That in which you have faith, do not make it an object of knowing. Faith is the nature of undivided mind, undivided consciousness. We have faith in God, do not try to know God. We have faith in Self, do not try to know Self. You can't have faith in that which you make an object of knowing. A thing to know is an object of knowing. You have made it into an object of knowing. Whatever you have faith in, you do not need to know about it. Do not make that something you have faith in, an object of knowing. Like you have faith in God, you cannot make God an object of knowing; like you have faith in yourself, you can't make the Self an object of knowing.
Q. Are faith and belief the same?
Gurudev: Belief is a little diluted, faith is little strong, more concrete. Our beliefs can change, faith is firm. Faith is yogurt, belief is buttermilk. (Laughter....)
Like a child has faith in the mother, the child does not make the mother into an object of knowing. The child does not try to know the mother, it simply has faith in the mother. When you have faith, what is the need to know it? You cannot make love an object of knowing, if you try to make love an object of knowing, if you try to know it, it will disappear.
In the same way you cannot make Self or God an object of knowing. God, love, sleep, and Self are beyond knowing. If you try to analyze, doubt comes in and faith will disappear. So whatever you want to have faith in, do not want to know it or analyze it. The moment you make something an object of knowing then analysis starts and then doubt follows. Analysis creates a distance, synthesis brings it together. Faith is synthesis, knowing is analysis.
Barbara: Can you have faith without being aware of it?
Gurudev: Yes. You have faith. Consciousness cannot exist without faith. Faith is a relaxed, stable, quality of consciousness. It is like the flame of a candle. The nature of consciousness is faith.
Theologians analyze too much. They study 5 to 6 years and then they lose their faith.
A story: Jyoti once met an officer in-charge of religious affairs. The minister was so sure that no one can have spiritual experiences. She gave him a short talk on spirituality and she concluded by saying, "I believe in what I experience." His comment was, "I am glad to hear that you too are an atheist!" Another ANALYSIS by a theologian has recently concluded that Jesus never existed.
Nick: Does God have faith in us?
Gurudev: I don't know?!! (Laughter ) To know whether God has faith or not, you have to analyze. If you ask whether God has faith in us then you give God also a mind, which is not true.
