A Problem of Plenty

In an earlier post, we outlined some of the challenges facing modern man in his quest to embrace God and Spirituality. Let us recollect those points.

1) Which God?

Man, this is a tough one. This is worse than, "Should i study at Harvard or at Yale?" To me it all depends on the availability of,

a. Affordable education.
b. Quality idli vada.
c. The distance to the nearest cricket ground.

It appears they have none.

No...seriously, Which God? The one from the east or the one from the west? Since the north and the south are generally barren, we either march westwards where the sun never sets, or east across the Hindukush mountains, where the rising sun is a sight to behold.

A small lesson in history can help here i guess.

It is said that there are 11 major faiths in this world. A look at the the most volatile flash point on earth reveals 3 major religions. Jerusalem is the melting pot of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Although Islam was not born in Jerusalem, its roots are inextricably linked with Jerusalem.

Another region close-by gave rise to Zoroastrianism, and believed to have arrived earlier than Christianity and Islam. In terms of age, it is presumably closer to Judaism, which is based on the old testament.

Going eastwards, we have Taoism (Daoism), Shinto, Confucianism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Sanatan Dharm (Hinduism).

Give or take a few, we have listed a majority of religions that around 6.5 Billion people follow or proclaim to follow in some form or the other.

Question hour...

1. Have these religions / faiths fully answered all our spiritual questions?
2. Have they been able to silence our minds and intellects with irrefutable logic, as our modern mind demands?
3. How successful have they been in describing the relationship between the Soul, God and the external world?
4. How well have they described the need for God and the path towards God-realisation?
5. Have they had Universal appeal and acceptance?

Other than these, we have many more complicated questions like, the birth of the universe, the truth about afterlife (rebirth) and so on. Scientists, Explorers, Stock brokers and the common man, all are looking for answers.

Is there a single person / source who can answer all of these questions satisfactorily?

When the explorers and scientists do not find much after digging deep down, the only place to look is up. Given the current market trend, the only way is up for our crestfallen financial whiz kids i suppose ;)

A religion that has universal appeal and acceptance is rare. It might be worth introducing an interesting fact that, ALL the seven major religions of the world are freely practised in one single country! Nowhere in the world do we find such tolerance for all religions and faiths.

India is the birth place of Sanatan Dharm. It has full tolerance and acceptance for all faiths. India is also the birth place of Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. St. Thomas travelled to India soon after Jesus Christ left earth. One of the very first tirades that the Islamic revolutionaries launched was against India, soon after Prophet Muhammad left. There goes a legend that when Alexander the Great was asked to name a gift, he asked for a wise man from the east (India).

No wonder, India has remained the epicentre and pinnacle of spiritual wisdom.

If there is a place where people have found eternal spiritual solace, it is in Hinduism. This might seem like a controversial or a blasphemous statement to make, especially when there are millions of people who have found peace and happiness in various faiths they follow sincerely, including the 11 mentioned above.

But, for the ones who are not satisfied with what they have, Sanatan Dharm has the answers. It has the capacity to answer all our questions and transport a true spiritual aspirant towards the ultimate goal of God realisation, provided the aspirant approaches with a humble heart and an open mind.

2) Authenticity of information

Ok, i am a very humble man, i polish my own shoes and clean my own plates. Get me the answers.

Well, i hope it were that easy. First, we need to find a trustworthy source. Where can we find a messiah who will deliver us?

Hang on, do we actually need a messiah or can it be done remotely, over a T3 internet pipe? why do we need some messiah to help us out? Is it not easy to just devour a book hidden deep inside some cave and become the master of the universe or something?

Point to ponder. Why do we need a messiah or a saint? Since time immemorial, people have been waiting for this messiah dude who will bash up all the bad guys. Who are the bad guys? well, according to A, B is bad. If you ask B, he will swear that A is bad. Call C, he will say both A and B are despicable.

Anyway, there is this messiah package from the heavens that FedEx has not yet delivered or maybe there is some book or sacred text hidden somewhere which will give us the answer. Whatever it is, The Saint or the holy man seems to be the common link, sacred scroll or no sacred scroll.

Saints and Soothsayers are spread the world over. India is the hotbed of spiritual trainees, who come in all shapes and sizes. Be it the path of Religious ritualism and Righteousness (Karm and Dharm), path of Knowledge (Gyanis and Yogis) or the path of pure Devotion (Bhakti), you will find them all here.

To add to the confusion, we have the Vedic scriptures, the Upanishads, the Puranas and so on. Which one is better, Mahabharat or Ramayan? Do those characters really exist?

I mean, give me break pal. 10-headed demon (Ravana) slain by a king on exile with an army of apes...tell it to the birds. Listen to this one, a kid (Shree Krishna) dancing on the a snake with many hoods? what do you take me for?

So, here we go again...

1) I cannot believe what is said in those books because it sounds absurd.
2) If at all they were to be believed, who is to be trusted with an accurate account of these events?
3) Whose interpretation is genuine?
4) Even if it did happen and the books are authentic, so what? how does it affect me?

Whom do we TRUST?

One says, do Yoga and Pranayam, thou shalt be liberated. Sure, many of us to do find mental relief and comfort, but liberation, no way! ever heard of the "peace pipe" mate ;)

On a serious note, Yoga and Pranayam are extremely effective techniques to keep your body in excellent physical shape and health. Many diseases and ailments (related to the physical body) can be cured. Yoga also helps build mental strength and concentration.

But, Yoga / Pranayam alone cannot treat the afflictions of a fickle mind or the fallacies of a flawed intellect. It is definitely true that they soothe your mind temporarily, but once you fold your Yoga mat, external stress re-enters your mind, slowly if not immediately.

The next level of redeemers are the ones who proclaim that meditation is the answer to relieve stress and lead a happy life. Mediate on what? nobody knows. Everyone seems to have attended a class on meditation or met a Guru who has been in meditation since the Himalayas formed, but i fail to see what was the subject of meditation. Common subjects people attempt are,

1) An imaginary point in front of you. Think of a small circle and concentrate on that.
2) Do not think anything. Just let thoughts come and go.
3) Empty your mind and feel the presence of God around you.

uuuh....eerie.

What if i meditate on the form of a 3 year old child? maybe that child is my son or daughter. What is the consequence of such a meditation? What will i attain or realise?

At this juncture, it is worth introducing the problem of the plenty.

3) Too many cooks in the kitchen

We have a mind-boggling array of saints and soothsayers in our country with astonishing techniques and skills, that it is virtually impossible to weigh them or at times even dispute them.

As mentioned earlier, we have saints of various sects and religions, saints with different ideologies, philosophies and dogmas, saints with mystical powers and then the harmless saints with no rhyme or reason.

We also have another class of godmen / godwomen who bring (mis)fortune and (de)fame to people.

For ex., we have all heard about this palmist / astrologist who told your neighbour that he / she will find a few precious gems hidden underneath the pillow one morning. Voila! it was indeed the case. What can you say to that?

Well, only one thing. This has nothing to do with Spirituality.

With the limited Spiritual knowledge that we all possess, our intellect tells us that we need to find a person and not a book. That person is called a Guru in Sanatan Dharm (Hinduism).

If we find a Guru whom we can TRUST, then we will find the answer to our questions. Spiritual or material, thou shalt be answered. The onus of finding a Guru lies with the question seeker. Though a true Guru is a spiritual doctor, recommending one like we do with a family doctor does not always help in this realm.

Finding a source of unparalleled, infallible and true Spiritual knowledge is not that easy. Some do have it easy but that is not a rule. It is a matter of personal interest and hunger for satisfactory answers. The level of Guru you will find is directly proportional to the amount of spiritual hunger in your heart. Throw in a generous amount of God's grace into the equation, you have the recipe to attain unlimited knowledge.

Ok, fine..lets get a Guru.

The question once again rises, WHICH Guru to trust?

That my friend, is a personal quest for the greatest treasure you will ever unearth.