Many
religions hint at our Divine origins. But only one spiritual pathway
— known as "Vedanta" — boldly asserts that each
of us is nothing less than God, Itself!
Please understand: This is not the God of your forefathers, He of
long, white beard residing beyond the Cosmos in some Heavenly Abode.
For many modern Vedantins, the term "Intelligent Totality"
— or simply "IT" — has a much greater and deeper
significance.
Vedanta is an ancient, though timeless journey of inner discovery.
It was well-established even before there was a written language,
and its few but profound Truths were transmitted orally, from teacher
to father to son.
The Buddha said "There are many paths, but only one mountain."
If the various religions are considered to be the numerous "pathways,"
then Vedanta is the mountain, itself. Not a religion, Vedanta is more
an applied spiritual science which can be learned and practiced by
Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu, alike.
In fact, no prior religious training or belief is needed to succeed
in this Timeless Endeavor.
Vedanta is a science whose goal is known as "Self-realization."
This is a special mental state characterized by a profound detachment
from worldly interests and a dispassionate outlook on life, combined
with an attitude that can only be described as "unflappably good-humored."
In short, the well-established Vedantin is the picture of spiritual
peace.
Although it is Universal in its outlook, Vedanta has its roots buried
deeply in the East. It is the source of such widely-used (though often
misunderstood) terms as karma, dharma, "Enlightenment"
and "Liberation." Vedanta's contention of reincarnation
and the existence of past lives is widely accepted by most people
interested in New Age ideas.
It is one thing to assert that we are each Divinity Incarnate, but
quite another to actually prove it. To demonstrate exactly
what it means to be God (or IT), Vedanta relies upon a universally-experienced,
though seldom understood phenomenon ... one that is very peculiar.
We have each had The Experience ... but you assuredly didn't realize
what "being God" meant, unless you'd had Vedanta's special
training. Indeed, without such hard-to-find instruction, it is likely
you were left at least momentarily shaken and disturbed by this odd,
but seldom-discussed event.
Once you have learned what it means to be the God that you are, and
then accept that you, too, have had this special Divine Experience,
from Vedanta's perspective you have attained "Enlightenment."
In other words, Knowledge (of that extraordinary experience) plus
The Experience, itself, equals Illumination.
What, then, is this peculiar "Experience of Divinity"? Ancient
teaching manuals of Vedanta specifically prohibit sharing this Knowledge
with the merely curious. But this is more an act of lovingkindness
than the protection of an Enlightened One's arcane or occult turf.
For such Knowledge, once revealed, carries with it an awesome responsibility
... one which is not as easily set aside, say, as is much of the infoglut
with which we are daily bombarded.
However, even with that Knowledge plus The Experience, that's
only the first part of the equation for spiritual success in life.
The job actually only begins with this first, vital phase.
It will take most of us the rest of this life to become fully established
in Vedanta's Wisdom.
As we become increasingly established in Vedanta, it is normal for
our natural talents and powers to sharpen, and perhaps even for supernatural
abilities — sometimes called siddhis — to manifest
themselves on their own. In any event, as we become established in
Vedanta, we find its applications radiating outward toward healing,
improving our "prosperity consciousness" and other aspects
of practicality in the day-to-day world we each must live.
In short, even without necessarily intending so, we find ourselves
becoming more healthy, wealthy, wise and happy, following this secret
pathway of the ancient masters.
The process of first discovering, then becoming unshakably convinced
of our own Divine Nature is much like a detective's investigation.
With the clear but subtle clues we are given, we spend life piecing
together parts of the puzzle to attain this cherished state of Enlightenment.
Now and then, new clues are given us to aid in our search for "life's
meaning."
For example, today in India, there is a holy man who is regularly,
and in full public view, breaking the physical laws under which we
normally operate. He does this with such impunity that one is left
with the impression our physical laws are, instead, merely suggestions.
His name is Sathya Sai Baba. And although he has been performing these
supernatural and miraculous feats for more than 70 years, it is only
recently that a growing number of Americans have begun hearing about
him. His creating matter from space, being in a number of locations
at the same time and even raising the dead on several occasions have
been well-documented.
Armed with clues such as these, it is possible to gain an insight
into our own nature and potential.
