Faith and Doubt close the fourth chapter. Faith is not a mere emotional feeling
to stick to one?s belief. It is a living inner breath to discover, realise
and live in the truth. Faith is the exercise taken by a seeker of his own
will to force himself to stay in the all-seeing and all-fulfilling Will of
God. The Yajur Veda tells us that consecration blossoms in self-dedication,
grace blossoms in consecration, faith blossoms in grace, and truth blossoms
in faith. What else is faith? To quote Charles Hanson Towne,<br>
<br>
I need not shout my faith. Thrice eloquent<br>
<br>
Are quiet trees and the green listening sod;<br>
<br>
Hushed are the stars, whose power is never spent;<br>
<br>
The hills are mute: yet how they speak of God!<br>
<br>
Doubt is naked stupidity. Doubt is absolute futility: Doubt is outer conflagration.
Doubt is inner destruction.<br>
<br>
?Sanmshayatma Vinashyati”?”The possessor of doubt perishes.? He is lost,
totally lost. To him the path of the Spirit is denied. Also denied is the
secret of life?s illumination.<br>
<br>
Says Krishna: ?For the doubting man, neither is this world of ours, nor is
the world beyond, no, nor even happiness.? The New Testament presents us
with the same truth: ?The man of doubtful mind enjoys neither this world
nor the other, nor final beatitude.?<br>
<br>
In Nyaya (logic), one of the six systems of Indian Philosophy, we notice
that doubt is nothing but a conflicting judgement regarding the character
of an object. Doubt comes into existence from the very fact of its recognition
of properties common to many objects, or of properties not at all common
to any objects. Doubt is that very thing which is wanting in the regularity
of perception. Also doubt, being non-existent, exists only with non-perception.<br>
<br>
Doubt is an all-devouring tiger. Faith is a roaring lion that inspires an
aspirant to grow into the all-illumining and all-fulfilling Supreme.<br>
<br>
Poor, blind doubt, being quite oblivious of the true truth that faith is
the most forceful and most convincing affirmation of life, wants to give
a violent jolt to man?s lifeboat.<br>
<br>
The poet?s haunting words of truth stir our hearts to their very depths.<br>
<br>
Better a day of faith<br>
<br>
Than a thousand years of doubt!<br>
<br>
Better one mortal hour with Thee<br>
<br>
Than an endless life without.<br>
<br>
Sri Chinmoy&nbsp;