“A theory must be tested.
A fact must be honoured.
A truth must be lived.”
– Sri Chinmoy
The following is a story told by Sri Ramakrishna.
A community of salt dolls lived nearby the sea. They all felt an affinity with the sea; they loved being close to the sea; all their stories and fables revolved around the sea; they would keep their windows open at night so they could fall asleep to the comforting roar of the sea and most nights they even dreamed of the sea.
Yet they were also afraid of the sea, and forbade their little ones from going too close. There were legends of children being swallowed up; whole families had disappeared without trace. Their attitude to the sea combined reverence, love and awe with utter dread. Constantly, the sea beckoned them with one hand and repelled them with the other.
The dolls’ favourite pastime was to ponder the vast ocean, for they knew that what they could see was only the mere surface; that the sea’s reality, beauty and power all lay in its fathomless depths.
If only they could know how deep the ocean really was – so many questions would be answered, longings assuaged, so much mystery unravelled…
One fearless doll resolved to plumb the ocean’s very depths and return with the answers. It marched forth and upon entering the water, melted and merged with the sea. Having fathomed the ocean’s depths, this doll had no language to communicate to its friends, all huddled around the ocean’s edge, perpetually pondering…
We can each be a ponderer, or a knower. Never by pondering: only by entering and merging with, can we become, and know the Infinite.
To know God, don’t speculate, extrapolate or postulate – just meditate!