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THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE. otherwise ; and no soul eager to attain emancipation can afford to enter its labyrinthian domain. Besides, superstition seldom fails to implant itself on the worship of mythological gods, and misunderstood devotion usually degrades itself into a begging of favours--Lord do this, and Lord do that'-—which is as far away from the spirit of renunciation as ignorance from Truth.
As for the element of discord with respect to ritual, what has been said about the differences in the form of devotional worship, applies with full force to the differences in all other ceremonies, since the true aim of all forms of ceremonial worship is to raise the power of the soul.
All rational religions, it may be seen at a glance, have the two following points in view, namely,
(1) the ideal of happiness to be attained, and
(2) the means to attain it with. Now, it is obvious that so far as the attainment of happiness is concerned, there are no material differences in the principal religions of the world. They all prescribe
(i) discrimination between the Self and the not-self, (ii) renunciation, (iii) concentration, and
(iv) devotion for the attainment of the great ideal of happiness. The Hindus classify these means as the different kinds of Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhaisti Yoga, and the like ; the Muhammedans describe them as belief, purification, resignation to the will of God, and devotion ; in other systems they are known by other names. We have already discussed them all in the
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