5 Things to Know about Preaching

Today, preaching is common. But, there are two sides to it.

One is of course the positive outlook, of spreading the teachings to a larger audience.

However, this advantage tags along with many other disadvantages.

Today, we shall have a look at 5 common misunderstandings, problems, and shortcomings with preachings.

1) Preaching makes Dharma Dogmatic

Preaching about God is very common these days.

Especially the religious institutions of Sanatana Dharma have religious preachers going around the world.

However, a lot of preaching styles have crept into various aspects of the Dharma.

Rather than literally promoting Vedic Gods, in the religious and Vedic traditional methods, preachers tend to adopt Abrahamic system styles of preaching.

Especially, in the context of Sanatana Dharma, this is not a very good preference of preaching styles.

Sanatana Dharma is a system of seeking and much less, a system of preaching.

This one must understand.

It is a personal endeavour and not necessarily a mass movement.

Sanatana Dharma has many teachings no doubt.

But, the profundity of the System is subjective, experiential, personal, intimate and not one that is suitable for preaching, not the least.

What preaching can utmost do is to make the principles dogmatic, bombastic, amplified, over-the-top, and above all driven, by blind faith.

The preaching is influenced by the personal enigma of the preacher himself, colored by the figment of his persona and imagination.

2) Preaching cannot Change Lives!

As the preaching of a particular preacher becomes more prevalent in a larger crowd, the teaching is more than lost.

The substance of preaching focuses on “other” faith systems as there is a mixed audience most times!

This inter-mixing dilutes the rich essence of Sanatana Dharma and sounds more like a motivational talk.

The moment a preacher rises to fame and popularity, he is eager to make his preaching more interesting rather than effective.

He focuses on attracting the attention of people and engage large crowds.

So, he includes jokes, a flurry of personal anecdotes, personal preference-driven motives played to the galleries, and what not.

Such decline in intention arises when fantastic fiction replaces the essence of Truth.

Sanatana Dharma is an experiential system.

Hence, who has been belabored by Maya, should seriously take up Santana Dharma.

A person tormented by Maya looks at spirituality as a subject and not an opportunity.

So, the seeking becomes sincere as it is a necessity.

On the other hand, preaching Sanatana Dharma cannot transmit even an iota of power.

Seeking depends on personal deliberation through a silent organized system of a Master and Disciple relationship.

However, Dharma should be governing the guru-disciple system, where a one-to-one hand-holding may be required.

All this said, there is still no guarantee that the seeker shall reach the destination.

Sanatana Dharma does not guarantee this. It never has.

3) Preaching cannot trigger our Interest in God

Sanatana Dharma is a totally involved form of transforming the seeker.

It strikes and wakes up the seeker in spurts, into realization with the growing spiritual capabilities.

A seeker undergoes battering by material energy either in this lifetime or earlier ones.

When the Mayic force manifests in full effect, the living entity has no resort other than being born in a culture that promotes pure Vedic Dharma.

There are other souls who may be born in alien cultures and systems.

However, they feel inclined towards Sanatana Dharma in their current bodies.

They may not be influenced by any particular Guru, Acharya or preaching but by the call of the Spirit alone.

This bent can never be initiated solely by preaching, conversion or influence.

It simply dawns like lightning that it is time to go home.

This realization, the soul stumbles upon by the Will of God also known as Grace.

Now, how can preaching help in the whole process?

When half-baked people who have no understanding of the principles of Dharma, take up preaching, things become worse.

Preaching has become a profession of attracting the crowd and nothing else.

So, everything cannot be preached or explained. 

4) Most times Preachers are Unqualified

Vedic or Sanatana Dharma is the very fountain of consciousness.

Hence, no preaching or influencing can cover the core teachings or transmit its essence into people.

It may have many infinite teachings.

Most times preachers do not absorb the essence of Sanatana Dharma.

Only a Sadhaka can become an authentic preacher.

Unless he is a sadhaka who has devoted his entire life to the adoption, understanding of the Dharma he does not qualify as a preacher.

Additionally, he must realize these teachings and have experiential knowledge to be able to guide people.

He must live these principles and attain a deep level of insight into the true nature of spirituality.

Only these qualities can convince the audience that they are on the right track.

Sanatana Dharma brings silence as wisdom prevents one from unwanted speaking.

He shall see that the universe is self-sufficient and perfect.

He finds himself ill-qualified to preach.

Having the mood of seeking is necessary for evolving as a spiritual aspirant.

It is up to Natural circumstances, the Force of Karma, prayers, Grace, Divine interventions that come into play when the Guru meets the seeker.

Even when the Guru is there, Nature makes multiple arrangements to teach and deliver the intricate teachings to the spiritual aspirant.

Dharma is known either to the (guru-disciple and nature) or (disciple and nature).

Other than these combinations, dharma cannot be transmitted.

5) Preaching in Sanatana Dharma is a myth

Preaching is a mass movement.

But, Sanatana Dharma transmits only from a guru to a disciple or through the sincere efforts of the disciple.

Talk around Dharma, teachings of the Dharma, Views, and opinions are no doubt transmitted and communicated by the Will of God.

However, their teachings do not represent the direct verdicts of the Shastras.

‘Preaching is the true spirit of Sanatana Dharma.’ This is simply a myth.

Sanatana Dharma may recommend certain ways to the common folks.

But, Sanatana Dharma can never retain its original form unless one internalizes and realizes spiritual values.

The moment someone starts preaching the Dharma, it shall qualify the preaching as personal opinions.

Though it may sound like spiritual teachings, personal motives drive them.

Hence, preaching lessons are not some universal law.

It has anything to do with the real form of the Sanatana Dharma.

The real form of Sanatana Dharma is available only at the end of the journey when it is received in utter silence and gratitude.

Thanks for reading!