Welcome, loving viewers, and Happy Father’s Day! Father’s Day is a joyous occasion observed in many countries today.

On this Father’s Day, we wish to pay tribute to a special kind of fatherly love that encompasses a spiritual community. In a church, a mosque, synagogue or temple, we can often see an individual fulfilling a special duty. Today, we will meet a Christian father, a Muslim imam, a Buddhist teacher, a Hindu guru, and a Jewish rabbi. They are the modern-day spiritual guides or fathers.

Meet Father Mauricio, a warm-hearted Roman Catholic priest from Chile. On a typical day, he rises early at dawn for prayer before beginning a long day of meetings, visits to schools, the ill and the elderly, evening prayers, listening to confessions, and celebrating mass. Even at night, he must be ready at any moment to receive or go see a person who calls or knocks on his door.

He’s like, let´s see, those doting parents, who likes his people.

He is always thinking about what to do for the community. He is like a parent to his children, his flock.

When he started to come and began to motivate people, many more people began to attend church.

I as a priest feel truly like a father of all people who come here, especially of young people, of children, of the people of children, of the people who most need us. Today certainly we have seen so many things that separate us from God and that do not make us happy, that basically fool youth a little.

I mean all ways that are easy, the path of drugs, the way sometimes of an unrestrained life that basically separates us from God. And that is a path that does not make us happy. So what Jesus wants to show, and our mission is to show which is the way to true happiness.

He has saved me a lot, he took me out of a huge hole that I was living in. But with the strength that he gave me I knew how to succeed, I knew how to stand up. Personally I’m very grateful for that.

In Hinduism, a Hindu priest is reverently called “Guru.” He is not just a family counselor, but also one who has the power to bless others and to communicate to God on their behalf. Swami Siva Sri Nandakumar is a cherished guru in Malaysia.

As a Hindu priest in our religion, first thing, we have to destroy our ego-ness. Without destroying the ego-ness, we cannot reach God. That’s why in our religion, we need to dress up like this. Something funny, like people see (you) look funny. That is, if people laugh at you, you feel, not comfortable, isn’t it?

So we have to take all this in our life, to take it easy. And that’s why we wear these ashes, to remember always, our body’s going to be destroyed one day. So we don’t do bad things to people, don’t think bad about people, don’t say anything bad about people. So we keep on reminding, reminding all this, all this, all the time.

There’s many ways he has helped me. Like for me, in my education-wise, as always before an exam, I’ll come and pray, get his blessings, and then only I’ll go for the exam. And for my family, let’s say like any auspicious function, we’ll come here, get his blessings, get the God’s blessing, and then we will continue with it. It’s always we start with the blessings and then only we continue with our journey.

Maya means something will cover our mind, and our thought that we don’t know what we are before. So, who we are, where we come from, where we will go – we don’t know that. So in our religion here, in Hinduism, we pray that to find out what is the main reason why we come here, and what we have to reach.

And when you come here, you sit, you just look at him and pray, let him guide you throughout the life. And after that, we go around the temple three times. Every round means takes away your obstacles. Before you leave, you really feel peace.

Next, we will find out more about the special roles of a Muslim priest, or imam, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher, and a Jewish rabbi. Our Father’s Day program honoring the benevolent modern spiritual mentors in our world continues when we return. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to A Journey through Aesthetic Realms. In Islam, an imam is a leader of a Muslim congregation. He leads prayers and helps people understand the word of Allah.

Well, Imam has not helped me only, helped all the Muslims, because he’s speaking from the Qur’an. And the Qur’an we believe in the Islam is the word of Allah, Glory to Allah.

And we believe he has a lot of knowledge, and he speaks about the power of Allah, Glory to Allah.

He has big knowledge. And he always speaks in Arabic, Qur’an and Hadith in Arabic. And his Arabic is excellent, and his English is excellent. So, by the grace of Allah, he is excellent. We call him “big scholar.”

Imam Mirza Muhammed Uzair Akbar memorized the Holy Qur’an at an early age in Pakistan, where he studied with many esteemed teachers. He has been the appointed imam of the Holland Park Mosque in Brisbane, Australia for 14 years.

The message of Islam, or the message of God, is to recognize Him in this short lifetime, and once we recognize Him, to respect his likes and his dislikes, and live a life of righteousness and piety.

I started studying at a very young age, and, and because I was brought up in such an environment, where we were learning how to implement and how to convey the message of God, so there is a greater responsibility upon me, if I compare myself to others. But this is the responsibility of every human being.

Imam Mirza Muhammed Uzair Akbar leads a diligent day-to-day life of service.

Every Muslim should wake up early in the morning between the crack of dawn and sunrise, and he establishes his prayer. As an Imam, I will come to the mosque and lead the prayer in the morning. We try to communicate with our Lord and our Master through the Holy scripture, known as the Qur’an, so we will read a certain portion of it, and then we will supplicate for our self, for our immediate family and for the entire humanity.

The imams throughout the world, they will prepare for the programs during the day, and then back to the mosque to conduct the mid-day prayer. There may be other groups that come as well, and then will question us. And then after the third prayer, that is about 3:30 or 4 o’clock, we have children programs. And then after that will be the 4th and the 5th prayer, and then back home and pretty exhausted!

The Tibetan Buddhist tradition uses the term “Rinpoche,” meaning “precious one,” to describe a reincarnated Tibetan lama (high priest). The Thrangu Vajrayana Buddhist Centre in Hong Kong, which was established by The Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, is where we meet Khenpo Tashi, a teacher who himself was in the care of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche since the age of 12.

Om mani padme hum (mantra of Avalokiteshvara) Om mani padme hum (mantra of Avalokiteshvara)

Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche is different from other people in his loving kindness and compassion. I have spent a long time in Rinpoche’s monastery and received many teachings and instructions from him. When he teaches, his motivation is the loving kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta (wish for enlightenment to help sentient beings) that all sentient beings may be happy. He teaches solely with the attitude of love and altruism for all sentient beings that is like the affection a mother feels for her child.

I mostly try to spend every day serving the Sangha. My hope is to help the members of the Sangha learn the subjects they are studying as well as to serve the monastery. I also wish to emulate Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche by following his example of loving kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta (wish for enlightenment to help sentient beings).

We now meet our final fatherly guide of the ancient religion of Judaism. Similar to his counterparts in the other faiths, a Jewish rabbi helps others to remember that what’s most important is to live a moral way of life that is pleasing to God.

I suppose it’s important, I think, to have people in a community, who you can go to who are older, wiser, and able to impart their wisdom upon you. You know that they are accessible, and you know they will step in and approach you if you ask them to, be it a father figure or community-type leader.

The word “rabbi” means “teacher.” I am here to educate. But you know, education is not just, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say,” that doesn’t work. We have to be an example to other people as well.

Human beings are created in two parts: We have the physical body, and we have the spirit which keeps the physical body. What I’m trying to do, is to make people understand that you have to look after the soul and the spirit, as much as you will look after the physical body. I always teach that you should look in the mirror at night, stand in front of the mirror, and do you like what you see? Now people will say, “Well, I didn’t like the weight. I put on too much weight. I am too thin.”

I said, “No, that’s not what I am looking at. I am asking you: Do you like that person? Would you want to be friend with that person you see in the mirror? Are you satisfied with the qualities that that person provides for the society? Is it a selfish individual, or is it a sharing and a caring individual?” I’m trying to build a society which considers everybody to be part of it.

What would I want with all my heart? That hopefully we have all the ability to discern well about what God invites us to live. And that we can be happy here now on Earth, but especially to prepare the heart for the eternal happiness that will be in Heaven.

The word is said in Veda, said, “Sarve loga samasta sukino bawanthu.” That means, this world must be in a peaceful and all the living humans and all the living things in the world must be in good condition; we love each other. So that is the main prayers in our religion.

Happy Father’s Day! May all gurus live long and the world be peaceful. Happy Father’s Day! And for all gurus and peace in the world.

To all the leaders of the world’s religious houses, we are grateful for your blessings and steadfast devotion in humbly supporting humankind on their spiritual journeys. Blessed be your sacred responsibilities as pillars of goodness for our world.

To our viewers, it was a joy having your company today. Now, please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Our Noble Lineage, coming next after Noteworthy News. May you and your loved ones be blessed.