Words From The Master - 14 April 2008

Five elements

Existence or Cosmos is made up of the five elements that are – Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. All these elements are different forms of the same Existential Energy which we call God or Jesus Christ or Krishna or Allah and so on.

The basic thirst of man is to find a connection with this Existential Energy. All religions have been born with the idea of finding a connection with Existence through the five elements. Let me explain how this is achieved:

Take the first element – the Earth element. Idol worship is nothing but trying to find a connection with the Existential Energy through the Earth element. Idols are made up of earth or clay. Through worshipping idols, we are actually trying to find a connection through the Earth element.

Here, one point has to be clearly understood: We are not worshipping the idols; we are worshipping through the idols. If this point is understood, there will not be so much of fight and fanaticism over forms and idols. The Energy that everyone is worshipping is one and the same. This has to be very clearly understood.

Next, we come to the water element. It is a spiritual practice to take bath in sacred rivers. This is actually a technique to try to realise the Existential Energy through the water element.

Next, we perform so many fire rituals at our homes and temples. This practice is to realise the Existential Energy through the fire element.

The next element is the air element. Chanting mantras is nothing but trying to connect to the Cosmic Energy through the air element. When we chant, we are playing with our breath, which is nothing but the air element.

Finally, we come to the element which is the subtlest form of the Existential Energy – the Ether element. Meditation is nothing but trying to connect to Existence through the ether element.

The earth element is the first plane of tuning ourselves to the Energy and ether is the final plane of tuning. We can start with the earth element – idol worship, but we tend to get stuck there and there starts the problem. You can start education by going to kindergarten school, but you cannot stay in kindergarten, is it not? In the same way, you can start with idol worship so that you have something tangible when you try to connect to the Cosmic Energy, but you have to ultimately graduate from it and start meditating to fine tune yourself with Existence.

Once you start doing this and experiencing the joys of meditation, you will find yourself expanding and exploding in 360 degrees. Ritualistic worship always draws tight boundaries around you. It keeps you in a closed circle. But once you have had a taste of meditation, you will start becoming an expanse. Then, when you go back to rituals, you will look at them from a different dimension and enjoy them even more! When this happens, growth has happened in you.

If you understand the underlying concept of the five elements, you will be able to enjoy Existence continuously instead of getting stuck in different forms of worship. So, just try to understand this and start resonating with Existence!