortable bed last night.
As soon as we arrived in Benares, a young man about my age came to meet the elder. He arranged a room for me. His name was Mahendra, a great teacher. He was friendly and clever. We appreciated each other very much. That evening, he took me to the Ganges by boat. I saw a tall, thin man with messy hair and beard corrected. Wearing a thong, I stretched out my hands and looked up to pray to the sun. My posture was shocking at that time. I stayed in Benares for six months and went to the Henghe River every morning to watch this spectacle. I was repeatedly moved by inexplicably. Those people had firm beliefs and no reservations or doubts than their hearts.
Everyone is very kind to me. As soon as they found out that I didn’t come to hunt tigers or do business, they tried their best to help me. When they learned that I wanted Hindi, they helped me find a teacher to lend it to me and took pains to answer questions. Are you familiar with Hinduism?
Know very little, I said
I’m still interested in you. Hinduism believes that the universe has no beginning and no end, but an eternal cycle from growth to balance, from balance to decline, from decay to disintegration to growth. Don’t you think this concept is great?
So what is the purpose of endless cycle for Hindus?
I think they will say that this is Brahma. Let’s just say that they believe that the purpose of creation is to punish or reward the soul in previous lives.
This is a turn-around statement.
Two thirds of the world believe in this belief.
Just because many people believe it doesn’t mean it is true.
Of course not, but it is worth taking seriously that Christianity has absorbed a lot of neo-Platonism. In fact, an early Christian Sect believed in reincarnation, but it was later accused of heresy. Otherwise, Christians would believe in reincarnation just like believing in the resurrection of Jesus.
Does reincarnation mean that the soul stops turning in the body according to the merits and demerits of previous lives?
Presumably this is it.
But I am composed of soul and body. Who knows how much of me is decided by this body? Will Byron be Byron without deformity in his right foot? Will Dostoevsky be Dostoevsky without epilepsy?
Indians don’t talk about coincidence, they will say that the soul was reincarnated into a mutilated body in a previous life. Larry tapped on the table, lost in thought, and smiled and said, "You didn’t think that reincarnation is enough to explain the evil in the world. In our previous life, we can accept it with relief and work hard to do good in this life, and we will suffer less in the next life. But it is easier to bear the evil, so we just have to bite the bullet and teach others to suffer. After all, it usually seems that you don’t deserve it. You can say that this is a previous life, and you will be compassionate and try
But what emperor doesn’t create a world without pain and misfortune, so there will be no merits and demerits in previous lives?
Hindus will say that the homogeneity of heaven and earth from ancient and modern individual souls is determined by past lives.
Do you believe that reincarnation will actually affect the lives of believers? After all, that is a test.