Our tradition belongs to the most ancient surviving spiritual & mystical tradition of the planet. We belong to Vedic Sanatan Dharma or Eternal tradition. It advocates the realization of the divine as the ultimate truth and living a pious and virtuous life in the material world.
The great sages of India have never regarded themselves as limited to a belief that we call Hindu, they have looked upon themselves as followers of Sanatan Dharma, the universal tradition. It contains the greatest diversity and freedom in the spiritual life that can be found in any religion on the planet.
We are not troubled by any contradiction between one and many. It regards many as various appearances or manifestations of the One. It is not one in the sense of one thing opposed to others but unity that includes diversity without being limited by it. Sanatan Dharma preaches that the truth is universal, but the ways to say the truth may change. It doesn’t say that you have to believe in truth told by others but allows you to know the universal truth by yourself, because such truth is so subtle that it cannot be expressed in words. Hinduism provides various methodologies to know the truth like Yoga which is further divided into many categories according to your abilities. It doesn’t support militancy and the spread of religion through force. True religion makes its way by the force of truth.
The central theme of our tradition is that God is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent reality, whereas the individual is only an actor who “struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more”. In order to experience the qualities of the transcendental reality which are Satyam (the truth), Shivam (the auspicious) and Sundaram (the beautiful), one needs to follow a way of life in which one is able to harmonize the thoughts, the behavior and the actions.
Meditative contemplation, faith in God, trust in oneself, appreciation of and living in harmony with the environment and nature, experiencing oneness in all interactions are some of the basic foundations of the Vedic Tradition.
Just as different beads of a rosary are linked together by one single thread, similarly all the various traditions of Vedanta and Tantra are linked by Yoga. Yoga is the underlying practical aspect of all spiritual traditions as it leads to enhanced awareness and realization of personal belief.
My guru Brahmlin Nirvana Pithadhishwara Acharya Mahamndleshwara Swami Shri Vishwadevananda Puri ji Maharaj was the Acharya of Shri Mahanirvani Akhada. This Akhada comes in Dashnama Sannyas established by Adi Guru Shankracharya. We follow the Vedanta’s Advaita Philosophy. Our Advaita philosophy says“Aham Bhramasmi” (I am that) and one who follows this philosophy cannot kill or hurt anyone, not only human beings but anything of nature. It is true that there is violence in our history but the violence is defensive. You will never find any scripture promoting violence.