Dancing with Śiva

imageHIS CONCLUDES OUR COMPARISON OF HINDUISM’S FOUR PROMINENT DENOMINATIONS, AND OF OTHER RELIGIONS, FAITHS AND PHILOSOPHIES. THERE ARE MANY MORE INDIGENOUS, TRIBAL GROUPS WHO FOLLOW SIMILAR PATHS AND CALL THEMSELVES BY unique names, and there are many more paths yet to be discovered in the future. This chapter can be a complete outline, affording to those who read it carefully a simple overview of those intangible human beliefs which, in all their variety, are at the root of attitudes and behavior, that, over time, create culture. Hopefully, it could do more, perhaps mark the beginning of discovering your own place in this grand scheme. Conversion is easy into any one of these forms of worship, practice and attainment. It is happening all the time. All souls on the path to perfection eventually commit themselves by choosing a preceptor, one who has gone before. Journeying through life without a preceptor is like traversing the ocean without a map or a compass. Even climbing the slopes of the Himalayas, a Sherpa is needed to safely guide. Compare your beliefs, as they are today, with all those cataloged in this synopsis, and come to terms with the supreme dedication that each of these paths demands of its followers. Having done this, declare boldly who you are to your own self. Claim your spiritual identity, your preceptor and the religious faith to which you find you belong. Then follow your chosen path with all your heart. Give it your full devotion, energy and loyalty in fullfiling its goals. True seekers on the path hoping for genuine attainment do not wander from path to path, school to school, preceptor to preceptor, because it is known that indecision inhibits all spiritual growth.§