We have to search for a genuine spiritual teacher towards the realization of God

[Guest guest]

" Hindus believe that God is One, but the sages - the wise men of the

world - call Him by different names. Although the names may differ,

in reality we are talking about the same person, the One. Different

people may call a man - because of their relationship with him -

father, brother or husband, yet he is the same person. In that way

God is also One, but people see Him differently according to their

ideas about Him, and it is these ideas about God that matter. Some

people think that their idea is more perfect than other people's

ideas and some people even fight for them, and so they create a lot

of conflict in the world. The Hindus, however, think that because God

is One - though people call Him by different names - there is no need

for conflict. On the contrary there should be tolerance about the

different religions rather than conflicts.

 

In Hinduism, experience is important, not belief. Experience is more

profound than belief because only experience can transform us and

make us into a different person. The emphasis in Hinduism is on

knowledge because, as we all know, ignorance is the cause of our

problems. Therefore religion should emphasize knowledge. If we want

to find out about knowledge we need freedom, and unless there is

individual freedom to seek God, the Hindus think that the liberation

we are aspiring to cannot be realized. So religion according to

Hinduism cannot take us to a very high level. This is more a personal

thing and means that we have to search for a genuine spiritual

teacher and when we find him he will instruct us on that higher path

towards the realization of God. "

 

Swami Nirliptananda