By Sanjib Mukherjee,
Life seems to be changing on a daily basis, with each new day bringing us more news about wars, fighting, financial meltdowns and so on. It hardly seems surprising that during these troubled times, it is spiritual organisations which are benefiting the most, as many people seek to find a deeper meaning to this everyday existence we call life.
Many organisations from many faiths are ready to adopt anyone who shows them the slightest bit of interest, and take them into their family of spiritual believers. Once inducted, you are generally encouraged to follow a set of ideals, values and certain way of thinking.
There is nothing wrong in following a group with whom you readily identify and associate with, but my question is that to find a truly deeper spiritual meaning to life, do we really need to join anyone in the first place, never mind taking on all of their doctrines and suggested beliefs.
The ancient Yogic text fully endorse the search for a qualified Guru and listening to him (or her) with full hearted devotion, but with many of the organisations we see flourishing today, how many of these so called Gurus really do live up to standards which they readily preach?
Frequently we hear about organisational leaders being exposed as hypocrites when they themselves are unable to practice what they preach, but how do we know the merits of those we choose to follow? With such uncertainty, can we not rely on the divinity within ourselves as our guiding light, or is the need to follow some person (or group) a necessity to truly attain a spiritual awakening? It will be interesting to hear what everyone has to say…
Great article – I’m definitely in the camp that says you can be spiritual by having your own guiding light. There is value in learning new values and ideals to form your own opinions, but that doesn’t require the need to follow a group or leader.
Mike Kirkman
I remember my master use to say that ” Organization is a Frame and spirituality is picture inside it, if organization becomes too big that picture inside it diminish, then there is no point of organization to be there, hence any organization should not loose its aim”
It’s true, that every organization leads to a unique path and that is DIVINITY, so you can choose whichever path you want, after all you are the real Hero, Be Arjuna and Stand up to be a messenger…
Amen
Madhav
It all depends on what you want to reach in life. How much you want to grow in your spiritual life. Our soul is all knowing, so knowledge is already there deep inside of you. But the one million question is. HOW TO GET TO GET THAT KNOWLEDGE, how to understand the soul better.
For each thing that came to our life, someone has taught us. Someone taught us how to eat with a fork and knife. How to write, and even our behaviour was in the past approved or disproved, what made us act today in the way we act, it even might influenced our way of thinking and feeling. In each small thing in life, some one was there who taught us.
Often when it comes to spirituality, we often think that we are all knowing. As we have discovered the unknown. For years I was a person who disbelieved the tradition of following a Guru or organisation, I only had full faith in my worship to my God, in the way how I knew it. But since life is full of gifts, I met my Guru and I love to do the Guru chasing now.
You must be wondering why??? Well there are many reasons.
1. it gave me clarity in knowledge and scriptures.
2. it gave me the possibility to excuse myself for my mistakes.
3. It gave me such a depth in love, the knowledge that “I am with you” is doing wonders.
4. it gave me the possibility to understand other living beings much better.
5. it gave me the opportunity to serve.
Somehow by having my Guru in my life, it made my life much more a celebration. It’s made me more in balance; it changed and made my life fully blossom.
So what does this Guru want from you? Money, more fame, popularity, what disksha is he asking???
Mine, asked had asked me one thing:
YOU JUST BE HAPPY… he said.
I am feeling blessed and grateful to the change of the path of not willing to have a Guru, to the path of having the Sath Guru.
So yes, I do think to blossom fully you need a teacher who is lovely willing to show you the right path for you, and you can see whether he is the right one for you, if you think you can follow in his footsteps. The Guru is willing to accept everyone, its up to us to make that decision of accepting the Guru fully.
With Love and Gratitude to You My Love
Anjana
Hello everyone,
It is definitely not a requirement – but awareness, a deep interest to connect to something higher, a willingness to learn, open your heart, to love, are….
I believe true spirituality is within, and sometimes we need to go to an organisation (or a Master, or scriptures, or meditation) to take us within, but once you are within, then you can allow your inner light to guide you, where grattitude, love, connection, wisdom all dawn upon you.
Anjana, I think it’s amazing that you have found that your life has blossomed. Do you think that having a Master has allowed you to go deeper within yourself?
Do you not think it is possible for many to have the same experience without a physical Master (enlightened person), but with a connection to the Divine through other forms?
much love
Drijen
I believe that you should experience things before you can believe it. In the past i experienced many things, and I thought that that was the limit. Once my Guru came into my life, i recognize that what my experience was in the past was just the beginning.
As a stronger believer, that we are all made by the substance called Love. I do believe that all the knowledge is within you and yes true spirituality is definitely inside of you. But I also believe and experienced it, that in my case, I am feeling blessed to have my Guided Light, My Guru, who is with me, and showing me the way how it can be. Just by watching him, spirituality got settled inside of me, in a totally different way.
Drijen, I dont believe in Impossibilities, So yes i do believe that it can be possible. How, i dont know.
And can you please, explain what divinity means for you?
Loads Of Love,
Anjana
I have found on my own path, that thus far I have not needed an organisation as such. I can see the benefits of such a place, especially if it’s an oragnisation there for the people who go there and doesn’t give into the whole power game, which seems to be haunting a lot of the worlds religions at present. I think that’s where organisations stop being helpful, when they forget why they are there in the first place!
I tend to flit in and out of spiritual organisations and groups as I walk along my path. I find sometimes it is useful to be part of one, there’s a definite strength and wisdom and joy in being part of a group, and as a group you can definitely do a lot together. But you need to acknowledge when it’s time to move on and expand your horizons.
I think that sometimes we can get stuck in these groups as people tend ot let themselves be defined by the group. This can cause growth to be hampered. There are benefits for both sides, but personally I’m happy keeping on my path, following my own faith and joining a group when it feels right and moving on to further my growth when the time is right.
You’ll always find a teacher, be it in a group, through your own experiences, or just by meeting an individual who can guide you through, like a guru, a shaman, wise person/someone who’s in tune with the divine.
yes must we gain more knowledge and gather more information…
Truely said …….every moment in our life is changing wheather we like it or not !!
No!…one does not necessarily have to join any organisation…but..it helps when you are not being able to understand ur need to be spiritual, or should I say the HOW WHAT..WHEN..WHERE of spirituality!
If you know your soul you are spiritual!!….
we have to ask ourselves..were we spiritual when we were not part of spiritual family?
it is difficult to answer your question you need a spiritual orgnisation to become a spiritual. it depends upon the family in which way child is brougght. how he devops and how he gets eduction which school he goes. these things are necessry for a humen being to have a good chracter. human being must have independent views about spirituality.
Now every spiritual organisation brainwashed the human being and thrust their views it is not good for the person who join such organistion. parents. teachers and the relgion in which the child is bought up his spiritual gurus. in sanskrit there is quoetation tvmev mata cha tvmev pita cha and so on–only god is spritual guru no other human being. one must have unflinching faith in god.
No..
obviously no… every one is a kind of organization already
No … but at the same time spiritual path is very slippery so one need a master to be on it.
No not really….but the idea is that you are looking for positives like guidance/information ….. If you get it then all OK otherwise you are still wise enough to ignore the negatives
To me, it’s not the Master but the Knowledge is needed. And there are many sources of Knowledge in our life as long as we are open to it.
I suppose it depends what one wants to achieve and what one is interested in…..the route or the destination…if the scenic route is what the heart is fixed on (karma yoga & bhakthi yoga) then being part of an organisation is certainly useful, with some caveats!.
If the mind is fixed on the destination (Raja yoga&jnana yoga) then organisations can be counterproductive….Guru has a role as a facilitator when the time is due, but the quest for consciousness is and always will be private and unique to the individual….organisations come in the way……Jiddu Krishnamurthy hit the nail on it’s head when he said, “truth is a pathless land”….each one of us should make our own way..
tru,sanjib , now a days so many gurus popped up, one can’t really judje whether on right path or not. i think one really need guidance at the right time,n that is only through someonewho can guide u properly n he is ultimately a guru who else .many a times we believe in our inner light ,but sometimes in mental crisis u r shattered after all we r humans,i feel it happens with everyone at some or the other time, then we need someone who clicks and induces the real n tru values.guru pursue happiness n lifts us up.a guru is aleader having two main characteristics, first he is going somewhere n second, he is able to pursuade others to go with him.thanx, sanjib fpr such beautiful words.
Not needed…But if the person is already spiritual then he/she will automatically will like to be a member…but that is also not a compulsion so depends on person to person……
absolutely …..U R RIGHT….
does one need to take a breath to live??? You dont have to, unless u wnt to live. People join so many things for their growth, but when it comes to higher wisdom, they have all kinds of doubt!!!
I believe that we all have everthing we need is within. So there is no need for an outer Guru or organization. But sometimes we all need a little help on our path or a push in the right direction and then it is actually great to be blessed with a Guru who can support you if you are ready to let that happen. Why turn down a little help when its offered? We take on teachers for every other subject in life so why do we think we are able to study spirituality without any guidance? For me personally this was one of the most difficult things I ever have done. I have been brought up believing that I am able to conquer the world on my own with the help of no one! So when I was fortunate to met with a true Guru it took me years before I accepted that I could benefit from a little help. To surrender to a Guru is contradictonally what many believes, one of the most difficult things you will ever do, but if you are lucky enough to be able to do so and that it is really a True Guru that you have surrendered to, then it’s the best thing that will ever happened to you. My own experience is that after this crucial moment in my life, life have been blessed in so many ways, and in ways I would not even have been able to imagine before it happened. But there are many ways to God and of course you can be spiritual without it although I now believe that it is a much more difficult way. But if that is what is meant for you then one just have to accept that and do the best we can do on our own…ultimately, God alone is!
Hi Sanjib…it is an interesting article and question..but there is no clear Yes or No for this question…like in india we have so many such spritual gurus and organisations..and everyone has their own ways of teachings and guiding..but sometimes yes some of them are not so genuine so when we come across such an organisation through us or media or some people’s personal expereinces so obviously we start doubting that these organisations are how much to be trusted or not…but i think everyone gets attracted acording to their tastes and mental level and type of awakening they want ..like some want to know the ways to reach god to know more about mukti or have deep knowledge on certain spiritual aspects..but for a normal person like me i m never thought of joining any such spiritual organisations to be spiritual minded as i believe what to do thinking about Mukti first atleast we should know how to live properly how to be accepted by the people we come across how to get better in our relationships with people ..
if we can live like a good human being then how does it matter that we are going to take next birth or not..if we at the time of death happy with what we did in life ..no complaints no regrets..just calm and peacefuly dying but how many of us can have such thought at that time..so i believe we need a guru or a guide definitely to just show the light on the path which we are walking down towards our destiny…we need to clear our doubts and for that we certainly need such a person who is firm in himself and help us to take our boat through this miserable ocean of life where at every moment we come across such storms that we cant handle ourself to be row our boat gently…and if we find such help we dont need to go to any organisation…specifically but becose of our guide we can have positive outlook and live happily and help other people also so it will be naturaly become like a family of friends and a organisation of like minded people who can help each other like a family without going out for external helps…so Sanjib i truly believe joining you i have found such a family whose members can help each other to find the solution of many problems of life under your guidance…so you are a GUIDE and a GURu for us…so this whole family belong to you and belong to each other…
so any other organisation for our upliftment i dont think we need it anymore…regards and care …Rekha…
I am in under the guidance of a guru.. ( http://www.guruswamig.com ) I feel only blessed to be under her guidance.
Once you find a guru who practices what she preaches, and when you can feel the progress by following her guidance, you basically stick to him/her with your life. And yes, you have to be honest about what is really happening and to be willing to look at the facts.
My humble opinion
I also think that Guru is just a huge reminder for us about our trueSelf that it’s impossible that in presence of Truth no any shift will happen. but broblems with organisation is that after spending time with in that flow it’s difficult to live or see the Truthin ordinary. Comparing the peace and light in spiritual place or with the Guru, it’s hard to feel the same in where-ever (for most)…but people who don’t have any comparing point can be open moment by moment where-ever. I think it’s better be either way not little here and there. And freedom is to be free. whatever, where-even just one