– Is it possible to combine serving God and self search, understanding yourself?
– Self searching, understanding who you are – it is called enlightenment. And if you have reached it you serve God. When you are enlightened you don’t need religion anymore, because an enlightened person has only one religion – humanity, compassion. When you are enlightened, you see a divine self in everything, in everyone and you begin to serve to these parts of God. So, enlightenment, self searching and serving to God are the same things leading to one.
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– Religions are just different ways to Eternal Soul. Since ancient times people have invented these ways. You just choose your path and walk. Yes, it is possible to combine ways. God has sent people into this world and they are similar in common. All of us have two eyes, noise, mouth, ears, we were sent being equal. And these are we who created many religions and roads.
The ultimate aim of all religions is one – unity with The Great, Eternal, Universal Soul, dissolving in it. So whatever religion we choose the main rules are the same, we should do only good and avoid evil deeds.
Whatever religion we choose we are trying to reach one goal, we are going to one Universal Soul. The final religion, the absolute religion is humanity. Humanity is a religion for human beings. There is no difference between us. All we are consisted of five elements and will fall into five elements in the end. Sun and water are the same for everyone so religions do not differ either.
A result of a spiritual practice is not immediate. Flower and tree need time to grow up. And we need time when we are doing our practice. Eternal Soul and God are waiting for us with opened hands, but the road takes time. Eternal soul doesn’t need our body or material things, it needs only our pure love, pure heart, pure soul. So do not forget repeating a God’s name even in daily routine, even if you are just walking on the street, because every step makes you closer to Eternal Soul.
When mother is putting her baby to sleep, doing domestic work, she always remembers her child. Whatever she is doing, the sleeping child is always in her thoughts. And we also should always remember about Eternal Soul. We should remember God in our daily life, in our material world. Whatever we are doing we should put the image of God in our thoughts, or repeat japa, feeling the presence of the Eternal Soul. Making daily, usual things you mustn’t lost the God presence and should keep this image in your mind and soul, just keep practicing.
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– There is a knowledge in every religion that God is love. And a lot of fears and emotions rise in a human soul during the practice. What is the source of it if everything is love?
– Yes, love is a core of every religion, every path. What is the source of such fears and obstacles? You have get some obstacles because you love the Eternal unconditionally. There is no place for fear and pain if you love the Eternity unconditionally. When you love unconditionally, your love is materialistic. What does it mean – love with conditions? When you are attached to something or someone you love some material aspects, exactly this create obstacles and fears. There is no fear in pure, unconditional love. Pure love cannot be materialistic. And you should understand correctly the value of what you love.
– A good example is a Jesus life. From our point of view, it was life full of sorrow, but at the same time he didn’t lost the connection even for a second, he always was keeping in heart this unconditional love to the Eternal. As a result, he had returned to where he came from.
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– Advaita is a very ancient practice which came many ages ago, when people lived for 1000 years. And this long life let people to be very successful in advaita. People, during their enormous long life, could learn this practice perfectly. But advaita practice is absolutely not suitable for our age, for Kali-Uga. There is only one thing we should practice – it is humanity, love, serve and compassion. The best practice for the Kali-Uga age – is humanity.
– There are some Buddhist teachers who leave their bodies, dissolving in light. Where do they get? What is kind of place?
– Buddhism as many other religions, has a lot of tantric practices, which let people to put their soul in some places, animals, birds. Buddhism and every religion has its own tradition, it has its own monasteries, sacred places, burial tradition. Their practice and religion it is their religion. There are many different knowledges and many different practices in every religion. Why are you wasting your time trying to understand other religions and tantric activities, to analyze other people, their attitude to the religion, instead of trying to understand who you are? Why don’t you begin to look into yourself, to realize yourself, to understand your inner self? For what is putting yourself into different religions, into beliefs of other people if the main thing is to do is to start with yourself, understanding your inner self and your way. Other religions are other religions, other people it is other people, it is their own path, their own karma. First of all, you should look into yourself, find yourself and your path to God, and not to analyze paths of others. Recognize yourself first of all and then every religion, every paths will be opened to you.
– Is it necessary to maintain only one religion or can we change it as we wish?
– The main religion is humanity, it is a base for every religion. So all confessions from our world are just paths to the main religion – to humanity and to Eternal soul. It is better not to jump between religions, not to change it. It is better follow the religion of your country where you were born, because any religion changing rises fear. It is fear to make a mistake, because you know rules of your religion, in which you have grown up. You know duties, you know what and how to do according to religion rules.
When you change your religion, you don’t know rules thoroughly, you don’t know the inner life of the religion. And even if you like a new religion there is a fear to make something wrong. And because of this fear you will make mistakes. And maybe sooner or later you will want to come back to your religion. And it will be better to avoid such leaps and stay with that religion, which you have chosen or religion of your native country. Because the main, last result of all religions is humanity.
– We are all humans and we should treat a human as a human being. As for religion, there is an example. You live in Moscow we live in Delhi and when you are going to visit Delhi you have a fear that you will don’t understand something. You don’t know the language, traditions, habits. You can lose your way easily in Delhi. In Moscow, where you were born, it is easier for you to find a way, easier to live. It is simpler, more comfortable. The same is true for religions. So it is better to stay within your own religion, keeping in mind that the basic religion aspect is humanity. And we should respect each other, treat each other as a human being, not paying attention which religion somebody has chosen.
– If some image from another religion comes to us can we at the same time meditate on it and follow our religion? Can we use mantra and God name from not our own religion?
– During the meditation you can be concentrated on different images from different religions. It is nothing bad if your image for concentration from another tradition. When you are meditating you are concentrating on a feeling of love, bhakta energy and it related to all religions. Meditation are not attached to any path. Meditation is a self-development. It is your own practice, so when you are meditating you can keep in heart any image. It is not about the religion.
– Is it possible to love equally Christianity and Hinduism? Is it ok to be a part of both religions?
– You cannot love two religions equally, you cannot travel in two boats. The image which is taken for meditating can be anyone, from any tradition, it should be what you like by your heart, because its main essence is love. I was traveling in Russia and visited many monasteries and temples. I bowed there, I bowed to Jesus and to altars but it doesn’t mean that I had changed my religion. It is an expression of love and respect to that souls for which that temples are built up. But I have only one religion. And on the top of all religions there is a religion of humanity.
– So is it easier to don’t have a religion at all?
– Why do you want to leave the religion if the only one religion is humanity? Bhakti Ma, Divine mother gave this religion to people at the begining. Then, when people became more, they were spreading on this planet and invented many different ways to the Divine Mother, Eternal Soul, giving different names for gods and goddesses, inventing legends and rituals. But the last goal of every way is one.
– Forget everything, forget about your thoughts and just fall to Divine Mother feet. Divine Mother as any mother doesn’t have any religion. So she will give you that religion and show you exactly that way which you need. Forget everything which makes you embarrassed and just fall to her feet.
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– The easiest way to get Eternal Soul which is chosen by great yogas and saints is a bhakta yoga way. The way of bhakta yoga is a way of love. Bhakta yoga is very close to humanity. You practice love, practice compassion, practice serving. These three are base for all religions. It doesn’t matter what is your confession, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism or Christianity, idea of humanity is connecting all religions.
There is a top of a mountain you have to reach. And there are different paths to get it, but the top is only one. And a guiding star which guides you is some image from some religion. For example, if you are Christian you choose Jesus image. You should become similar to Jesus. If you are Moslem, your image is Mohammed. Exactly this image helps you to get on the top.
And the main thing isn’t only keeping this image inside you but and living in accordance with it. It’s mean to change your soul to be similar to this image. To transform your thoughts to be similar. This is the way you should follow.