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Other day I met someone to talk about meditation. She said she wants help because she is really tensed up due to family problems. Talks led from one topic to another and I casually mentioned over a conversation that “Both Priest and Prostitute have equal possibilities to attain God”. The moment I said that she immediately got up and said “at least I expected you to say bad things about whore and not compare them with priest”.
She also said “she expected me to be a decent guy and she was disappointed as I spoke against her beliefs. finally she decided I am not he right guy to talk about meditation because I don’t match her requirements of how a teacher should be. She had already decided what she wanted to hear from me. Unless I followed her expected path, she was not ready to listen to me.
Most of you have similar issues. You already prepared yourself for God a& Guru. God and Guru happens to you only when you are open and carry no prejudice. You are not ready to accept Guru or God with open arms. You have already decided what Guru & GOD should be and must be.
NOW the Pope, Maulvi’s, Shankaracharya’s of the world is in dilemma. The moment they say good things about other religions, People will remove from their post and finish them off. Even if they want to – Pope cannot talk about Mohammad, Maulvi cannot talk about Mary, Shakaracharya cannot talk about Buddha! Suddenly religion and religious leaders are shaped by followers and not the other way. This is the reason why Religion has been stagnated for so long. Suddenly everyone wants to hold on to scriptures, religions, Gurus. No one wants to know truth, because truth requires a rebel character and lonely journey. In a world of fast food you need ready made answers and you live in a world of ready made answers.
It is not accidental that if you turn word DOG then you get GOD. Dog is a subtle symbol of lack of authenticity. The moment you drop DOG like ‘following nature’ from you character and you start moving on a journey towards God.
Please learn from wherever or whomever you want. Find a Guru or religion to which you feel has made difference to your heart. Then thank him or her and move on. I have had thousands of Gurus in my life. I keep learning everyday from one or the other. But the moment I have understood and experienced then everything is my own. I have nothing but heart full gratitude to them. And that’s where we have moved on & changed lanes. Do not stick to Guru or God so much you become nothing more than a Dog. You disciple nature should not become a character of Dog.
There is nothing wrong following a Guru, there is nothing wrong if you start with some beliefs. It’s OK. I am not against Guru or organized religion. But over a period of time your beliefs should turn into your experiences otherwise if they remain as just beliefs, then you haven’t made much progress. Guru can give you just the right push you required to start your Journey. From then on please drive yourself. Remember the very meaning of belief is nothing but something you do not know and something you assume.
I repeat and repeat to you – that no Guru or religion can make you enlightened on the path. You have to do it yourself. Truth is first hand phenomena and it is not a second hand expression.
Old Zen saying – “if you meet Buddha on the road kill him”
Jesus says – “unless you become like children you will not enter heaven’
Indian Mystic’- “unless your drop guru, you cannot become his disciple”!
Child means authenticity. Children always follow whatever they want, Even if you tell them don’t touch fire, it iwll burn you. they will touch and cry. Once they understood fire burns you, they will never do it. but the key thing is here they want to get burned and they don’t buy your word for it. Make sure you encourage truth with your kid. Do not fill him with ideas. Expose him to ideas but do not force him to adopt it. Ask him find truth and live with it.
It doesn’t matter whether right or wrong; go with your own experiences. It’s better that way as your experience takes closer to destination. Borrowed words take you further away from your path.
Unless you are authentic and rebel, you are not going anywhere. Being rebel is essence of growth. Being authentic is the positive ways towards truth. Following oneself is where the ultimate treasure is.
Love
Suresh
There is the inner truth and that is golden!
Take what you need from the experience and leave the rest behind. Dare to rebel and follow what you fel is right. Life is so easy if we would only believe that it is.
Thanks for your great and sweet explanation. Loved it.
This is a real eye-opener for me! It is always striking when deep down you already know certain stuff, but you don’t ‘see’ it, because you don’t listen to that inner voice (while we have ‘learned’ to stop listening). When I read this text, I felt really happy, as if something which was already in my mind (but which I couldn’t see), finally made it to my consciousness. Great text, thanks!
believing is easy, finding the truth requires tremendous courage for which one has to leave all dogmas, creed and belief behind and become vulnerable, become child who like to explore everything.
Prostitute has better , much better chance to attain god, for she does not have any suppression. Priest has to be orderly he has to wear mask of morality, religiousness,humanity,godliness, of being pious at least in public and lose his original face.
All relationships turn sour when expectations are not met. So it goes with a Guru too.
Most people worship and idolise Guru’s. They gulp everything that the Guru tells them to. And many of the Guru’s and priests have benefitted from this. They have a whole corporate system running for them. The Buddha himself had asked people not to follow him, but to learn from their own experience.
From my own experiences I have no belief in Godmen or in rites and rituals. If someday I can find reason to oppose any of my belief’s I would probably go with the flow.
But of course, there is a lot of difference between a so called Godman and a Guru.
a very nice post..
I totally agree with you..the search of the truth is a journey which is lonely and difficult..But a path which should be encouraged in kids from a very young age…
Till U r on ur feet and on ur “OWN” you have no choice but to linger around some suitable guru.
How you come to that state of “ur own” is another question.
I agree with you, dear Suresh, 100%!
Being a very pragmatic person, born and grown up in a very atheistic culture, I no not have any believes and trust only my personal experiences. It is the only way.
The poor mankind has a long history of blind faiths, and it is time we should learn from this bitter experience.
Considering myself a spiritual person, I do not believe in God.
I know God.
Lovely words of wisdom, my friend. You touch on many truths that we sometimes don’t have the courage to admit. I really liked this inspirational bit of insight, Suresh. Thank you.
Lovely photograph – it’s just breathtaking.
you speak the truth! not just any truth, but the only truth…the nonknowing truth!