I receive lovely comments to my blogs. My last blog, “Your Church,” was certainly no exception. You may wish to read the comments to that and all my blogs. The following quote applies:
“If you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention.” ~ Tom Peters
We have been indoctrinated into an on/off switch cookbook mentality. This works very well for many things, building a car for example. But in questions of life, it is another matter.
We struggle with if/thens and pro/cons. My teachings will help you with that… help you with life. I do not just believe in you. I know you. You are wise. You are one with God. I see that in everyone I meet. My teachings are designed to introduce you to your Self. Therein lies the one and only answer to your innumerable unanswerable questions.
I intentionally present unanswerable, unfathomable questions to you. Then, we navigate those water together for a time. Then I set you free to find Truth within. I believe in you. Even when you hurt me, I believe in you. I know for certain that in time, you will find your Self. Yet I also cry for you when you lose your way.
Some ask how they can help me. I would only ask that you do your very best to not lose your way. I know that at times that can be asking a lot. But that is what I ask of you.
Please, please note that when I say to look within for answers I do not mean for you to act impulsively based upon your emotions or simplistic thinking. I am, in fact, saying the opposite. You must pursue wisdom. That can require a great deal of reflection. Listen to good advice. Seek the wise. Good advice is all around. But it is the rare person that knows it when they hear it. Strive to become that wise person. Thinking for yourself must not be mistaken for justification of whatever you are feeling or thinking. You must look deeply. You must have the courage to pursue wisdom. You must have humility to receive wisdom. You must have discernment to navigate the ocean of life. Looking for a cookbook that tells you what to do and what to think will not work. At best, you are asking to be given one fish to eat. You must learn to become a fisherman. You must learn to fish for knowledge in the depth of the ocean of your own being. I give you tools to do that: meditation, the Vedic Temple, my lectures, blogs, books, etc.
Remember the Veda is not a religion. The Veda is the finest fabric of existence. It is the Unified Field of Physics. It is not a philosophy. It is nature itself. You must strive to find it within you. Truth does not dwell in books, or religions or philosophies. Truth dwells as the root of all things. Ultimately you can only find it within. All the things I offer are catalysts to help you do that.
One of my students was once asked why my school was not a cult. They responded beautifully by saying that cults tell you what to think. Dr. Mamas teaches you how to think for yourself.
If you think about it you will realize that everyone acts based upon what they think and feel about whatever they are dealing with… whatever they are told. You have no real lasting control over your children beyond their respect for you. That respect comes from how they really feel about you as a person. The best you can do for your children is to be wise. They will see that. As a result they will honor your words. They too will become wise.
Also remember that blind faith is not true “Faith.” Your relationship with God is determined by your level of wisdom. A healthy relationship with God is not based upon oblivion. Through my years of pursuit of truth I have found wise teachers. How do I know this? Because I look inside and question what people say to me. I have respect, but I still question. If you do not question wisely, you are subject to the way the wind blows you. In extreme cases, blind faith leads people to such things as fundamentalist terrorism simply because they are born into the environment of terrorists. In other cases blind faith is an “opiate of the masses.” Do not allow your longing for a spiritual cookbook lead you down the path of blind faith.
You MUST believe in yourself, but you also must know that your wisdom is not always immediately accessible. If you are not careful, you can easily be swept away by your emotional impulses or superficial rationales. You must look deeper to live better. If you are worried about your children, teach them to do that. If they cannot do that, they are subject to the winds of fate. The best you can do for your children is to help them become wise.
I have spoken of the challenges of writing blogs. Please be willing to strive to pull from them what I am really saying. If something does not seem right, send in your questions. Over the years, I have seen a number of times when people question my words because they do not understand them. When the misunderstanding is cleared up, the truth shines through.
The coach of great tennis player, Rafael Nadal, gave him one word of advice above all others: “Stay hungry and stay humble.” With regard to you spiritual growth, I say the same to you. Remember that intellectually understand what I teach is a good beginning all too often mistaken for completion of the goal. Stay humble. Enlightenment is far more elusive than you may think. It is a rare and precious physiological transformation of consciousness. Stay humble. Stay humble. Stay hungry. Don’t stop.
So I am very thankful to those of you who do comment if something I write does not seem clear or feel right. That gives me the gift of the opportunity to express my teachings more clearly. In the subtle arena where I dare to venture, where we must venture to grow as individuals, such interacting is often essential.
I thank you for your thoughtful questions. I am most grateful.
Thank you, much to ponder and reflect upon, keeping my eye on the goal.
Thank you so much for your blogs. They are the first thing I look for on my computer every morning.
That was incredible, thank you.
Ananda… Ananda… Ananda…
Now I know why that is in your Vedic Name…