Shri Nathji once had some very interesting comments to make on Buddhism. When someone told him that Buddhists do not believe in God, this is what he gave in reply:
Think of a man walking on a road. He knows what the destination is, and he continues walking towards the destination. There is another man walking on the same road. He does not know what the destination, is but he continues walking in the same direction. Ultimately both will reach the same goal, which is at the end of the road.
“A man believes in God, and he walks on the path of righteousness. Ultimately he reaches God. Another man does not know of God, but he walks on the same path of righteousness. He, too, reaches God.
“Sometimes, he, who does not believe in God, but who walks on the path of righteousness, is far superior to the person who believes in God but who does not walk on the path of righteousness. God reveals Himself ultimately to the former, but not to the latter.
On the state of Nirvana, Shri Nathji had the following interesting observation to make:
When all the efforts that Buddha made to attain enlightenment failed, when all austerities, prayers and learning proved of no avail, enlightenment came to Buddha, suddenly, all by itself, as he sat beneath the Bodhi tree. From which source did this enlightenment come? Buddha had already acknowledged the failure of his own efforts.
“What was the mystery behind this sudden revelation? From whence came this light to dispel ignorance? It did not come from the ‘I’ of the body, which was already filled with despair. It did not come from intelligence or knowledge which had failed. Therefore, it becomes necessary to accept the existence of some source, which filled the ‘I’ of Buddha with strength and inspiration.
“An eternal power that is working in the Universe fills the hearts of certain pure souls with the secrets of life. Others, then, benefit from these revelations.
“The same thing is seen in Science. Whenever the time is ripe for some valuable and beneficial laws of Nature to be revealed to the world, that Eternal power acts through the minds of Scientists to reveal the laws of Nature to man, people are surprised at these new and sudden discoveries.”