THEY CONSIDER IMPORTANT, WHILE THE WESTERNERS ARE MORE PREOCCUPIED WITH PREACHING THEIR VALUES AND TRYING TO GET OTHERS TO LIVE THEM AS THEY THINK IT SHOULD BE DONE."

HE CONTRASTED THE "REMARKABLE DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE INNER MAN" ACHIEVED BY THE EAST AS OPPOSED TO THE HIGH STATE OF MATERIAL ADVANCEMENT REACHED IN THE WEST. AS A RESULT OF THIS STATE OF THINGS, HE POINTED OUT, THE EAST IS NOW TRYING TO BECOME MORE INDUSTRIAL WHILE THE WEST IS TRYING TO DISCOVER THE HIDDEN MEANINGS FOR IT IN THE EASTERN PHILOSOPHIES.

"UNFORTUNATELY, IN SO DOING THE EAST HAS EMULATED THE WESTERN MATERIALISTIC ATTITUDE, WHICH IS IN SUCH CONTRADISTINCTION TO ITS OWN DEEPEST TRADITIONS THAT CONFLICT AND TURMOIL INEVITABLY RESULTS. THIS HAS ITS COUNTERPART IN THE WEST WHERE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BECOME DISGUSTED WITH THE GENERAL MATERIALISTIC ATTITUDES HAVE TURNED TO THE EAST AS A WAY OUT OF THEIR DILEMMA AND ATTEMPT TO EMULATE THEM TO A POINT OF COMPLETE NEGATION OF ALL MATERIAL EXISTENCE, MISTAKENLY THINKING THIS TO BE THE FRUITS OF CENTURIES OF EASTERN DEVELOPMENT."

THERE IS ALWAYS A GAP BETWEEN EVERYDAY LIVING AND THE RELIGIOUS IDEAL, HE POINTED OUT. THIS IS NECESSARY OR THERE IS NO RELIGIOUS IDEAL FOR PEOPLE TO TRY TO LIVE UP TO.

WHAT

IN DISCUSSING THE UNIQUE NATURE OF MOST RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS SEEMS LIKE AMBIGUITY, ESOTERICISM, PARADOX AND VAGUENESS, IS NOT, IN MR. ZEFF'S OPINION, CAUSED BY AN INABILITY OF THE TEACHER TO COMMUNICATE BUT IS A NECESSARY CLIMATE FOR RELIGION. "THE FAULT DOES NOT LIE IN THE MESSAGE BEING COMMUNICATED OR IN THE SO-CALLED VAGUENESS OF THE COMMUNICATOR, BUT IN THE FAULTY NATURE OF THE RECEIVING MECHANISM OF THE LISTENER.

"IN MY OPINION, THE VERY AMBIGUOUS AND PARADOXICAL NATURE OF THE MESSAGE HAS THE ESSENCE OF SALVATION IN IT IN THE SENSE THAT IT MIGHT BE MISINTERPRETED AND LEAD THE ASPIRANT ASTRAY. IS IT NOT TRUE THAT ONLY WHEN WE HAVE GONE ASTRAY CAN WE DISCRIMINATE WHAT OUR OWN TRUE PATH IS? OUR OWN! NOT SOMEONE ELSE'S. WHAT WE CALL VAGUENESS IS IN REALITY TREMENDOUS DEPTH WITH INFINITE POSSIBILITIES, LIKE THE OCEAN.

"THE VAGUE AND PARADOXICAL MESSAGE IS CONSTRUCTED AS SUCH PARTLY