Hello Arthur,
A grand beginning indeed!
I have decided to make a new thread, because unfortunately I see many souls spinning their wheels in useless conversations. I see talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. This is unhealthy. It is wasted energy. A wise man weighs his words and speaks little.
Spoken like the wise; I see that you have finally decided to 'talk' here.
You call yourselves Brahmins, but I see that most of you know very little about Brahman. Eloquent speaking or detailed discussions is not a sign of a Brahmin which means truly wise man.
Fallacy of concluding and then beginning the topic.
With that said, I hope that we can begin a new thread, a thread that is truly conducive to liberation, moksha.
Liberation, from what?
In this thread, all philosophies must be kept at bay until absolute love has been firmly established in the heart. So before responding to this thread, you must cut your head.
In short, you want to abandon reason to establish your point. Many have tried this before; it doesn't work that way.
In this thread, I will not teach you anything, but you will teach yourself. You will teach yourself the meaning of love. You will not accept nor reject anything I say until you have realized what love is. Should you ask for anything more?
It is as good as not opening this thread.
You do not owe me anything nor do I owe you anything. I am no one's teacher nor anyone's student.
I cannot agree more with this.
If you have questions, be sincere. But know that ultimately Self-inquiry and Self-answer is the greatest teacher.
This is not new...
God is not a belief, but a fact. Once you "know" Him, beliefs will cease to exist for you.
'Knowing' is different from 'Realizing'. Again, in this context, what seem as facts to one, may not be so to another...
Therefore, "know" the Truth and the Truth will set you free. Know Thyself.
What/Where is 'the truth'?
God is a fact only to those who "know" Him and not to those who speculate on Him. Renuka, I "know" God.
God is, irrespective of whether one speculates or proclaims to know him. Your claim of 'knowing' god is valid only within the realm of your mind. There are so many who claim the same. Why should you be any different?
In response to your query, I will say that the "truth" must be sincerely "heard", then "reasoned" upon, and then "meditated" upon.
That is to say, the truth must be heard, understood, and then realized.
Heard from whom or what?
Dear friend, only a genuine guru can speak of the absolute truth. However, a Buddha is no Shankara. What school of thought do you wish to cultivate?
Do philosophies show god? Then what is the correct philosophy? Who is a 'genuine' guru?
A Buddha is no Shankara, because of philosophy. The school of thought you wish to follow will be the philosophy you cultivate.
So does 'knowing god' depend on the philosophy which again depends on one's wish? Sounds whimsical...
Also, one can never really know a genuine guru "outside" until the Guru has awakened "inside". The ego can only be pierced, the spiritual eye opened, by self-effort and the Guru's grace.
So anybody who opens the spiritual eye is a guru? And if these gurus do not have a common philosophy about god, which is the correct one?
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All along this thread, you have not said anything new. From an overall perspective, it seems that you are kindling something without giving any direct answers - just prodding along and extending your replies from previous posts.
Only empty vessels collect, to give.
Regards,