Please help me find God and Hinduism(Krishna, Swaminarayan) - Very urgent and scared!

[peteyzen]

Story maker; your humility humbles me
Jai Sri krishna

Hare Krishna!

Dear Peteyzen,

Thanks for your kind words.

Love and best wishes,

SM

Dear Friend,
I understand where you are coming from. I too am from a science background (I have advanced degrees in Physics and Mathematics), so I sympathize with your fears of charlatan gurus and your desire to find a scientific and rational basis to Hindu spirituality.

Luckily you do not have to look far. My personal approach has been to find tried and tested teachers in the not too distant past. There are 3 such teachers who are not only the pillars of Indian spirituality but in whose profound works you will find everything that is pure, rational and scientific.

1. Rabindranath Tagore - It is a little known fact that Tagore was one of India's greatest spiritual teachers who did great work bringing Indian spirituality to the West. His best works to read include:

• SADHANA - THE REALISATION OF LIFE: This book is one of the best books to understand Hindu and Vedanta philosophy. Some profound questions Tagore answers include: Who is God? How many Gods are there? Why does evil exist? Does Love have a purpose?
  
• GLIMPSES OF BENGAL - A selection of enchanting letters of Tagore
  
• THE RELIGION OF MAN - Another amazing book

2. Swami Vivekananda - He has written some of the most profound literature in the world! In his works you will find all the answers you are looking for: Who is God? Why did he create this world? Do we have a soul? Here are 3 of his books I recommend. Read them in the order I post coz they go from low to high complexity. All books are available for free on the internet since their copyright has expired.

• FROM COLOMBO TO ALMORA - Seventeen Lectures of Swami Vivekananda. (Each lecture has a prelude - a speech given by someone else introducing Vivekananda to the audience - you can skip that and just read his lectures).
  
• SPEECHES AND WRITINGS of Swami Vivekananda - An amazing, amazing book! He describes in scientific detail who God really is. What is karma? What is the soul like?
  
• VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY - RAJA AND BHAKTI YOGA - by Swami Vivekananda
  

3. Shriram Sharma Acharya - He is a Guru on the scale of Ramakrishna Paramhamsa. A towering figure! I have no words to express how amazing he and his his work is. Here you will find answers to even deeper questions - Did Ram and Krishna exist? (yes they did), how the satyug will unfold after 2012, what happens when we die etc. All his literature is available for free at:
awgp.org (All World Gayatri Parivar)
This is a CLEAN organization, based out of Haridwar, India. They take no money, all literature is freely available.

4. Lastly I invite you to visit my website dedicated to rational, practical and scientific spirituality - The Spiritual Bee (spiritualbee.com)

Hope these teachers end your quest, and their work leads you to new beginnings full of hope and joy as they did for me,
PM

Reading books is one thing, while an actual and experiential realization is another thing.
I'm all for readings books like those listed here, only, better not to expect that reading books will end the quest.

Originally Posted by Joshua_G

Reading books is one thing, while an actual and experiential realization is another thing.
I'm all for readings books like those listed here, only, better not to expect that reading books will end the quest.

Dear Joshua,
You are absolutely right that reading books will not end the quest, it is the first step in a long journey towards understanding. For only when we understand what to expect can we begin to take the next step to self-realization. Without that it would be like trying to navigate through a dark forest all by ourselves.

That is why in Hinduism a Guru is given the same importance as God, because a Guru is a person who has seen God and it is only through the teachings of such a Guru can we also learn the path to God.

The above 3 people that I listed: Shriram Sharma, Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore, have all realized God. They are REAL Gurus unlike so many fakes prevelant today.

Originally Posted by SpiritualBee

Dear Joshua,
You are absolutely right that reading books will not end the quest, it is the first step in a long journey towards understanding. For only when we understand what to expect can we begin to take the next step to self-realization. Without that it would be like trying to navigate through a dark forest all by ourselves.

That is why in Hinduism a Guru is given the same importance as God, because a Guru is a person who has seen God and it is only through the teachings of such a Guru can we also learn the path to God.

The above 3 people that I listed: Shriram Sharma, Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore, have all realized God. They are REAL Gurus unlike so many fakes prevelant today.

Reading books is a possible first step, however not a mandatory one. There are people who started without reading books, me included.
Indeed, there are many fake Gurus. A Guru who is Self-realized is rare.
Traditionally, a Guru is needed, however there are people who attained Self-realization without the guidance of a Guru. Two well known such people are Buddha and Ramana Maharshi.
I find the writings of Sankara (Adi Sankaracaria) most inspiring.

[quote=vulcanraven188]Hi everyone,

I have a lot to say, so I figured I'd give a brief summary and people could choose to read on if they want, and otherwise they could answer based on this. I grew up in a Hindu household in America, but I never learned that much about Hinduism. Today, I am very scared because I’ve started thinking about God and don’t know what the truth is.

Vulcan Raven,

You might find the book "The First Principles: A Scientist's Guide to the Spiritual" a useful starting point for what you are seeking. It may be of help. You can find it on Amazon.

Hare Krishna!

From Joshua G.....

"Reading books is one thing, while an actual and experiential realization is another thing.
I'm all for readings books like those listed here, only, better not to expect that reading books will end the quest."

Again from Joshua G.....

"Reading books is a possible first step, however not a mandatory one. There are people who started without reading books, me included.
Indeed, there are many fake Gurus. A Guru who is Self-realized is rare.
Traditionally, a Guru is needed, however there are people who attained Self-realization without the guidance of a Guru. Two well known such people are Buddha and Ramana Maharshi.
I find the writings of Sankara (Adi Sankaracaria) most inspiring."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>

Dear Joshua G,

Thanks for the wonderful and inspiring posts.

I totally agree with you. Although I have a Guru and I have read quite considerably, it is my conviction now that Guru and reading is not a must at all. It is also very funny that supposedly being totally ignorant we talk about and look for sad Guru and fake Guru. Book knowledge and gift of the gab is such a wonderful thing that even advanced aspirants make a mistake and get initiated (Diksha) by charlatan gurus. The important thing is not what the Guru wants from us, it is what we want and what we do with the Guru's given Mantra.

What the guru gives is a mantra and is like a seed. After receiving this it is all our duty to sow it , water and allow sun-shine and air for it to grow into a sapling and then a plant and tree. So, whether the Guru is fake or not the given mantra , which is God's name, can not be fake. I personally believe that Guru is not a must but your devotion, sincerity and love is. A baby does not need book knowledge or a guru to know its mother.

Love and best wishes,

SM

Hare OM!

Originally Posted by storymaker

I totally agree with you. Although I have a Guru and I have read quite considerably, it is my conviction now that Guru and reading is not a must at all.

I agree with you that it isn't a must for all people, though it's probably a necessity for the majority of seekers.

Originally Posted by storymaker

… Book knowledge and gift of the gab is such a wonderful thing that even advanced aspirants make a mistake and get initiated (Diksha) by charlatan gurus.

Indeed, there are charlatan gurus, I encountered few.

Originally Posted by storymaker

The important thing is not what the Guru wants from us, it is what we want and what we do with the Guru's given Mantra.

Indeed, it is so.

In the words of Sankara:

(51) "Children may free their father from his debts, but no other person can free a man from his bondage; he must do it himself."

(54) "A clear vision of the Reality may be obtained only through our own eyes, when they have been opened by spiritual insight -- never through the eyes of some other seer. Through our own eyes we learn what the moon looks like; how could we learn this through the eyes of others?"

(55) "Those cords that bind us, because of our ignorance, our lustful desires and the fruits of our Karma -- how could anybody but ourselves untie them, even in the course of innumerable ages?"

(476) "Masters may direct from the shore, but disciple must cross the ocean by his own knowledge. The gurus only show from a distance. Teachers and scriptures awaken the disciple from a distance, but the learned should know the Atman by his own self through the grace of the Lord."

Hare Krishna!

From SpiritualBee....

"Dear Friend,
I understand where you are coming from. I too am from a science background (I have advanced degrees in Physics and Mathematics), so I sympathize with your fears of charlatan gurus and your desire to find a scientific and rational basis to Hindu spirituality.

Luckily you do not have to look far. My personal approach has been to find tried and tested teachers in the not too distant past. There are 3 such teachers who are not only the pillars of Indian spirituality but in whose profound works you will find everything that is pure, rational and scientific.

1. Rabindranath Tagore - It is a little known fact that Tagore was one of India's greatest spiritual teachers who did great work bringing Indian spirituality to the West. His best works to read include:

SADHANA - THE REALISATION OF LIFE: This book is one of the best books to understand Hindu and Vedanta philosophy. Some profound questions Tagore answers include: Who is God? How many Gods are there? Why does evil exist? Does Love have a purpose?

GLIMPSES OF BENGAL - A selection of enchanting letters of Tagore

THE RELIGION OF MAN - Another amazing book

2. Swami Vivekananda - He has written some of the most profound literature in the world! In his works you will find all the answers you are looking for: Who is God? Why did he create this world? Do we have a soul? Here are 3 of his books I recommend. Read them in the order I post coz they go from low to high complexity. All books are available for free on the internet since their copyright has expired.
FROM COLOMBO TO ALMORA - Seventeen Lectures of Swami Vivekananda. (Each lecture has a prelude - a speech given by someone else introducing Vivekananda to the audience - you can skip that and just read his lectures).

SPEECHES AND WRITINGS of Swami Vivekananda - An amazing, amazing book! He describes in scientific detail who God really is. What is karma? What is the soul like?

VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY - RAJA AND BHAKTI YOGA - by Swami Vivekananda


3. Shriram Sharma Acharya - He is a Guru on the scale of Ramakrishna Paramhamsa. A towering figure! I have no words to express how amazing he and his his work is. Here you will find answers to even deeper questions - Did Ram and Krishna exist? (yes they did), how the satyug will unfold after 2012, what happens when we die etc. All his literature is available for free at:
awgp.org (All World Gayatri Parivar)
This is a CLEAN organization, based out of Haridwar, India. They take no money, all literature is freely available.

4. Lastly I invite you to visit my website dedicated to rational, practical and scientific spirituality - The Spiritual Bee (spiritualbee.com)

Hope these teachers end your quest, and their work leads you to new beginnings full of hope and joy as they did for me,
PM
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>

Dear SpiritualBee,

Thanks for your beautiful post.

It is also very nice to know about Shriram Sharma Acharya. I knew about Swami Vivekananda and Rabinranath but, honestly, never heard of Shriram Sharma Acharya. When I get back to India I shall try and visit to touch His feet.

As I see that you are interested in books, the following may be of interest and help to you :

The Story of A Soul - An Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux (The Little Flower of Jesus)
Yogi Sri Krishnaprem-By Sri Dilip K. Roy
Pilgrims of The Stars -By Sri Dilip K. Roy
Autobiography of A Yogi- Swami Yogananda
The Rounding Off-By Sri Dilip K. Roy
The Gospels of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa- By Sri M.
The Life Divine-By Sri Aurobindo
Savitri-By Sri Aurobindo

These books are all gems and the aspirants would do well to read them, if they like reading, and advance rapidly on the paths of their quests.

Love and best wishes,

SM