Watering the Roots

0 Posted by - December 30, 2012 - Radhanath Swami

 

If you pour water on the roots of the tree the whole tree is nourished, and if you give food to the stomach the whole body is nourished. Every part of a healthy body is serving the whole body. The eyes are not just selfishly doing something; the eyes are directing the rest of the body. The hands are supplying to the rest of the body. The stomach is bringing nourishment to the rest of the body. The nose is bringing oxygen to the rest of the body. Every healthy cell of the body is serving the whole body. That is good health.

What is disease? I am not a doctor but I am speaking about disease from a philosophical perspective. Disease is when germs or cells enter body and they are selfish. They are egoistic and selfish, they are thinking about themselves. They are not thinking about the whole body.

What is a cancer cell doing? It’s living for itself. It’s eating the other cells. It’s fighting a war against the rest of the body. Then all the healthy cells, the good guys, because they are concerned with the body, they all start fighting against that disease. If you have a cold, those cold germs are like selfish guys; they are just thinking about themselves, eating you up. But you have the whole rest of the body fighting against it. And ultimately if those selfish cells become stronger and stronger, the cells that are working together for the whole body are ultimately killed and the body dies.

That’s what is happening in the world. The world is a body. Humanity is a body and a proper body is where everyone is focused on feeding the stomach, everyone is focused on serving the whole for the interest of everyone. But when you have people who are greedy, selfish and egoistic, they are like cancer cells in this body and they are creating havoc.
People consider that energy and power are very important, but actually knowledge is more important. If we apply our knowledge in utilizing the energy properly, it can serve the whole body, i.e. the world. It can be utilized in harmony with the absolute, with God. But if we utilize that same energy and power without proper knowledge of who we are and what our real purpose in life is, it could create disaster.

–Radhanath Swami