Guru- the other side of this coin....

[Guest guest]

thanks db for presenting mother meera's viwes on this great subject .

incidentally my favorite one!!!

 

yes, it will be a boring if we all 'sing' in chorus. sometimes, we

need different voices, different melodies and different tunes to make

the church choir interesting!

 

here are shri ramana maharishi's views on guru !!

 

 

 

Guru and His Grace

 

• Questioner. What is Guru-kripa ? How does it lead to Self-

realization?

 

• Maharshi. Guru is the Self.... Sometimes in his life a man becomes

dissatisfied with it, and, not content with what he has, he seeks the

satisfaction of his desires, through prayer to God etc. His mind is

gradually purified until he longs to know God, more to obtain His

Grace than to satisfy his worldly desires. Then, God's Grace begins

to manifest. God takes the form of a Gu:ru and appears to the

devotee, teaches him the Truth and, moreover, purifies his mind by

association. The devotee's mind gains strength and is then able to

turn inward. By meditation it is further purified and it remains

still without the least ripple. That calm Expanse is the Self.The

Guru is both 'external' and 'internal'. From the 'exterior' He gives

a push to the mind to turn inward; from the 'interior' He pulls the

mind towards the Self and helps in the quieting of the mind. That is

Guru-kripa. There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self.

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• Questioner. In the Theosophical Society they meditate in order to

seek Masters to guide them.

 

• Maharshi. The Master is within; meditation is meant to remove the

ignorant idea that He is only outside. If He be a stranger whom you

await, He is bound to disappear also. Where is the use for a

transient being like that ? But as long as you think you are separate

or that you are the body, so long is the Master 'without' also

necessary, and He will appear as if with a body. When

the wrong identification of oneself with the body ceases, the Master

will be found as none other than the Self.

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• Q . Will the Guru help us to know the Self through initiation etc.?

 

• M . Does the Guru hold you by the hand and whisper in the ear? You

may imagine him to be what you are yourself. Because you think you

are with a body, you think He has also a body, to do something

tangible to you. His work lies within, in the spiritual realm.

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• Q. How is the Guru found?

 

• M. God, Who is immanent, in His Grace takes pity on the loving

devotee and manifests Himself according to the devotee's development.

The devotee thinks that He is a man and expects a relationship as

between two physical bodies. But the Guru, who is God or the Self

Incarnate, works from within, helps the man to see the error of his

ways and guides him in the right path until he realizes the Self

within.

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• Q. What should the devotee do then?

 

• M. He has only to act up to the words of the Master and work

within. The Master is both 'within' and 'without', so He creates

conditions to drive you inward and at the same time prepares

the 'interior' to drag you to the Center. Thus He gives a push

from 'without' and

exerts a pull from 'within', so that you may be fixed at the Center.

You think that the world can be conquered by your own efforts. When

you are frustrated externally and are driven inwards, you feel 'Oh!

there is a Power Higher than man!' The ego is like a very powerful

elephant which cannot be brought under control by any less powerful

than a lion, which, in this instance, is no other than the Guru,

Whose very look makes the elephant-like ego tremble and die. You will

know in due course that your glory lies where you cease to exist. In

order to gain that State, you should surrender yourself. Then the

Master sees that you are in a fit state to receive guidance, and He

guides you.

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• Q. How can the Silence of the Guru, Who gives no initiation nor

does any other tangible act, be more powerful than His word etc. ?

How is such Silence better than the study of Scriptures ?

 

• M. Silence is the most potent form of work. However vast and

emphatic the Scriptures may be, they fail in their effect. The Guru

is Quiet and Grace prevails in all. This Silence is more vast and

more emphatic than all the Scriptures put together.

 

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ENJOY THE SILENT PRESENCE OF THE MAUNA GURU (SILENT RISHI) SHRI

RAMANA !