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> Dear Ram Chandran,
> thanks a lot for your detailed explanations, they helped me
> to understand some aspects of your religion more than many
> books I have read on the topic.
Dear Jerzy:
Let me thank you again for your kind words. I learnt a lot through the
dialog between you and me. These discussions gave me opportunities to
think and enhance my understanding of Hindu religious traditions.
> The problem is some other person was guided by the guru, I have
> seen him few times and it was years ago. And lately I found the
> person was misguided, and I am attempting to find why, especially -
> by the guru or because of rejecting his teachings?
I have included several paragraphs that I wrote for another posting. The
second paragraph is directly relevant to the problem that you are facing.
The first paragraph discusses the relevance of religion and scriptures
in finding the TRUTH.
Hindu scriptures emphasize the view that TRUTH is always
independent of religion, dogma and belief. But the scriptures want the
believers to approach the TRUTH starting with some belief. Scientists
also explore TRUTH by postulating a Hypothesis and temporarily accept the
hypothesis and collect evidence for its support. When the evidence
becomes overwhelming, they set aside the hypothesis and continue their
search process. The Hindu approach does not deviate from the accepted
practice of practice of scientific investigation. Two competing
approaches are available to search for the TRUTH: The first is the path
of no faith or the concept "Truth is a Pathless Land " proposed by J.
Krishnamurty. In this approach the seeker continues the search for the
TRUTH without accepting any religion, dogma, or belief. J. Krishnamurty
was afraid that acceptance of any faith or dogma has the potential for
diversion and suppression of TRUTH. In the more popular second
approach, the seeker first accepts his (her) faith on a specific
religion or dogma and continues the search for the TRUTH. In Hinduism
and Advaita faith and intuitions play an important role in the search for
the TRUTH. The Hindu scriptures stress the limitation of human mind and
avoid making false claims on the nature and existence of the CREATOR.
The difference between "blind faith" and "faith" can be
illustrated with an example. To learn the truth of physics, a student can
approach any teacher. It is important that the student has faith on the
ability of the teacher. This faith does not preclude the student to ask
questions to clear his (her) doubts. The student need not accept the
teacher's assertions without contemplation. If necessary the student
could go and verify the teacher's claims from other sources such as other
teachers, libraries, books, Internet, etc. With blind faith, the
student develops notions and beliefs based on teachers' claims and fails
to examine the validity of teachers' assertions.
The teacher and student relationship is comparable to a car and
its driver. The driver (student) wants the car (teacher) for his journey
(learning). The car can take the driver to any desired destination. A
well-equipped car with enough fuel can take the driver provided the
driver knows the path of his (her) journey! It is important to
understand that the driver is responsible for the journey! In
Vivekachudamani, Sankara discusses the qualifications of the teacher, the
student and their relationships. Sankara's super highway for
self-realization requires qualified drivers, well-equipped cars, road
maps and other emergency equipments. The scriptures are equivalent to
the road emergency bag with road maps, driving tips, emergency kits and
repair manuals. The driver, car and the manuals are all essential to
complete the journey. The driver who does not have faith in any of the
above described essentials will not complete the journey! For the seekers
of TRUTH, faith on the PATH, the teacher and the scriptures are all
important. Without faith and intuition the seeker will not reach the
destination and in all probability may not start the journey! Faith and
Intuition come from personal experience and intellectual knowledge and
they vary by individual. When the driver reaches the destination, the
car, the highway, the manuals and the maps become irrelevant. For
Self-realized seekers, the world around the seeker - the religion, dogma,
faith, body, mind and intellect become irrelevant.
In conclusion, since you do not have any blind faith, you have
every right to verify any assertions before accepting beliefs based on
such assertions. Once again, let me wish you all the best in your
pursuit of TRUTH.
Ram Chandran
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