a site for which he painted Triptych.nRothko wanted the lighting to be basednon the skylight that he had in his NewnYork studio. Johnson thought otherwise,nand eventually withdrew from thenproject. Even Ashton thinks thatnJohnson’s plan was superior to thatnwhich was put into place. Lightingnwasn’t his only concern: Rothko wantednthe walls and the floor of the chapel to benOn Self-Realizationnby B.J. BryantnAnyone who contemplates life in ourncountry today would undoubtedlynconcede that these are difficult andnthreatening times, both for individualsnand for the nation as a whole. Whatnseems encouraging is that many peoplenare beginning to understand how outwardndifficulties—too numerous tonmention, but all springing from selfishnessnand hatred—are the inevitablenconsequences of our inward deficiencies:nparticularly the loss of the moralncompass resulting from not enough lovenfor God. As a result of this realization,npeople are more inclined to scrutinizentheir own behavior as they go throughnthe tests and trials of thefr lives than tonsimply blame others for the world’snproblems. If people truly loved Godnmore, they would make ever morendevoted efforts to attune thefr lives andnactions with his will: defend his purposesnagainst ideologies hostile or indifferentnto him, and rigorously cultivate theirnown higher natures to please him. Asnpeople strive to develop this love fornhim, they come to be very protective ofnthe values and institutions which allownour country to safeguard it, and developnMr. Bryant belongs to the Self-RealizationnFellowship.n34inChronicles of Culturenlike those in his studio. The works,nseemingly, could not be lifted from thenenvironment in which they werencreated without suffering tremendousntraumas from the dislocation. Takingnthese requirements into account, it’snalmost as if Rothko was merely talking tonhimself Perhaps the viewers were, then,nmeant only to overhear him. Is it art ornmerely self-indulgence? DnP()I.I:MI( s & i;( ii N(;I:Sna deepening sympathy for other countriesnand religious heritages which arenstruggling, in thefr own ways, to do thensame. Most importantly, they begin tonexperience an ever stronger desfre for andirect, intimate, intensely personalnrelationship with God.nThis is obviously a very private matter,nand every person who sincerely seeksnGod does so on his own, whether or notnhe belongs to one of the world’s majornreligions, or to any other formal religiousnorganizatioa Each person who is blessednwith real feith, or the desfre to develop it,nknows intuitively that the one whoncreated him is certainly capable ofnresponding to his heart’s call in a waynthat is as unique as he is. Obviously, thenuniqueness of one’s relationship withnnnGod need not be compromised in anynway by membership in one of thenworld’s major religions (Christianity,nHinduism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism);nneither is affiliation with one of these ansine qua non of the authenticity of thenlove existing between God and hisnhuman son. The lover of God inevitablynfeels a strong kinship with anyone elsenwho also loves him, and has a naturalnrespect for the formal expression of thatnlove, even tf it differs from his own. Allnthat is necessary is that it be sincere, andnstrong enough to allow the divine handnto work through it to transform one’s life.nThe foregoing is meant to provide anframe of reference in which to considernthe objections that must be raisednconcerning the remarks about the Self-nRealization Fellowship made by Mr.nSteven Hayward in Chronicles of Culturen(December 1983; P- 41). In hisnarticle “Seff-Actualizing Mammon” Mr.nHayward fastens on the physical appearancenof one of the shrines of this organizationnand, finding said appearance notnto his liking, proceeds to draw somenrather unfortunate conclusions aboutnthe real nature of the organization itselfnIt is regrettable that he did not try tonlearn something about Seff-RealizationnFellowship before condemning it. If henhad, he w^ould surely have sensed thendepth and singlemindedness of thendevotion of its members to God, and tonthe keeping of his laws here on earth. Henwould also certainly have appreciatednthe reasonableness and stability of itsnteachings, and would thus have felt thenkinship that one lover of the spirit feelsnfor another. Instead, he rather smuglyntried to hurt this church, and in so doingnput himself in the unenviable position ofndoing violence to what is holy.nI sincerely hope that Mr. Hayward willntake the time to become familiar withnwhat the Self-Realization Fellowship isnreally about. I am certain that after anninvestigation he will conclude that it isnindeed an ally in the cause of righteousness,ndeserving of his apologies and hisnrespect. Dn