Illumination

Illumination is in the mind and of the mind. Illumination and realisation are two brothers; they are twins. They fulfil each other. The mind's illumination and the realisations of the central being go together. The word 'salvation' always gives us the feeling of Master and slave. Somebody infinitely higher than us is granting us salvation. But when it comes to illumination or realisation, then we feel that a dearer than the dearest Friend has come to our rescue. We feel, "I was in darkness, so my dearer than the dearest Friend, my Lord Beloved Supreme, has come to my rescue."

When we want salvation, we always see the difference between the higher and the lower. The higher part has come to save the lower part. But when it is a matter of illumination, at that time we have to feel that the One who has come to illumine us is our dearest Friend, our Eternity's dearest Friend. In the Christian world, we hear the word 'salvation', but we have to know that the meaning is completely different from 'illumination'. For our salvation, we invoke the Master, but in our illumination we already have the Master, God Himself, deep within.