Path of True Love Is Never Smooth
A regular at religious discourses, I've often found followers of one guru or faith criticising other gurus, teachers and devotees, be- cause they think that their own philosophy is far superior. They tend to assess the learnedness or otherwise of a teacher according to the number of disciples and ashrams. If those who profess to be spiritual seek- ers behave in this manner, what can we expect from lesser mortals? Why is it so difficult for us to respect so difficult for us to respect so difficult for us to respect follow any teaching or teacher of their choice? No one who claims loyalty to any faith that advocates compassion, tolerance and understanding can afford to ignore these tenets. "Few, among thousands of men and women, strive for perfection; and a few per chance, among the blessed ones striving thus, know Me in reality", said Krishna to Arjuna in the Gita (7.3). Тoo many of us are preoccupied with unearthing details of when Krishna was born and when he actually delivered the Gita. We are more interested in knowing what Jesus looked like, and whether he really go resurrected. We tend to mire ourselves in irrelevant details, and we begin to lose sight of the wood for the trees. Few love God unconditio- nally. Ramakrishna would tell the story of some men who went into a mango orchard. They began counting the leaves, twigs and branches, examining their colour, comparing their size, and then proceeded to argue about who was right. The most sensible among them began eating the fruit. Similarly, a truly spiritual person is not bothered about the history or geography of God; she simply yearns for God, she is not as keen to memorise the Gita's verses as she is to follow its teachings. Ramakrishna Paramhansa could read neither the Ramcharitmanas nor the Gita or for that matter, any other scripture. He advised all to 'eat the mangoes', leaving it to the learned to pore over the details. He knew from personal experi ence that God could be reached via any path. He found God by following the various paths of the Hindu faith, including the Vaishna va, Shaiva and Tantric paths He even discovered the beau ty of Christ and Mohammed by learning about them. At the end of each path God was there, waiting for His beloved devotee. The only qualifica tion needed was Pure Love.q A true devotee, no matter which faith she believes in, goes through the equivalent of a crucifixion. Jesus was crucified, Meera was tortured by her in-laws, Prahlad was terrorised by his father, Kabir was ridiculed by society, Nam deva was labelled mad by his people, Tulsidas was threatened by the upper caste and even Socrates was forced to consume poison. None was spared. The Lord demands complete surrender. He resides in our hearts. But only the pure are allowed into this sacred space, and that's why we need the guidance of a hallowed Sadhguru. Ramakrishna said that the heart was like God's living room. So we need to keер it clean. Ramana Maharshi explained that to seek true Consciousness, you must concentrate on the Heart which is the seat of Cons ciousness or is Consciousness itself. The heart is another name for Reality, he said, and this is neither inside nor outside the body. Loving God results in 'rising' rather than 'falling' in love. Your vision gradually begins to encompass entire humankind, all living beings and inert matter as well. You become One with That. Loving an earthly being means possessiveness, and this is restrictive. That's why you 'fall' in love. Loving God, however, enables us to love all. This way, you can achieve ultimate oneness of existence or Brahman
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Seema Burman views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Seema Burman Speaking Tree,Times of India
Path of True Love Is Never Smooth
A regular at religious discourses, I've often found followers of one guru or faith criticising other gurus, teachers and devotees, be- cause they think that their own philosophy is far superior. They tend to assess the learnedness or otherwise of a teacher according to the number of disciples and ashrams. If those who profess to be spiritual seek- ers behave in this manner, what can we expect from lesser mortals? Why is it so difficult for us to respect so difficult for us to respect so difficult for us to respect follow any teaching or teacher of their choice? No one who claims loyalty to any faith that advocates compassion, tolerance and understanding can afford to ignore these tenets. "Few, among thousands of men and women, strive for perfection; and a few per chance, among the blessed ones striving thus, know Me in reality", said Krishna to Arjuna in the Gita (7.3). Тoo many of us are preoccupied with unearthing details of when Krishna was born and when he actually delivered the Gita. We are more interested in knowing what Jesus looked like, and whether he really go resurrected. We tend to mire ourselves in irrelevant details, and we begin to lose sight of the wood for the trees. Few love God unconditio- nally. Ramakrishna would tell the story of some men who went into a mango orchard. They began counting the leaves, twigs and branches, examining their colour, comparing their size, and then proceeded to argue about who was right. The most sensible among them began eating the fruit. Similarly, a truly spiritual person is not bothered about the history or geography of God; she simply yearns for God, she is not as keen to memorise the Gita's verses as she is to follow its teachings. Ramakrishna Paramhansa could read neither the Ramcharitmanas nor the Gita or for that matter, any other scripture. He advised all to 'eat the mangoes', leaving it to the learned to pore over the details. He knew from personal experi ence that God could be reached via any path. He found God by following the various paths of the Hindu faith, including the Vaishna va, Shaiva and Tantric paths He even discovered the beau ty of Christ and Mohammed by learning about them. At the end of each path God was there, waiting for His beloved devotee. The only qualifica tion needed was Pure Love.q A true devotee, no matter which faith she believes in, goes through the equivalent of a crucifixion. Jesus was crucified, Meera was tortured by her in-laws, Prahlad was terrorised by his father, Kabir was ridiculed by society, Nam deva was labelled mad by his people, Tulsidas was threatened by the upper caste and even Socrates was forced to consume poison. None was spared. The Lord demands complete surrender. He resides in our hearts. But only the pure are allowed into this sacred space, and that's why we need the guidance of a hallowed Sadhguru. Ramakrishna said that the heart was like God's living room. So we need to keер it clean. Ramana Maharshi explained that to seek true Consciousness, you must concentrate on the Heart which is the seat of Cons ciousness or is Consciousness itself. The heart is another name for Reality, he said, and this is neither inside nor outside the body. Loving God results in 'rising' rather than 'falling' in love. Your vision gradually begins to encompass entire humankind, all living beings and inert matter as well. You become One with That. Loving an earthly being means possessiveness, and this is restrictive. That's why you 'fall' in love. Loving God, however, enables us to love all. This way, you can achieve ultimate oneness of existence or Brahman
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Seema Burman views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Seema Burman Speaking Tree,Times of India