A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

376 VEDANTA.ciple. The principle is eternal and must be there. Workit out afresh, and make a reform application.This is the one great idea of the atman in India \tfnichevery one of our sects has got to believe, only, as we willfind, the Dualists preach that this atman by evil works becomes sankocha, all its powers and its nature become contracted, and by good works again that nature expands.And the Advaitist says that the atnian never expands orcontracts, but seems to do so, it appears to have becomecontracted. That is all the difference, but all have the oneidea that our atman has all the powers already,not thatanything will come to it from outside, not that anythingwill drop into it from the skies. Mark you, your Vedasare not inspired, but expired, not that they came fromanywhere outside, but they are eternal laws living in everysoul. The Vedas are in the soul of the ant, in the soul ofthe god. The ant has only to evolve and get the body of asage or a Rishi, and the Vedas will come out, eternal lawsexpressing themselves. This is one greatidea to understand, that our power was already ours, our salvation isalready inside. Say either that it has become contracted,or say that it has been covered with the veil of maya, itmatters little ;the idea is there already:you must have tobelieve in that, believe in the possibility of everybody, evenin the lowest man there is the same possibility as in theBuddha. This is the doctrine of the atman.But now comes a tremendous fight. Here are theBuddhists, who equally analyse the bodyinto a materialstream, and as equally analyse the mind into another.And as about this atman they state that it is unnecessary,we need not assume the atman at all. What use of asubstance and qualities adhering to the substance ? Wesay gunas, qualities, and qualities alone. It is illogical to