Devil's Advocate
The title of this article may seem strange, but as we proceed further, the intelligent and genuine seeker of truth will see that it is appropriate indeed. My realisation leads me to this inevitable question: who is not the devil's advocate?
I have heard that many species of serpents do not attack. They simply take a position of defence. The mystics have known the human mind. And they say that it resembles a snake in the sense that it is always on the defensive. To know this basic characteristic of the human mind, one needs observation, honesty and awareness. People are always on the defensive. Why defend? And who or what is being defended?
Who, apart from a mystic and an extremely intelligent person, will agree that we are always in favour of and defending the devil? This part of our character is closely linked to listening. Simple as it may seem, listening is a sign of intelligence. It is not easy to listen without having the courage to learn, which also means self-sacrifice and accepting truth. Indeed, if one trains oneself to seek, listen, accept and live in truth, one will eventually find God who is Truth. This implies the death of the ego, which is a lot of things, but fundamentally, it means separation from the One and is the illusive self. This, however, is a highly mystical knowledge.
Whatever vice or evil exists, it is due to the presence of the ego. This is why I said it means a lot of things. Though it has its own importance, humans beings have become slaves to it. By dissolving the ego, one can experience oneness or wholeness with the Lord or existence. This is quite a hard process and leads to suffering. Just imagine that you have to admit before a group of friends, relatives and so-called high personalities that you are academically poor and do not even possess a School Certificate. Do you not feel something? That something is a reaction of the blow received by your ego or lower self.
There are innumerable instances where the ego gets a blow, but it is always on the defence by showing a good face. The ego is always asserting itself as no one wants to be a loser. People are always justifying their deeds and misdeeds. They are not ready or willing to accept themselves as they are, and this strengthens the ego. This means co-operating with that which is the cause of all forms of evil. It is here that the article gets its title: we are being advocates of the devil. There is no devil other than the notion of separation with existence.
Be honest and observe your state of being whenever a blunt truth is being spoken. The best moment is when your weaknesses are being enumerated. A friend says to you, "You are not worth doing certain things," and immediately you bubble up instead of remaining calm and analysing whether there is an element of truth in what the person is saying. In most cases, people react, they do not act. Instead of proceeding to listen and to analyse, waves of feelings and thoughts will upsurge and most of the time, people either get drowned in them or suppress them. Both are wrong.
The best approach is to listen and observe. If whatever has been said is true, then why not devote oneself to do the needful? This may seem like a Herculean task. Yes, it is not easy, otherwise everyone would be a saint! But this is the real and genuine austerity and one has to pass through it if one wants to attain one's higher nature. Listen to truth with one-pointed awareness and exclusive devotion and be ready to accept and to walk on the path of truth.
Presently, people are always on the defensive, siding with the devil or the ego. I also call it co-operating with the most dangerous snake called ego. Human beings are experts in inventing pretexts. This is a flagrant case of being the devil's advocate. If only people could understand that by so doing, they are nurturing evil and killing or burying their own soul! Yet everyone thinks that he is always right and the other one is wrong. In fact, for everyone, the other is hell. Many people mechanically sing the doha of Kabir, "I have searched for evil in the whole world and found none. But when I dug within, I saw there was none more evil than me!" Why not dig like Kabir instead? No wonder, the saints and mystics have said that we hide both God and the devil within. The ego is the devil and the soul is God. One is the servant or the lower self, while the other is the higher Self, the master.
Listen to truth with one-pointed awareness and exclusive devotion and be ready to accept and to walk on the path of truth.
