[greybeard]

How does one discern Truth?
Thats a biggie.

The traditional path is a safe one.

It can be summed up in the first two commandments.
The essence of which are.

Ist Love God with all your might.
The ego hates to play second fiddle to anything.

2nd Love your fellow man (without exception)
The ego hates the thought of anyone being put before itself.

Unconditional love and forgiveness is what Jesus taught.
Nothing else is needed.

The ego cant abide unconditional love where you put the wellbeing of others before your own.
Extreme selfishness is its domain..

Every Mystic/ Enlightened one has taught the same as the first two commandments since time began. There has never been a secret teaching that would take you closer to God.

The Enlightened ones never say, you must follow my teachings others are invalid, because there is only Oneness coming through them without exception.

I went to see Eckhart Tolle in London along with thousand of others at St Jameses' Church. They had to turn people away the church was not big enough.
He quoted Rumini.
The essence of the quote, as my memory, is of essence not detail.
"I am a hole in the flute that the Christ breath flows through listen to the music"
Not the flute even, but the hole in the flute.

I suggest that if you look for a teacher to guide you listen to one who is not even the flute. Eckhart Tolle and Dr Hawkins are holes in the flute. There have been many before and will be again, the music remains the same.

Eckhart Tolle also said that all present (at London talk) would go out and teach without teaching.
Every soul who deeply commits to God, surrenders to the will of God, aligns personal will to His will regardless of religion or lack of it is a silent teacher of Truth.
Every soul who is raising their personal vibration is raising the vibration of the field of consciousness and the good thing is that the closer you get to God, the higher your vibration, the more powerfull it is. One soul with the vibration concurrent in unconditional love is raising the consciousness of millions, not by doing but just by being what they are.
So is prayer and meditation important to the survival of the human race ?
You bet it is.

Chris
Namaste