ABSTRACT
Purity is generally understood to mean the observance of the moral and ethical laws of life. The criterion of purity is whether a man has attained the vision of God. What did Christ mean when he said, ‘Follow me?’ He meant renunciation of all attachments and devotion to God alone. This pure love is synonymous with that purity which gives us the vision of God. It transcends both good and evil. They are the very foundation of spiritual life. Problems arise when spiritual life becomes identified with rules and customs, and the ideal of union with God is forgotten; then the spirit of religion is lost. There are very few aspirants who from the very beginning of spiritual life have discrimination and love of God for love’s sake, knowing him to be the one and only Reality. Most devote themselves to God in order to be freed from the troubles and miseries of life or to satisfy some unfulfilled desire.
