Testimonials

My name is Charlie and I have known Jagad Guru for more than 40 years. These days I am dealing with advanced prostate cancer, but I find great shelter and comfort, and happiness, in what I have learnt from The Science of Identity Foundation and Jagad Guru.

If I’m honest with myself, I had very little attraction for any spiritual process when I first met Jagad Guru in a chance encounter over 40 years ago, but he challenged me to think carefully about spirituality. Not only to think, but check what he was telling me and what we talked about.

To check with acknowledged scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita, and Lord Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament, and to check with the Lord within, to see if what he, Jagad Guru, was saying, what the scriptures where saying, and what I felt in my heart were the same.

For 6 weeks I met with Jagad Guru almost every day. December 1972 and January 1973. We talked about everything. I had never met anyone who exuded such friendship, unconditional friendship. Material friendships are based on give and take. Each party gets something from the relationship. But the overwhelming feeling I obtained from Jagad Guru was one of concern for my wellbeing, without wanting anything from me in return! I had never met anyone like that before.

He introduced me to this process of Kirtan Meditation. The singing, the saying, the chanting of these holy mantras as a way of cleansing my spiritual soul, my essence. Over the years I kept in contact with Jagad Guru, and on a another few occasions had the good fortune of his association.

But I am a slow learner. It took me many years before I had even a little attraction for singing of these sacred mantras, but I kept thinking that if Jagad Guru was the end result of this, then I would persist. So ever increasingly, over the years, this attraction for kirtan has grown and grown in my heart.

Gradually this process made me see clearly again who I am, and see other living beings for who they are, my brothers, my sisters; and my true position and role with this existence. It’s a truly enlightening experience when we look at the world this way!

So today I am in my 60’s and have been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But because of these teachings, because of this process, because of Jagad Guru, I am the happiest I have ever been in my life!

I remember so clearly amongst the haze and heaviness which clouded my mind and heart a rare and defining moment that changed the course of my life! A routine walk through the local weekend market where I shopped and my encounter of passing a market stall that had some flyers for a local yoga and meditation studio. As soon as my eye caught sight of this I immediately knew this is exactly what I needed.

As a youth worker working at the grass roots levels of youth homelessness; being exposed to a polar opposite reality to my own day in and day out was equally as rewarding as it was taxing to my well-being. I worked in a high crisis environment where most days I was exposed to violence, drug use, poverty, self harm cases, family break downs and abuse. There would be frequent calls to the police and ambulance, trips to mental health hospitals, breaking up fights between different groups and ongoing frustrations due to the limited and overburdened systems aimed at assisting these young people.

Self-care practices were something that was talked about at university; suggestions of exercise, external supervision, time in nature, spending time with family, mindfulness, etc. And whilst I implemented these into my life, I was experiencing that they only provided a temporary relief to the demands of my work and the emotional and physical toll it had on me but it didn’t provide a lasting solution.

Taking up the practice of Mantra Meditation not only helped me to gain control over how I processed my professional life by giving me real tools and resources to achieve peace of mind and heart but it also helped me to understand on a deeper level the context in which I was working and the real extent of each individual’s needs beyond just the physical, mental and emotional support I provided to the young people I was working with.

My Friday night slosh sessions at the pub with colleagues to unwind from a hectic week turned into me attending amazing kirtan meditation evenings where the crows on my shoulders from a heavy week flew away leaving me feeling light, refreshed and peaceful. My Sunday night blues and anxieties around the working week ahead vanished the more I added these simple and effective techniques into my daily life.

I am forever grateful for the endless efforts of Jagad Guru Siddhaswarupanda in helping me on my quest in life. Finding a genuine and highly esteemed spiritual teacher is a rare gift, his endless encouragement and care for me has truly touched my heart. All he ever wants for me is to be happy and never wants anything in return; he has given me the road map, as passed down by his teachers, to leading a life that has meaning, purpose and is rooted in service to others.

The irony of it all is that I really learnt what real welfare work is only after coming across his teachings and as a result was able to be of better service to my community for this.