[Advaita-l] A French man guided into spiritual practice by the Sringeri Jagadguru: 1928

[Divya Meedin]

Thanks for sharing this exalted post, sir.

Namaskarams,
Divya

On Sun, May 10, 2020 at 1:46 PM V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> 1928. A Frenchman letter to H.H. Sri Chandrasekhara Bharathi Mahaswamiji
> Followed by the answer of H.H.
> ==============================
> A Frenchman by name Jean Rivière, wrote to His Holiness Sri Chandrasekhara
> Bharathi Mahaswamiji the following letter on 17 May 1928.
>
> Addressed by:
> Jean Rivière,
> 19, Rue Jouvenet
> Paris 16
> France.
>
> To: The Dharmathipathi Vidyasagar Sri Sankaracharya Madathipathi.
>
> My Venerable Guru,
> Research of the truth and love of peace are my apologizing for sending this
> letter.
> I am a Frenchman. My learning in English is not all right and I beg to
> apologise to my mistakes in their language. I do not know Hindi or Tamil.
> If I take the liberty, Venerable Guru, to write directly to your Honour, it
> is because I believe in the superiority of Vedanta. I tried to find truth
> in occidental philosophies and I found nothing. We are in Europe, in Kali
> Yuga age, and there are here too much of excitement, egoism, selfishness,
> and materialism. From my boyhood, I try to find path of light. But I am
> alone in Europe: there are no light, no Guru, no pandit; Occidental
> teachers are intellectual, not spiritual men.
> Happily, I found some translations in English of Hindu philosophy. I found
> Upanishads and Bhashya of Sri Sankaracharya; I tried to study Sanskrit by
> myself and I learned and studied these sacred books.
> My aim is illumination. I know that, above all intellectual knowledges,
> there are Brahma-Vidya and pure Buddhi. But how to attain the path? I read
> on the sacred books that the way is meditation. But how is good meditation?
> I take refuge in your honour to enlighten me. I believe in Vedanta and
> Divine teachings of Veda. I believe in Divine incarnation of Sri
> Sankaracharya. I believe firmly that Truth and Peace are in realization of
> Purusha, out from Maya and Avidya.
> I have no guide on the hard path; I am alone and I implore your help. I
> know you have great experience and powers. I know that space and time are
> nothing to you on a certain plane. May I ask your honour to give me light
> and peace? What is the mantra or the word; who will give me the way to
> realize the teaching of the sacred books? If I was sure that I am linked
> with a spiritual center, I could ask for the help of my Guru.
> I give over to the kind attention of your honour to care to see the best
> way to my spiritual assistance. I know that all will be always right at
> last. May I hope to have a letter from your Holiness. I beg your spiritual
> blessings and through your honour, I bow to the sacred feet of the
> Venerable Sri Sankaracharya.
> Jean Rivière
>  =======================================
> THE JAGADGURU'S REPLY
> The reply from the Mutt contained the following pregnant passages :
> "His Holiness is highly pleased to see what an amount of interest you take
> in Sankara in spite of the great barriers of language and distance. He is
> deeply touched by your spiritual earnestness.
> "The pursuit of Vedantic truth leading to Atmic realization requires as a
> preliminary qualification in the seeker that he should have attained a
> certain degree of spiritual awakening as much as of intellectual acuteness
> which he may have acquired in his previous births. And as he advances he
> may meet with difficulties, which he can overcome only with the help of a
> Guru. It is not therefore possible to prescribe any one course suitable for
> all stages.
> "The following directions would however be found most helpful to seekers
> who are not able readily to consult their Guru at each step and who are
> eager to make rapid progress. The steadying of one"s mind is a sine qua non
> for the realisation of the Vedantic goal. Keeping this in view the
> practices indicated below are advised.
> "Firstly, physical: The avoidance of all stimulating food, drink, and the
> adoption as far as possible of the vegetarian diet.
> "Secondly, moral: The daily exercise of universal love without distinction
> of any kind towards all beings and the actual rendering of helpful services
> to them in a spirit of selfless service.
> "Thirdly, mental: The cultivation of a habit of retiring into one"s own
> self. Daily concentration of thought on some single object held in the
> highest reverence through which spiritual light is sought. Concentration
> should be practised whenever the mind is fresh and vigorous and it may be
> resorted to as often as convenient without getting tired. The mind should
> be guarded against falling asleep during the exercise. One may start with a
> few minutes practice and the period may be gradually increased.
> "Fourthly, intellectual: Enquiry (vichara) should be made every day and the
> problem of truth deeply pondered over whenever they occur.
> "His Holiness fully realizes your difficulties especially as you are
> struggling in an atmosphere surcharged with materialism. But Europe is
> bound to seek Vedantic light in due course. Only she has to persevere in
> her pursuit of truth in preference to things of a lower order. She is now
> steadfast in seeking truth in the world of science. She will be led to the
> search of truth in metaphysics also provided her thirst for knowledge
> continues.
> "Should you adopt the practices indicated above as far as it is possible
> for you to do so and write to His Holiness again, He will most gladly give
> you such further help as may be possible in this direction".
> It is interesting to learn that the gentlemen earnestly followed these
> directions and desired to have a picture of His Holiness or Sri
> Sankaracharya to fix his mind upon and have "a vivid object of daily
> contemplation." In reply thereto he was informed that His Holiness was
> highly pleased to learn that he was pursuing with much earnestness the
> practical as well as the theoretical courses indicated and the at His
> Holiness was much pleased to send for his use a picture of His own Guru
> which he himself constantly kept before Him.
> He was cautioned, "This picture should be approached every day only when
> one is perfectly clean in body and perfectly clean in mind. Absolute purity
> in thought, in word and in deed, is demanded. The more steadfast and
> concentrated the devotion with which one prays for help seeking Atmic
> light, the more quickly does one receive the blessings of the Guru whose
> spiritual existence will always be felt whenever there is a sincere seeker.
> Kindly continue your efforts with this conviction."
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