All Paths That Lead to God are Right Paths

I was initiated into Vedanta in 1985 and given the name Ramapriya by my guru Swami Swahananda. What drew me to this Hindu religion was their mantra that proclaimed, “All paths that lead to God are right paths.” It aligned with 12 steps and 12 traditions when I got sober February 18, 1980. The Vedas are a collection of hymns and other religious texts composed in India between about 1500 and 1000 BCE. It includes elements such as liturgical material as well as mythological accounts, poems, prayers, and formulas considered to be sacred by the Vedic religion. In Vedic tradition the focus tends to be on the ideas rather than on the authors, which may allow one to look at the message without being influenced by the messenger. Their sensibility was that God was in each of us. Our authentic self is known as the Atman. The soul’s purpose in returning from the Upper World to the Lower World was to rid ourselves of karma from current as well as past lives in order to become as we were meant to be: at one with God. What astounded me about Vedanta was that we devotees were encouraged not to proselytize--in other words, do not promote or insist that others become a Vedantist. What still dazzles me daily is that I say to everybody in recover: “God was leading me even when I would not let him/her/it.” It is the same with my path leading me to the doors of the Vedanta Temple: God brought me there are God was watching over me in my darkest hours. So today I am not promoting but rather sharing my experience, strength and hope.