question

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

The difference

between “You”, and “God” is ignorance.

 

Love, Bob Rose

 

We all believe everything happens by the will of God, not even a leaf moves

without HIS command.

Does this mean even the ignorance i.e anger/attachment/lust/greed is

created

by HIM, by HIS command. Keeping in mind, the man has no power to do anything

without HIS wish!

 

 

[Guest guest]

Yes, it is.

Thakur Ramakrishna has said it is his 'leela'. Then he has said that

there will be no game at all if all the player touch the goal at a time'

 

 

Ramakrishna [Ramakrishna ]

On Behalf Of trishna mahal

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 2:13 PM

Ramakrishna

[sri Ramakrishna] Question

 

Hi all

I have been a silent spectator of this group for some years now but I am

[Guest guest]

As far as I remember this question was put to Sri Ramakrishna. He

became grave as he replied, " Those are very high postulations, not

for the ordinary person to contemplate upon. "

 

Sri Ramakrishna's reply suggests this is a profound secret. However

dwelling much on this will do us more harm than good as it may lead

us astray and away from the path of virtue.

 

An ordinary explanation would be that suffering borne out of sin is

also an illusion. However the ordinary mortal is within the grip of

illusion and his suffering is very " real " .

 

We attain freedom from pain only when we can rip through the veil of

ignorance. But in doing that we go beyond both vice and virtue,

rendering the query irrelevant.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.

 

Ramakrishna , " trishna mahal "

<trishnamahal wrote:

 

> We all believe everything happens by the will of God, not even a

leaf moves

> without HIS command.

> Does this mean even the ignorance i.e anger/attachment/lust/greed

is created

> by HIM, by HIS command. Keeping in mind, the man has no power to do

anything

> without HIS wish!

[Guest guest]

Dear Group, In continuation with Trishna's question I would like to let you know the same kind of doubt which I find posing potential disturbance in my mind. Ignorance, lust, greed or anger whatever they be, Hinduism says these are created by Maya around us as Arjuna asks Lord Krishna the same question that why we, the plaything in God's hand are driven towards these things even though we know that they are not good? The Lord replies, "Because we, the souls have been surrounded by Maya---desire and anger, like the baby is covered with skin in mother's womb". So, this Maya of ignorance drives us towards passions. And this Maya is created by God because this is the Driving force of creation without which, world would cease to exist. But why some people can get over this Maya very easily and some helplessly get enslaved to them? If the tendencies within the soul is borne out of its past Karma then

surely at the beginning the soul had good tendencies. God being unbiased and neutral we can assume that he won't make some weak soul nor He would make some strong soul. Why and from where this inequality comes? Some people are destined to be bad and evil and some are destined to be good---why this is so? Can anybody help me out of this doubt? Satrajit Gupta

[Guest guest]

If someone has attended a lofty spiritual state, in which he realizes

that every thing happens by the Will of Lord, the enemies like lust

and greed drop away automatically. Untill that state is attended, he

has to live with lust and greed.

Shrinivas

Ramakrishna , " trishna mahal "

<trishnamahal wrote:

>

> Hi all

> I have been a silent

[Guest guest]

Hi,

In the Gospel, Thakur mentions that maya is of 2 kinds. Vidya and

Avidya. The traits that you mentioned will fall under Avidya maya.

So, I believe that these are created by HIM alone who created the

good traits like peace, harmony, non-attachment, sense control etc.

However, this doesn't mean that man has no power. As Thakur

mentioned man's free will is like a cow tied to a pole. The cow can

roam about as the rope allows it. If the cow behaves good, the owner

might increase the length of the rope. Otherwise it will be

reduced. The cow has the " free will " to be good or bad. Again the

cow revolves round the pole and gets entalged to the pole. This

analogy is for the wordly people who will misuse their " free will " .

 

Sri Ramakrishna Saranam,

Prasad

 

Ramakrishna , " trishna mahal "

<trishnamahal wrote:

>

> Hi all

> Does this mean even the ignorance i.e anger/attachment/lust/greed

is created

> by HIM, by HIS command. Keeping in mind, the man has no power to do

anything

> without HIS wish!

>

> Thanks in advance for your time

>

> Regards

>

[Guest guest]

No, its not meant that man has no power but according to the nature

each every living being in the earth have its own strenth, power.

But am not mean to say that their no power to the creater, just i

mean to say that if he willing to make us a Master also, even it

needs the SWAPRAYATHNA,because only from facilities, encouragement,

and a very good guru each and every thing if have also dont mind but

you should have the mind to realize the God, if not interested in

the nobody cant anything. But one from a GURU u will come to what

your goal should and the way in which to can reach that.

[Guest guest]

Dear group, Yes indeed I too feel this type of charming force but breaking it seems alienating myself from normal humans or bewitched ones but somewhere also I feel need for free from body consiousnes state to be able to continue for conquering this maya for unlimited period. rajivsatrajit gupta <satrajitgupta (AT) (DOT)

[Guest guest]

hello members But Swami Vivekanand also talked of your own free will as far as I have read thats interestingBob Rose <bobrose108 wrote: Namaste, The

[Guest guest]

Dear Satrajit,

This is a common question for any serious thinker in spirituality.

Even Lord Rama put the same question to Sage Viswamitra in the Yoga

Vasistha (according to Swami Sivananda). To this Sage Viswamitra

replied that you're putting the cart before the horse, which will

take you no where. The answers to such questions doesn't lie in

intellectual reasoning but in realization. When we realize the truth

behind it, the question itself doesn't exist.

As Thakur often reminded us, let's eat the mango fruit from the

garden instead of wasting time on counting how many trees, leaves are

in the garden.

 

Pranams,

Prasad

 

--- In

[Guest guest]

Why should the free, perfect, and pure be thus under the thraldom of matter, is the next question.How can the perfect soul be deluded into the belief that it is imperfect? We have been told that the

Hindus shirk the question and say that no such question can be there- Some thinkers want to answer it by positing one or more quasi-perfect beings, and use big scientific names to fill up the gap. But naming is not explaining.

The question remains the same. How can the perfect become the quasi-perfect; how can the pure, the absolute change even a microscopic particle of its nature? But the Hindu is sincere. He does not want to take shelter under sophistry. He is brave enough to face the question in a manly fashion; and his

answer is: 'I do not know.' I do not know how the perfect being, the soul, came to think of itself as imperfect, as Joined to and conditioned by matter.' But the fact is a fact for all that.It is a fact in everybody's consciousness that one thinks of oneself as the body. The Hindu does not

attempt to explain why one thinks one is the body. The answer that it is the will of God is no explanation. This is nothing more than what the Hindu says, 'I do not know.'

'The Paper on Hinduism': Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Vol-I.

------------------------------­-------------------------Q: You have mentioned that the True goal of a man's life is to discover one's true nature in him. If Man's true nature is divine, how did he become ignorant in the first place? How did we get ignorant of our true

nature? Being truly a divine and perfect soul, should we not have remained that way?A: Congratulations! You have asked one of the prime questions in spiritual philosophy for which there is no clear-cut answer. The non-dual Vedanta philosophy, d to by Swami Vivekananda, gives the clearest

answers as far as it is possible to do in human language. There have always been among us a few human beings who have actually realized the Truth, in the process of which they have transcended all phenomenaand re-dentified with the Eternal Reality, Buddha, Jesus, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda. Their answers are our

scriptures. There we find our answers. In answer to your last question, " Being truly a divine and perfectsoul, should we not have remained that way? " We are ever that Perfect Being whether we are aware of it or

not. This veil of ignorance limits our awareness of ourselves and the world. Spiritual practices removethis ignorance. This is possible because ignorance is ultimately unreal, being but the play of aninscrutable divine energy. Why this is so cannot be answered. Our goal is to find the Reality of our true

nature, not get lost in endless questioning. There is a lecture by Swami Vivekananda in Vol. II of TheComplete Works of Swami Vivekananda

, entitled, " The Real and the Apparent Man " which should be most

helpful to you. I hope this helps answer your question and spurs you onwards in your spiritual search.-

[Guest guest]

Dear Strajit,

Namo Bhagavate Ramakrishnaya!

 

It is a fact that Maya deludes us and its God's creation.

But what can we do about it? By the same Lord's grace we have become

aware that Maya exists, which deludes us. Through His grace, we also

have become aware of the path to transcend it. From now onwards we

should consciously put up efforts not to get entangled into the snares

of Maya. We also must Pray to Lord to wash out the accumulated

Samskaras (Seeds of our past karmas).

With warm regards

Shrinivas

[Guest guest]

Ramakrishna , tom jones <haryfun wrote:

>

> hello members

>

> But Swami Vivekanand also talked of your own free will as

> far as I have read thats interesting

>

> Bob Rose <bobrose108 wrote:

>

> Namaste,

>

> The difference between " You " , and " God " is ignorance.

>

> Love, Bob Rose

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, I read the views of our group memebers regarding the question we are trying to answer now. But there are some doubts which are still here !! Mr. Basavan's answers are encouraging and solves the part of the query but I do not understand here the creation of all souls at the beginning who were all good and free from the result of Karma how they can have differences in ideas if made from the same being ? Secondly, if created at the beginning and if all souls had been given equal circumstances then which factor/factors caused inequality? Why two souls would act differently at the beginning? If God gives us the free will to act whatever we want then what caused the differences in thoughts and thereby in action? As for example, if God made minds from a certain substance then this will be equal for everybody. There should not be any contamination for a person and absolute purity for

another one? God being neutral He cannot do that. So what forced the wicked persons to do wicked things? I am still filled with doubts.

gets better. Check out the new email design. Plus there’s much more to come.

[Guest guest]

Dear Satrajit,

The question you have raised assumes that this universe has a

beginning. That there was a point when all the souls were created (or

this maya was created) and after that point some made bad choices and

some made good with no reason for one to do anything differently than

the other since the starting point was the same. I don't remember the

exact words but Swamiji said something like this cycle of souls going

through various stages and then finally reaching the supreme goal of

uniting with God is endless. And going by his logic, something that

has no end cannot have a beginning also. So if this universe really

has no beginning then this question of God being unfair to some souls

and making their time and effort of realization shorter doesn't mean

anything. What if everybody goes through exactly the same number of

lives to achieve the goal of realization. There could have been

several universes before ours and the ones we see as spiritually very

advanced may have been toiling since those times and we might be

recent inclusions in this whole play of maya .

We are trying to make sense of what is apparent and it is clear that

it is a futile activity. Some years ago I asked this question to my

mother. This was before I was introduced to Swamiji so she was my

only source of knowledge on these matters. She had no answer for it

but after hearing the question she was not even close to being as

concerned with this problem as I was. For her it didn't matter at all

how it all started. There are many things we don't know but one thing

we know is that there is a supreme reality. I personally find it

easier to focus on that one fact than anything else.

I hope I was of some help.

regards,

Siddharth

Ramakrishna , satrajit gupta

<satrajitgupta wrote:

>

[Guest guest]

Fate is fixed, and cannot be changed. However, if you pray to GOD,

to lessen our griefs then, if we are praying with true heart, he

will listen and make your life a little easy.

[Guest guest]

Dear All, After reading all the replies of our respected group members especially Mr. Ananth Panyala, I feel grateful to have some glimpse of knowledge regarding philosophical description of this universe. My final conclusion may sound awkward but this is what I truly feel. I feel that what Sri Ramakrishna told to his disciples regarding all their queries and inquisitiveness about God, was the most genuine one. That, it is better to eat the mangoes rather than counting the number of trees and their leaves. I do not mean to say that those who are after knowledge or trying to explain this universe through Gyana Yoga, are doing wrong. They are right in their tryst. But for me, I feel my queries must end as I DO NOT AT ALL understand the actions of God. I think only Bhakti or love that is very much understandable and can be dearly hold to the heart in order to realize the absolute truth. So, I

am really sorry to say that I have not understood anything on this topic but one thing is clear to me, that is, the real path for me is laid in making myself eligible to love the Lord unconditionally, without asking any more question...) Thanks again, Satrajit Gupta

Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Mail Beta.

[Guest guest]

----- Forwarded Message ----valentinacorrado99 <valentinacorrado99Keshav Prasad <mykp30Wednesday, January 2, 2008 9:59:11 PMQuestionSorry, I'm an italian devote. I've been two times in puttaparthi ashramto see Baba. Today I've seen on Satya Sai Organization website the lastbirthday's Baba video and I saw that He never speaks. He was on a chairand somebodie helped Him to do everything. If you read this email,PLEASE culd you tell me what happens to Him? If you are an indianfamily, maybe you see Him and you can tell me what happened to Him.THANK YOU.

Never miss a thing. Make your homepage.

[Guest guest]

SAI RAM Sister,

It is true that God is formless(Nirakara). It is difficult for the human beings to visualise the formless God. It is one in a million or so who can see God in every beings and things. Even the learned Arjuna failed to recognise God in Lord Krishna until the Lord showed His Viswaroopa. Probably, you and I fail to see God in everybody other than Swamy.

 

Now, coming to your query, would you consider Goddess Durga, Kali, Mahishasuramardini etc. etc. as male? These are female Avatars or incarnations. For that matter even Mata Amritanandamayi and the like are God in human form.

SAI RAM

On 3/9/08, saibaba1 <saibaba1 wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

Sairam brothers and sisters,I have been a silent member of this group and always look forward to thevarious discussions within the group. I've got a question I'm hoping theSAI group is able to provide some guidance with.

I understand God has no form but there are times when God has taken ahuman form - Krishna, Rama, Jesus, Mohammad, Shiridi and Sai. My questionis why has it always been as a male and not as a female?Your thoughts and guidance on this would be appreciated.

SairamAmutha.

You are managing the saibabanews group through Grouply.

You to individual emails for this group. | Update your Subscription settings

1 messages in this conversation, including this one | Add a comment

View this message on Grouply so you can rate, tag, bookmark, and see what oth ers think about it.

 

 

 

 

Moderator Central

 

Join and receive

produce updates.

 

Featured Y! Groups

and category pages.

There is something

for everyone.

 

 

w/ John McEnroe

Join the All-Bran

Day 10 Club.

[Guest guest]

Meenakshi Chintapalli <mkchintapalli

Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:31 am

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

Sai Ram Amutha

Your question itself has the answer.

You are looking at Kali Yuga now. In Treta Yuga, Sri Maha Lakshmi

also came as a consort of RAMA and he showed the divinity in a Human

Form. He was an Amsaavataar.

In Dwapara Yuga, along with Krishna came Rukmini, who is the

incarnation of Sri Maha Lakshmi. In Siva Puranam also Parvati

descended for Shiva.

In kaliyuga, when the highest Dharma of detached Karma is taught by

Shirdi Sai, Satya Sai, Mohammad, Jesus (and how ever number of Saints

that were there), people are so mean that they will say the following

words

1. They will misinterpret the teachings of love as passion for women

and little girls as the essence of the teachings of the esteemed

teachers.

2. They will say that the Lord came with so many attachments, how can

he dare talk about sense control and detachments and selflessness???

Out of immense love for his creation, God sent his messengers as

Sanyasis and he himself descended and lives like a Sanyasi in Kali

Yuga.

In Dwapara Yuga, Krishna had 16,000 Gopikas around him and 8 wives

and Radha. He still was considered as Yogeswara who lived in the

ATMIC principle and a BrahmaChari. Nothing touched his mind or the

heart but did his detached duty. His 8 wives were taught that lesson

by Durvaasa mahamuni when they had to cross the flood range Yamuna

river. The wives had to pray to mother Yamuna, " If Krishna is a True

Brahmachari, mother please give way and make us reach him to serve

him " . Mother Yamuna parted and made a pathway for the wives to reach

Sri Krishna.

Can you imagine that similar acceptance will or can happen in

Kaliyuga????

I hope Amutha you got the point.

For the sake of doubting criminal minded Kali Yuga Bhaktas, Swami

came as SANYASI and no other reason. He kept his consort in his heart

and is " Shiva Shakti " in one.

In Sai Seva with love

Meena Chintapalli

 

----------

 

kavitha vallab <kvallab

Sun Mar 9, 2008 1:50 pm

RE: [saibabanews] Question

 

Sairam sister Amutha,

 

I am not sure if my reply will answer your question.

 

But I think, each human being is Shiva Shakthi swarupa.

 

As Swami in one of his shivarathi discourses said that our body is

shakthi and

our soul is Shiva.

 

Also according to Swami all human beings are female only the God is

male.

 

Thats why God comes in Purushaavathar.

 

Hope this helps you,

 

Sairam,

sai sister.

 

----------

 

" Hans H " <hansho

Sun Mar 9, 2008 1:50 pm

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

As far as I understand from esoteric (theosophical) sources, this is

a question of balance of the female and male aspect/energies of the

Divine in this world

 

In a few hundred years there will be more female englightened masters

and avatars on this planet ; anyway - there are a few enlightened

beings in a female body even in our times:

 

Sri Ananda Maye Ma was an Avatar with a special mission

 

Sri Vasantha Sai Ma is another Avatar who has come to fulfill a very

special mission in this world (see Her very inspiring books)

 

There is a short introduction to Sri Vasantha Sai Ma's life and

mission (in German language) - on a Website - for interested readers:

 

http://www.avataara.net/index.html

 

Sai Ram

best regarfds

Hans

 

----------

 

BRagoonanan

Sun Mar 9, 2008 1:55 pm

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

I am not sure, but I believe that the feminine aspect of God is

always the unmanifest which gives manifestion its power. The male is

powerless without the female aspect of God.

 

Sai Ram

 

----------

 

dinesh dhiman <sam_pta

Sun Mar 9, 2008 3:00 pm

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

Firstly thx for ur question .According to me , GOD

wants to give first place to female to worship her

himself as mother. SHE is a mother , who descends GOD

himself on earth. automatically , female (mother

Eshwaramma has first place of worship than sai baba ).

 

----------

 

Soumendra Bhattacharjee <soumendra_toronto

Sun Mar 9, 2008 3:26 pm

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

Sai Ram Amutha,

 

According to ancient scriptures and also Bhagawan Krishna said it too

that all are female except God alone is Purusha ( male ).

 

Swami himself said that among women he is a woman,among children he

is a child,among men he is a man but alone He is GOD.

 

Sai Ram

 

Soumendra

 

----------

 

" G. Balasubramanian " <gbsub

Sun Mar 9, 2008 11:14 pm

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

SAI RAM Sister,

It is true that God is formless(Nirakara). It is difficult for the

human beings to visualise the formless God. It is one in a million

or so who can see God in every beings and things. Even the learned

Arjuna failed to recognise God in Lord Krishna until the Lord showed

His Viswaroopa. Probably, you and I fail to see God in everybody

other than Swamy.

 

Now, coming to your query, would you consider Goddess Durga, Kali,

Mahishasuramardini etc. etc. as male? These are female Avatars or

incarnations. For that matter even Mata Amritanandamayi and the like

are God in human form.

SAI RAM

 

----------

 

" DEEPAK RAJYAGOR " <dr0729

Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:31 am

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

Sai Ram,

 

I think Swami has answered this question. It will be interesting to

find out if any devotee could recollect from swamis teachings.

 

Sai Ram

 

----------

 

" satya jyothi " <satya.truelight

Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:50 am

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

Sairam Dear Amutha,

 

If we look back in the hindu mythology,we see Goddess Lakshmi

incarnating as Sita in Tretayugam, as Rukmini

in Dwaparayugam

 

However I personally feel that it would be difficult for a woman to

carry out a herculian task of Dharmasamstanpana

 

Though nothing is impossible for woman, she has to work within a

limited framework

 

We should at the same time not forget that most of the demons were

killed by Goddess Durga

 

Your Question is adding fuel to my own thoughts burning deep within

me as to why the next avatar of Swami i.e. the shakthi avatar is

taking a male form whereas shakthi is the feminine aspect of god

 

Sairam

Satya

 

----------

 

" Nimali Amarasinghe " <nimalia

Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:06 am

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

Sai Ram,

Dear Amutha

 

I'm a Buddhist. In our religion it says females are sinfull. thats

why females are not able to form as GOD.

 

sai ram.

 

----------

 

" STP Vivashan Muthan " <vivashan

Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:10 am

RE: [saibabanews] Question

 

SaiRam dear sister,

 

In my opinion, God has several forms and has in fact taken several

avathars including female forms. We can find accounts of this in the

Puranas. The problem is that because we have lived for the major

part, and to an extent continue to live, in a male-centred world, the

accounts of the Lord in female form have not been as popularised as

those of His male ones. God is both Mother and Father and so I do not

believe that He will be partial to a male form. If that is the case,

it will not be congruent with God's Divine Nature. Personally, I

think that is the only reason why we know so little about God in the

form of female avathars. I am glad you've asked that question and I

am eager to hear what the other devotees have to say. Very thought-

provoking. Have a lovely day

 

Yours in Service

 

Vivashan M. Muthan

 

Johannesburg,

 

South Africa

 

Jai Sai Ram

 

----------

 

" MANI RVS " <colonel.rvs

Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:30 am

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

Dear Friend

 

OHM JAI SRI SAI RAM

 

There is no gender difference where Almighty is conerned.

 

Of course go through Devi Mahatmiyam. You will find Goddess Durga

having taken forms to protect the world from Demons.

 

It is again mind set. Let us not get into research on these aspects,

which have no relevance in our faith and belief in a system of

worship.

 

See devine in all; love all; serve all - finding peace will be

simpler on these lines.

 

At Lord's Feet

 

mani

 

----------

 

Shakuntla Vishani <shakuntlavishani

Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:58 am

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

Sai Ram

 

Well done... you have asked a million dollar question which none of

other sisters may dare or even dream of asking as they have to obey

and respect what men says and does.... This is men's world and that's

why only men will reincarnate ...But do not despair and try to read

some Vedas and Puranas and you will find out that when the whole

Brahmand got into trouble including Shiva when the demons invaded and

made life hell for all the Gods, they ran to Maa Durga to ask for her

help to save them..... Can you even imagine if one day a lady

somewhere in India claims that she is reincarnation of Maa Durga how

the men are going to react??? I think the first treatment she will be

admitted to Mental Institution or will be seen as she has been

repossessed with some evil spirit and will be locked indoor. Please

look at what happened to our dear Mother Theresa? She devoted her

whole life to serve the poor and sick and even in some occasions God

personally was helping her to serve the needy. But in the end lots of

questions were raised and never ending debate took place regarding

her Sainthood because she was a woman.

 

Shakuntla Vishani

 

----------

 

CP Gupta <cp_gupta56

Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:50 am

Re: [saibabanews] Question

 

Sairam

 

Its not male only - you see Durga, Kali mata, Parvati, Saraswati,

Sita mata - they all in female form and they all r avtars in human

form

 

cp gupta

 

==========

 

 

saibabanews , saibaba1 wrote:

>

> Sairam brothers and sisters,

>

> I have been a silent member of this group and always look forward

to the

> various discussions within the group. I've got a question I'm

hoping the

> SAI group is able to provide some guidance with.

>

> I understand God has no form but there are times when God has taken

a

> human form - Krishna, Rama, Jesus, Mohammad, Shiridi and Sai. My

question

> is why has it always been as a male and not as a female?

>

> Your thoughts and guidance on this would be appreciated.

>

> Sairam

> Amutha.

[Guest guest]

PSPlease do not infer from my question that I am presuming to say that the swamis and teachers I have met are not god-realised and capable teachers (very far from it). I am just stuck on the initiation side of things.Sincere thanks,R--- On Sat, 11/7/09, mrrusskennedy <mrrusskennedy wrote:mrrusskennedy <mrrusskennedy[sri Ramakrishna] QuestionRamakrishna Date: Saturday, 11 July, 2009, 3:16 PM

[Guest guest]

Initiation is not at all compulsary to realise god. On the other hand it is asimple process through which the sadguru gives you a name ask you to repeat it as many times as you can daily without fail. As we need a guide to show us the path to reach the destination. The sad guru also helps us in the same and in asimple way. It is just folliowing a discipline to enter the path of realisation. But it should be taken seriously.and happily.--- On Sat, 7/11/09, mrrusskennedy <mrrusskennedy wrote:

[Guest guest]

Hello Russ,

Since I recently took mantra diksha from Swami Prabuddhananda, I thought I´d

give my own answer to your question.

 

Initiation can be a formal procedure or a spontaneously understood phenomenon

related to one´s own quest. For many years I studied with Zen masters and

Tibetan Rinpoches and took initiations from them regarding specific practices or

into their lineages. In the end I found that I kept returning to my connection

to Vedanta and Sri Ramakrishna and so I took this step as a " welcome home " for

me into the embrace of someone I have long felt could help me realize my own

spiritual search. But the most important thing is honesty. Had I been honest

with myself years ago, I would have sought a Vedantic teacher and traveled that

path. As it was, I went here and there and while gaining a phenomenal amount of

information and deep knowledge, I retained a " something else " that was decidedly

more Vedantic. Admitting that to myself was the first step. Then I decided to

make inquiries and, as I am in San Francisco twice yearly, I communicated my

story to the Swami and he invited me to speak with him when I was in town. I did

and in the process he gave me mantra diksha, or initiation. I now practice two

times daily and read the different biographies and study other Vedanta teachings

through the books I´ve purchased. But the elemental thing is to utilize what you

have already.

 

If you are in the UK you can contact a Swami there and speak to him about your

search. And if he decides it might help you, then perhaps you will be granted

such an initiation. But being sincere is the most important thing. I never made

much " progress " before because I was holding back, not admitting to myself my

own deep faith. Now that I am " here " so to speak, I may not make any magical

progress now or have any wild and spectacular experiences as some people believe

occurs upon being initiated, but every day I deepen my heart connection to Sri

Ramakrishna and that feels right and good. Perhaps it takes years for one´s

karma to ripen and maybe I was detined to go this long, roundabout way before

coming home.

 

If you feel a sincere connection to Sri Ramakrishna, then by all means, pursue

it. If you have one with Jesus, go that way. But in my experience, going hither

and thither may not necessarily help you any. Look into your heart and find what

brings you peace, what really resonates and what gives you the most comfort.

Then pursue that with faith and honesty. If you do that sincerely, you will find

what you need.

Good luck!

José

[Guest guest]

Hello José,Thanks very much indeed for your time and for sharing your experience with me; I really do appreciate it. I will think about what you have said carefully.Thanks, Russ--- On Sat, 18/7/09, Jose M. Tirado <nodozejoze wrote:

[Guest guest]

Dear Reena Mullick,Thanks very much for taking the time to answer my question. What you say makes a lot of sense to me.Thanks, Russ--- On Sat, 18/7/09, reena mullick <mullick_reena wrote: