Hello, James. Recently, I have seen some people criticizing you. For a while, I was confused about what to think. Some people have accused you of heinous things, and still others have accused your teaching of being inadequate. Your teaching has freed me. Thank you very much. I hope you live in perpetual happiness. I would like to believe that you are a moral person. As a person who understands Vedanta, you must understand the value of morality. In spite of the people who criticize you, I would like to offer you my respects for the good that you do for so many people. Although I do not know you personally, I can say without a doubt that your existence has benefitted me greatly. I wish you happiness and good health. Good day. Shawn
Appreciation is much appreciated, Shawn. Yes indeed, Vedanta works. I’m very happy for you. It goes to show that a qualified person who applies himself will be set free by it. I suppose the people who criticize don’t know that they don’t have to have an opinion about “me” at all. If they were mature qualified people they wouldn’t waste their emotional and mental energy evaluating people and they would just do the sadhana and get the results. In fact, the “me” that is criticized is only an idea in the mind. Criticism is part of being a public figure. In so far as I am a person, I take it as a gift from God. It’s actually good for Vedanta because a person who is qualified for Vedanta will go to the website and check it out. It is impossible to think that the person responsible for ShiningWorld is not a moral person if you are a discriminating person. In fact, ShiningWorld has never been more popular and ratio of grateful emails to negative emails is perhaps 200:1. People enjoy victimhood these days; it gives them an opportunity to vent. They would actually be better served by converting their anger and indignation into bhakti for Isvara. And, although they don’t realize it, criticizing a teacher like me is actually a perverted form of bhakti. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t even think of me. In the Gita Krishna says, “In whatever way you worship me, I respond by making your faith strong.” It means that all one’s thoughts are thoughts of God, whether you know it or not.
Om and Prem,
James
