Vedanta trains you to think independently. It helps you probe into the essence of the human personality, directs you to study, reflect and realize the fundamental truth of life. In the past, generations put in effort to discover the real Self. Later on, some spiritual enthusiasts brought out their own abridged versions of truth. They were well meant but their reading of the original truth was feeble. People began to follow their teaching blindly. They lost their independent reflection and judgment. Spiritual education was no longer liberal, but led by the opinion of others. This has plunged people into ignorance, and the world is steeped in sorrow and suffering.
The root cause of suffering is that people do not look within. They hardly investigate the truth of life nor exercise their own judgment. They rely on outside forces to do their thinking. And they function predominantly on blind faith and mechanical ritual. This is spiritual suicide. Castes, creeds and sects are ghosts haunting us. The role of Vedanta is to free you from infatuation with celebrities and educate you on the eternities.
- Swami Parthasarathy
Splendour, March 2010
