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IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GODS.
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is accomplished by the artificial stimulation of hallucination; nor is desire eradicated from the soul by aught but the right kind of meditation and beliefs.
It is thus clear that hallucination is utterly incapable of taking the soul to nirvana, though suggestion rightly employed is a valuable ally on the spiritual 'path.'
To sum up: hypnotism and hallucination are two of the blind alleys of faith that lead to nought but suffering and pain. They are narcotic in their effect and deaden the finer instincts of life, keeping the soul entangled in the meshes of transmigration, so long as their effects continue. Suggestion, no doubt, is a powerful instrument of self-realisation, but by itself it is by no means powerful enough to remove the karmic filth from the soul; it is also capable of great harm, when employed carelessly and without proper safeguards. Emancipation is also not to be had by the destruction of the so-called sheaths of the soul, for the simple reason that there are no such sheaths on the soul. The path of progress consists in the ratna trai of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct which means the doing of the right thing at the right moment. As Sri Samantabhadra ackârya, the author of the Ratna Karanda Srávakâchâra, points out, whoever turns himself into a casket, that is an abiding place, of faultless wisdom, faith and conduct, to him comes success in all his undertakings, like a woman eager to join her lord.
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