The Need For a Teacher in Spirituality
If you have ever tried to learn a new practical skill or discipline on your own, you would quickly realize the need for a teacher. A student of the martial arts, for instance, has to learn it from an expert in the art. A novice in surgery has to master the art from some reputed surgeon. Books on these various subjects cannot by themselves make a student expert in the subject. It is the practical demonstration and the actual operation in the operating room under the guidance of an adept in the profession that matters.
If all these physical sciences, which are studied and mastered on the physical plane, require the help of a teacher, how then can we aspire to attain heights in a spiritual science that extends far beyond the physical senses?
Spirituality is a field of study that culminates in the aspirant realizing their true nature as soul and then in the realization of their oneness with God. There are two aspects of spiritual knowledge that can help us realize our soul: the theoretical knowledge, and the personal or practical knowledge. The theoretical side can be gleaned from textbooks about the experiences of others before us. The practical side is dependent on a technique that can only be learned from a fully realized person. So, while a student of spirituality may read all the books in every library of the world to master theoretical knowledge of the field, they may not be able to have a direct experience of their true nature until they receive the complete meditation instructions from a spiritual Master. It is no different than reading volumes of books about water without ever having tasted the liquid. Without direct experience, we remain ignorant about the subject at hand. Thus, if we are to master the practical side of this science, we must seek the guidance of a competent teacher.
On the spiritual path, such a teacher is addressed not just as a teacher, or a guide, but as a spiritual Master. They have completed and mastered the spiritual course and solved the great mystery of life. They speak with authority about what they have experienced and what we can expect on the inner journey, based on their own personal experience. Having once been a student themselves, a spiritual Master is keenly aware of the intricacies and challenges that lay before the practitioner. They take the time to teach the student the fundamentals of spirituality so that the student can build upon those strong fundamentals. They show us the pitfalls and obstacles on the way and help us steer clear of distractions so we can complete the journey successfully and in the shortest possible time. With empathy and compassion, they gently guide the student step by step through the various stages of the spiritual journey, while also helping the aspirant navigate the demands and challenges of daily life.
Learning From a Spiritual Master
Meditation is the cornerstone of the spiritual journey. It is the process by which we can have a direct experience of ourselves as soul and of the divine. While many forms of meditation can bring us peace of mind, the practical experience we seek in SOS Meditation – the experience of the inner Light of God – can only be achieved with the help of a spiritual Master.
This is because the inner Light can only be perceived by the inner or spiritual eye. While every human being on earth is born with the spiritual eye, it is the attention of a spiritual Master that can open our spiritual eye and allow us to experience the inner regions. Until this moment, we remain blind to the inner worlds because our attention is attached to the material outer world. Without this gateway being opened, we cannot begin our inner journey.
When a spiritual Master takes an aspirant under their wings, they open their spiritual eye and impart the complete instructions for meditation. From here on, the aspirant becomes a student enrolled in the University of Spirituality, under the direct guidance and care of the spiritual Master. While the student has much work ahead of them if they are to graduate, they have the means and the direction they need to embark on the inner spiritual journey, and to be successful in this most sacred endeavor.
What Does the Spiritual Master Do For Us?
Once a spiritual Master takes a disciple under their wings by giving them the complete meditation instructions, they then lay down for the disciple the correct path that will bring spiritual progress and lead them to God. This blueprint helps the aspirant grow spiritually and remain focused and committed to the spiritually enriched life that will help them get to their goal. The spiritual Master becomes the aspirant’s unerring guide, in both worldly matters as well as spiritual, outwardly and inwardly, and this guidance is available to the disciple all through their spiritual journey.
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
A Spiritual Master for Our Times
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
A Spiritual Master for Our Times
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is a spiritual Master who, over the last three decades, has tirelessly guided hundreds of thousands of seekers to realize their true selves and to realize God. He travels the world spreading his message of love, peace, and unity. Through spiritual discourses, published books, hundreds of world tours, and countless meditation sittings, he has given seekers around the globe a practical experience of the divinity within. Whether he is at the International Meditation Center in the Chicago area or presiding over conferences and spiritual programs in Europe, Asia, South America, or Oceania, the practicality of the solution that he offers, the joy that he radiates, and his magnetic personality draw thousands to him. Seekers and spiritual aspirants flock to him from all corners of the world. He speaks the language of love that transcends all boundaries of language and culture, explaining the subject of spirituality in simple terms that can be understood by anyone of any age. His arms are always open to the sincere seeker yearning to find their way back Home.
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Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
