Hi Maria,

Here are doubt dispelling words of wisdom.

Maria: You’re implying that because this is a lawful universe, everything that occurs in this creation must serve a certain purpose. What purpose serve cruelty, genocide, child abuse…? Maybe your assumption is not correct?

Ram: The assumption I’m speaking from is that this is a non-dual reality. If you argue that ours is a duality or a plurality or a multiplicity, then my statement is not true. But scripture, the knowledge that comes from spiritual experience, is very clear that this is a non-dual reality. If it is then everything in it must somehow serve it, no matter how much it seems not to. When I use the word ‘serves’ I don’t mean that everything in Maya directly serves the Self. I mean that nothing can happen here that is completely independent of the Self because the Self is the ultimate cause of everything. So there is an indirect relationship between the Self and the Self operating as Maya. You must have observed that many ugly negative things have positive consequences although it is true that even positive happenings do not directly ‘serve’ the Self.

The relationship between the Self and itself in the form of Maya is one of master and servant. Maya depends on the Self but the Self does not depend on Maya. The bombing of the trade center was an act of unmitigated evil but it has had the effect of waking people up to the scourge of terrorism. Suffering often causes people to think about what they are doing and make changes in the way they live. So in this sense it ‘serves’ a ‘higher’ purpose.

Love,

Ram