by Swami Radhanandaji

A great debate, doubts and concerns are churning in the heart of devotees, particularly the sincere and determined aspirants of Truth, Love and God. It is important to note that teachings are vastly superior to teachers since the former is eternal and the latter non­eternal.

Upanishadic or Gitaji's teachings reveal that their writers were less concerned about their own identities than the principles they brought forward, i.e. eternal teachings also known as Sanatan Dharma.

The word "Om," or eternal teaching as its name signifies, is indivisible from Creation itself. We see Avadhut had twenty-four gurus of in Uddhava Gita. They span from the natural elements to trees to animals to water creatures to insects and even to a prostitute. Obviously experience is the greatest teacher of all and the teacher or event is of no special significance. On the other hand, teachers like Mahavir, Buddha, Shankara, Mirabai, Nanak, Kabir, Ramakrishna, Surdas, Tulsi, Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, Rama and Krishna represent eternal teachings themselves. They do not represent personalities, times, places or a particular religion.

Teachings can be more effective if interpreted through the experience of someone like Raman Maharshi. He lived like he preached. Great teachers who realize Truth or Love have no self-love, ego or personality. Therefore, they are less inclined to propagate their existence or agenda through a tradition of institutions, sampradayas, ashrams, temples or even missions. By and large, their name and teachings are exploited with commercial establishments by so-called followers. All religions by their very nature are nothing but cults. Spirituality has nothing to do with any particular religion.

Spirituality is Universal Love and has an understanding as rational as a scientist's. Scientific knowledge is always rational and must be recognized within the field of Prakriti, Maya or delusion. Only absolute knowledge is useful in leading us to the eternal love experienced by Gopies, Radha and Mirabai.

Personality worship eventually becomes a business no matter how appealing and useful it may appear in the beginning. Only real saints can pass on wisdom without their fingerprints and only a sincere disciple will be able to recognize it. The ever-existing, ever-loving, ever-teaching, ever-caring teacher is no other than God Himself. Gita describes three types of egos that categorize most teachers, religions, institutions and their proponents: Tamasic, Rajasic or Satvic. Yet, real teaching is beyond any of these qualities. Even Satvic nature, the highest of the three qualities, cannot liberate you from the realms of maya or delusion because it itself is the product of ignorance or maya.

What about "faith?" It can also be divided into the same three categories. We often hear some "worldly" wise proclaiming, "Don't shake the faith of the masses." A genuine faith cannot be as fragile as feared. If it exhibits any sign of weakness, it is not worthy of consideration to begin with. It may as well disappear, and it will. Only true faith is self-existent. Any worldly faith, even if Satvic, is within the field of ignorance. It is therefore worthless to safe-guard, support or defend something which is not supported even by nature or cannot support itself (Gita 2:16).

Then, what is the message to a worldly person? Great teachings are available through holy scriptures in all major religions, but they need to be isolated from the original prophets and their so-called followers. They are beyond the effects of time, place, and source. Let us worship the teachings practiced by these saints. They are not teachers in a conventional sense but are "lovers" of creation at large -- without any distinction of nationality, sex, place, time or causation.

Real teachings will come to us with divine grace when we purify our hearts. Good will and a pure heart are the foundation for Self-Realization. Nothing more is required to attain true spirituality.

Men or women, no matter how great they may appear to be, should never be worshiped as a God. This is simply ignorance. Real Lovers are too busy loving Truth or God. They are too humble to call themselves God or Eternal. Their own loving life, not words, are their real teachings. In the end, even teachings will disappear and only LOVE will radiate from our hearts. Intelligence or rationality is important in the early stages of the spiritual quest, but ultimately, it is the heart and only the heart that should prevail as the focus of our attention. The heart represents humility, satvic faith and pure love for all.

Seekers of Truth or Love should never worry for proper guidance. The ever-alert, all­-knowing, all-powerful, all-existing, all-joy and all-bliss God could never afford to be careless toward seekers. This has been stressed over and over in the Upanishads and Gitaji.

Opinions or personalities of any kind have no place in spirituality. Facts are facts. They need no justification based on opinions, beliefs or traditions. Truth was, is and will always remain Truth. Let, therefore, your own experience be your guiding light. God comes to us more through our own experiences and actions rather than mere talks, beliefs or discussions. And experience does not require patronizing to any particular belief. So like all genuine saints, concentrate on your own experiences.

This Gitananda manifesto is not new to Gitaji. These are some of the teachings of Gitaji. No statement or point of view is presented here that contradicts either with any holy scripture or any True Prophet. Water remains water regardless of where it is found or by whom it is consumed. No one can change its characteristics.

Truth is same way. It cannot be distorted, misrepresented or altered at any time. It remains pure, no matter what. Narrow interpretations, beliefs and blind traditions only create and attempt to solve the problems of mankind. However, it's spirituality that can solve problems. If we have eyes of wisdom or discrimination, we can see all around us in the world what is stated here.

Why is such simple knowledge not available in a simple form? If it is, the self-lovers, religious businesses and gods will vanish. Spirituality is no more different or difficult than principles of science, philosophy or art.

Let us now examine various activities like dancing, singing, reading, etc. These can be performed to enhance your own wealth and prestige or to fulfill your own lust. Or they can be offered to please God. They can lead to God only when purity of heart and pure faith support them. Mira's singing and dancing was so spiritual it differs vastly from Pingala's similar but lustful actions. Similarly, emotions and knowledge can either be pure or very worldly. It is, therefore, most important to learn how to discriminate between Truth and untruth, Real and unreal.

Is it really necessary to have worldly knowledge, wealth, etc.? They only nurture pride, vanity and in the long term are more harmful than beneficial. No wonder all real saints firmly forsake these temptations from their lives. None of these saints attended the highly acclaimed institutions like Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Yale, Oxford or Stanford. Wisdom cannot be taught through establishments. It has to be acquired through your own experiences, whether direct or indirect.

Gitananda therefore strongly recommends genuine study of the teachings of the Gita, the Upanishads or other similarly pure scriptures. Difficulty in mastering the original language like Sanskrit should not be a hindrance. If youngsters can master increasingly difficult tasks whether in art, science or technology, Spirituality should be a piece of cake. It is so logical and so easy to learn that its adoption is very simple. Compare it with the natural bond that exists between a child and its mother.

Do not waste anymore time after shallow discussions and worthless followings. Should you insist on following a blind, you may as well prepare to end up in a ditch. Unfortunately, the ignorant and naive do not accept their limitations, so they cannot be helped.

Someone has predicted wisely, "Fools cannot be taught and a wise man needs no teaching." Most of us are somewhere in the middle; often we are so stupid that we don't even know that.

Let us resolve to learn from the great Teachings and strive for perfect Wisdom.