Sri Sai Baba`S:Charters And Sayings

46 TALKS ON u AT THE FEET SF THE MASTER "

lies above birth and death "—the life which no longer
^ needs to dip into matter because it has gained all
that matter can teach it. That it is for which
•we ask. •

Although people never seem to see it, you will find
that very prominent in the Christian Scriptures also.
Modern Christianity suffers from certain obsessions—
I do not think we can call them by any other name—
and one of them is the terrible idea of an everlasting
hell. The fact that they believe, or profess to believe,
in this everlasting hell casts a cloud of misunder-
standing over a number of other doctrines too.

The whole theory of salvation has come to mean
salvation from this non-existent everlasting hell,
whereas it does not mean that at all, and all the
passages which are supposed to refer to that, which
are so incomprehensible when thus read, become clear
and luminous when you understand what that really
is from which the birth of the Christ in the heart
saves man. And so also with the other idea of
the everlasting heaven which is supposed to be the
reward of the good. That too has cast misunderstanding
over many of the sayings of the Christ. You know how
often He spoke to the people of the broad road
which led to death or destruction, and the many who
followed it. His disciples came to Him once and
said: "Lord, are there few that be saved ?" Then
He said: " Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life ; and few there be that find