Chapter 10

The relevance of Religion

     “I belong to no religion. Every religion belongs to Me. My personal religion is My being the Ancient Infinite One, and thereupon impart to all is love for God, which is the Truth of all religions.”
      “This Love can belong to all high and low, rich and poor. Every one of every caste and creed can love God. The one and only God that resides equally in all of us, is approaching each one of us through Love. Religion, like worship, must be from the heart. If instead of erecting churches, fire temples, mandirs and mosques, people were to establish the House of God in their hearts for the Beloved God to dwell in supreme; My work would have been done.”
      “If instead of mechanically performing ceremonies and rituals because of age old customs, people were to serve their fellow beings with selfless love, taking God to be equally residing in one and all, and knowing that by so serving others they are serving Me; My work would have been fulfilled.”
      “All religions are revelations of one God. I belong to no religion. My religion is Love. Every heart is My temple. There is one Universal Consciousness which is functioning at all levels in creation. God alone is Real and the goal of life is to be united with Him through love.”
      “Your own religion if put into practice is sufficient to bring salvation to you. It is a mistake to change one’s own religion for that of another. The surroundings and circumstances in which you find yourself are best suited to work out your destiny or to exhaust your past karma.”
      “The various religions are like patent medicines. Just as it is necessary to approach a specialist for a speedy and radical cure, so it is imperative to approach a spiritual Master in order to become spiritually Perfect.”
      “The Hindu and Muslim priests both speak against each other’s religion—but do you know what religion is? Religion is a cage and the people who follow it are all birds locked up inside. It is meaningless to leave one’s religion to adopt another. It is like going from one cage to another. The wire binding the wings of the bird must be cut.”
      “Each person must make individual efforts to sever his own leash, for example by renunciation or being indifferent to food and drink. But above all, efforts should be made to cut the cord through love. Love God, for when the sadguru comes, He snaps the cord and frees the bird.”
      “I am Christ and the world exists because of Me, for there is no time, space, cause, effect, duality or anything that exists besides Me. There is only unity.”
      “A short prayer that can change one’s life by achieving the impossible, to achieve happiness and being enchanted once a day: