From a young age, I knew that material happiness would not make me happy. I knew that having a successful career, a big house, a fancy car, two kids, a pool and a dog — and all the toys that come with that — would never truly satisfy me. Not that these things were bad in any way, but there had to be something more to life.
I went to a religious high school. In the beginning, I was very interested in learning about God, but by the end of high school I had become an atheist. The lack of satisfying answers to my questions, and the abundance of hypocrisy among authority figures, made it so I did not want to be involved with organized religion ever again.
I took philosophy classes in college with great hopes of finally finding a meaning to life. I tried to live by some of the principles I learned there, but found them to be dry and empty. There were so many contradictions, and it was all very superficial.
I ended up dropping out of college to travel, always searching for a deeper meaning to life. Over a period of years I came in contact with various alternative philosophies and religions. I really liked some of them at first. But what they all had in common was that they sounded good on the surface, but they were very difficult or impossible to put into practice in real life. It didn’t take very long before I would start seeing their limitations and contradictions. This left me profoundly frustrated and disappointed.
I had almost given up when I came into contact with the teachings of Jagad Guru Siddhaswarupananda. Jagad Guru was presenting God in a completely different light. His teachings were completely different from everything I had heard about God before. I especially appreciated the fact that I could actually apply these teachings to my daily life in a very practical way. I could actually see changes in my life.
Most importantly, I appreciated the simple teaching that spiritual life is a very personal journey which does not necessitate joining some group or organization, or giving up critical thinking. Following these teachings, I’ve always felt respected as an individual. Finally my questions were taken seriously, and answered directly and honestly.
Learning the teachings of Jagad Guru has been the most important blessing in my life. Now, many years later, thanks to these teachings, I still discover new things about myself and about God every day. I have solid values to live by and to pass on to my children. I am extremely grateful for all I have learned, and I am looking forward to continuing along this wonderful path.