On Spirituality
Vis-à-vis ‘Magic’
An old friend once dropped by to see me. I thought it was just a friendly visit. After some time, he unexpectedly asked me, “Some friends of ours had told me you could do unusual things. If indeed you could, could you tell me what my deceased father used to call me when I was but a small boy?”
I just looked at him. Then I said, “My friend, I am not concerned with proving something. I am concerned with people. I help them with their problems so they could grow emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. If I answer your question, will my answer help you in any way to become a better person? Your question has nothing to do with my concerns. I am not concerned with magic. I am not a magician. I will not answer your question.”
Quite insistently, he continued his inquiry, saying, “But Jesus Christ made the blind see and the lame walk. That is magic, a miracle. Can you do something like that?”
“What you say is true. Jesus made the blind see and the lame walk. Indeed He is one of the Best Sons of the Father. However, He did it out of immense love for his fellow brothers and sisters and not because He wanted to prove something for people to believe Him. Do you remember the story of His crucifixion? Do you recall the Roman official who asked Him if indeed He was the son of God, why couldn’t He simply come down the cross?”
“And Jesus did not answer. Nor did He do anything. He was concerned with teaching the people the virtues with which to find the Path, the Way, the Road leading back to the Father. A few of these virtues are humility and principled courage in standing up for the Truth even in the face of death. Another virtue is the proper use of one’s knowledge and power which should be used only to serve people and not to prove something. If He came down and showed his power, would people see the importance of virtues like humility, principled courage, and proper use of power?
“Jesus, like Buddha, Mohammed, Lao Tse, Mother Mary, and other Spiritual Masters, did not teach people how to see auras, how to read minds, how to move objects without touching them, etc. the Spiritual Masters were concerned with teaching the values one must develop. They concerned themselves with the lessons people should learn from life to become good Sons and Daughters of the Father. The Masters taught what the good and noble life is. Acquiring magical power is just incidental.”
After a brief pause, I continued, “My friend, if I tell you what your father used to call you when you were a small boy, will you then believe that I know what is right and what is wrong?”
He was silent. I pursued, “If someone comes up to you and shows you that he can move objects through his mind without touching the, will you believe him if he tells you that the end of the world is very near?
“You see my friend, spirituality helps you to become a better person. Magical powers at best help you to become a good performer in a circus or a carnival. I am concerned with spirituality.”
We shared a few minutes of silence. He was in deep thought trying to grasp what I had said. Maybe he was trying to figure out what had happened to me.
“You have changed, my friend. You talk differently now. And quite strange. Yet, I learned something meaningful. I still have 15 minutes before I leave for an appointment. Can you say some more strange things?”
I smiled and said, “I will give you a simple short story:
A spiritual master once waited at the riverside for a boat. The boat would carry him and other passengers across the river. Some people recognized him and paid their respects. After a while, a man came up to him and said, ‘So you are the man many people say can do unusual things. Tell me, can you walk on the waters of this river to the other side?’
The Spiritual Master humbly said, ‘I can not.’
‘Watch me!’ said the man. And the man did walk on the water and many people who watched were awed.
Since the man came back and said to the Spiritual Master boastingly, ‘I studied and practiced that magical skill for 10 years. You, what kind of magic, what kind of unusual things can you show me?’
The people anxiously waited the Spiritual Master’s answer. The Spiritual Master looked sadly at the man and said, ‘My friend, why waste ten precious years of your life when you could just ride a boat and pay a small fee to go to the other side of the river?’
My old friend had a laugh.
Then I continued, “The greatest magical power one should aspire to have is the power to convince others to do good, how to encourage people to stand up for what is right and to fight against what is wrong.”
His fifteen minutes were over. I accompanied him to the gate. As we shook hands, he said, “I will come back. You really are different now. We should talk some more time.”
And I replied, “I will look forward to our next meeting. When you have clearly understood the difference between spirituality and magic, see me again. I will tell you what your father used to call you as a small boy.”
He laughed and I laughed. Then, we both bade each other goodbye.
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