It is time to share some thoughts with you here. After a long period of repairing and expanding the ashram, we should now fulfill our “duty” and try to pass on all that we have learned on the path of spiritual quest.
When I speak of duty here, I do not mean the duty to follow the demands or expectations of others, but to be true to oneself and act according to one’s own convictions and values. So it is not an “I must” that moves us here at Vinoda Vani Seva Asram, but an “I want” that is felt as our duty.
The contents of what we are dealing with here, and the teachings we will talk about, are of the utmost importance. It can be compared to the importance of water in the fight against a fire. The fire is the material condition, characterized by the duality of happiness and suffering. Not only is suffering a condition, but also happiness, which cannot be experienced without causing suffering. All attempts to escape from suffering and to attain happiness are doomed to failure as long as we do not eliminate the cause of material conditioning. Since material conditioning is caused by ignorance, it can only be eliminated by knowledge.
Knowledge, which is empirically gained from the material condition, cannot eliminate ignorance, because it belongs to the same category as ignorance. No matter whether it was acquired at a more or less prestigious school, obtained by great or small effort, or applied successfully or unsuccessfully according to material measure, it will not be enough to reveal the ultimate secret of life.
Only by acquiring spiritual knowledge can one learn to appreciate life to its fullest extent and participate in it in a truly peaceful and happy way. To do so, it must be learned from a good source and realized under proper guidance. Religious institutions have tried for centuries to convince the people under their influence that they have a monopoly over spiritual knowledge. By mixing the spiritual teachings, as revealed in the holy scriptures and by the prophets, with material interests, such as power and money, from whose influence most religious institutions cannot be kept free, it came about that many people rejected everything religious and spiritual. This is how the present spiritual crisis of humanity has developed, which in time will manifest itself more and more clearly in an increase of material need and confusion. The material problems are nothing more than a symptom of the absence of pure spiritual consciousness and can thus be alleviated and overcome by promoting this consciousness, both on an individual and collective level.
It almost sounds like a presumption to decide to take the path of overcoming the conditioning of the world, created by the errors of history, the inadequacies of science and the decline of religions.
However, Sri Krishna encourages us in Bhagavad Gita 2.40 by saying, “In this effort there is no loss or diminution, and even a little progress on this path can save one from the greatest danger”.
Depending on how sincerely we embark on this quest and how much faith and trust we bring to it, we will be able to make progress accordingly. It is not a matter of rushing or competition, to which we are very accustomed in this world, but of a mindful discovery of our own spiritual identity and relationship to the whole.
You are welcome to accompany us on this spiritual journey by reading our publications here and by sending us your questions and doubts.