Ananda Sangha of Portland--Faith, Hope, and Charity by Paramhansa Yogananda

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Faith, Hope, and Charity
by Paramhansa Yogananda
from Inner Culture Magazine, May 1934

The following is a reproduction of a conversation between Yogananda and an advanced student:

Q. Which is the most important: Faith, Hope, or Charity?

A. Instead of putting "Hope" between the other two words, it should come first, for hope is the result of human reason. People hope blindly or consciously due to the latent Divine Mason within, which intuitively reminds them that "All is not lost forever." Death and failure are not the final experience, for behind the dark clouds of temporary disillusionment awaits the silver lining of eternal fulfillment. We must keep hoping to know God even to the last breath, for we have all Eternity in which to hope for the best and the highest. The greatest insult to the Soul is to label it with the consciousness of final despondency.

Hope is the eternal light on the dark pathway through which the Soul must travel through incarnations in order to reach God. Never extinguish hope, as you would have to wait miserably on the pathway of darkness until you chose to rekindle your searchlight of hope and start again on your journey toward God.

Human beings hope and try for a while; but if they fail a dozen times, they cease to hope and become despondent. The Divine man never ceases to hope, for he knows that he has all Eternity in which to materialize his dreams.

We must not think of death as an eternal abyss of oblivious sleep where we remain forever; but we must consider it as a caravansary where we rest for a while, so that we may with fresh hope and energy journey on and on until we reach our mansion of eternal fulfillment in God.

To kill hope and to be despondent is to put on an animal mask of limitation and to hide your Divine identity of Almightiness. Instead, hope for the highest and the best, for, as a child of God, nothing is too good for you. Keep on hoping. Move in that light until you travel through pathways of incarnations to your luminous home in God. Hope is born out of the intuitive consciousness in the Soul that sometime or other we shall remember our forgotten image of God within us. This intuitive consciousness is Faith.

Q. Why do you say that Hope comes first?

A. Metaphysically, Faith, or intuitive experience of all Truth, is present in the Soul. It gives birth to the human hope and the desire to achieve, but it also hides behind the wall of ignorance. Ordinary human beings know practically nothing of this intuitive Faith latent in the Soul, which is the secret spring of all our wildest hopes.

No hope is too grand or too impossible for this all-seeing eye of intuitive Faith, or ultimate perception through which we know all things as they are, to bring into manifestation. That is why in ordinary mortals we see the manifestation of Hope. When Hope is used properly to work for the acquisition of the Soul’s lost intuition, then Faith, or intuitive Self Realization, develops.

The word "Faith" is often erroneously used for "belief," as, "I have faith in him." A belief is only problematic and may be followed by disillusionment. Belief is the initial experimental feeling about the truth of anything. Untested belief crystallizes into dogmatic sentiment or, if discouraged, it may change into skepticism or unbelief.

When belief turns into dogmatic sentiment or skepticism, it is destructive. Constructive belief is the attitude of mind necessary for testing the truth about a thing in the beginning. The person who refuses to believe in anything, refuses to test and experiment. These are the only means by which to know Truth.

Constructive belief is good when one continuously believes and experiments with a truth until its real nature is revealed. Destructive disbelief is limiting because one disbelieves for the fun of doing so. Constructive disbelief or doubt is good because one assumes an attitude, not of final skepticism and turning forever away from Truth, but because one says, "Well, I am from Missouri; I shall not believe your statement until you prove that it is true."

According to Jesus, Faith is the proof of things unseen; that is, all phenomena or visible matter can be recorded by the senses, but not invisible substances, such as vibrations, subtle Cosmic forces, and super-electric lights, which are unseen or unknown to, and unregistered by, the limited power of the senses.

The proof of the existence of all subtle forces and of God as final substance lies in Faith, or the instantaneous all-knowing, all-seeing, intuitive power developed through deep meditation and Soul contact.

Jesus said, "For verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."–Matt. 17.20

If a fanatic, or mad man, or religious zealot strongly believes that he can move a mountain into the sea, and for years tries to do so, he can never accomplish the feat. Also, if a man says, in a meek, squeaky voice, "Mr. Mountain, please go into the depth of the sea, for Jesus said it was possible to make you move, although I myself don’t believe it," the mountain will not listen to that either. If, however, one has faith in, or intuitive knowledge of, Cosmic Consciousness as the prime mover of all atomic Creation, then, through that all-pervading consciousness one can act on or control any portion of matter on the earth or on a distant star.

Just as your consciousness is omnipresent in every part of your body, and as you can swing an arm or move your muscles, that is, you can cause consciousness to act in any part of the body, so the man of Cosmic Faith, or Cosmic Omnipresent Consciousness, can cause any portion of matter to react to his command. This Faith is inner light, in which the presence of all finer forces invisible to the eye and the senses are revealed as true.

Q. What is Charity?

A. After one regains the latent Cosmic Intuitive Faith through continuous hope and efforts in meditation, he becomes very selfish and wants to enjoy the acquired Kingdom of God alone. Charity is born of sympathy, and sympathy is born of the consciousness of omnipresence, in which the advanced Soul can transfer his consciousness to limited Souls and other suffering bodies and experience their limitations and sufferings. When he feels their sufferings, then the Charity desire to offer help springs forth.

Selfishness cramps the Soul and stunts the omnipresent Soul in the prison of limitation. Selfishness defeats its own purpose. Instead of producing happiness, it produces misery, and often with the fog of imperfect, limited desire for happiness, it shuts out the desire for the perfect unlimited happiness in God’s omnipresence.

I used to want salvation for myself alone, but my Master once said to me, "You selfish thing! You want to eat the cheese of Eternity all by yourself, whereas you should acquire for the purpose of giving. Final happiness lies in sharing your happiness with others."

Ever since that time, I have said that I want salvation so that I may give it to everyone, and through the mouth of not only one Soul in me, but also through the countless mouths of all Souls, I want to drink God’s omnipresent nectar. I want to share Him with all. That is charity.

Remember, you must first have God yourself before you can give Him away to others.