Explain to me a bit about the spiritual tradition of gurus and disciples - 4

[Guest guest]

, " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

> Dear All,

>

> i received an email that read:

>

> " Dear Jagbir,

>

> Please could you explain to me a bit about the spiritual tradition

> of gurus and disciples; and how this all works in SY? Do all

> people need gurus for teaching and help; from my own experiences I

> think that they probably do? What I mean is, people really need a

> teacher for guidance along the path, someone very advanced and

> experienced to tell and ask about specific problems and personal

> situations and difficulties, a yoga master. Especially people from

> the Western cultures and from restrictive religious backgrounds

> need help understanding the Eastern concepts of spirituality, and

> need personal guidance at times. "

>

 

For the part 4 i am quoting Dr. Ramananda Prasad of the

American/International Gita Society, Fremont, California, USA. He

has written this article titled " ALL ABOUT GURUS " . Please read it

carefully and judge if Shri Mataji has fulfilled the most important

requirements of an incarnated SadGuru (not guru). It is imperative

that She be judged against the rigorous time-tested signs and

requirements of a SadGuru.

 

" The contact of great souls who have realized the truth is very

helpful. Reading scriptures, giving charity, and doing Saadhanaa

alone may not give God-realization. A God-realized soul can awaken

and kindle another soul. But, no guru can give a secret formula for

Self-realization without His grace. It is said that human birth,

faith in God, and the help of a sadguru come only by His grace. The

Vedas say: The one who knows the land, gives direction to the one

who does not know, and asks for it (Rigved 9.70.09). One has to

complete the journey with his or her own efforts. One has to row his

or her boat through the turbulent waters of this world. People

discover the truth by their own efforts. Krishnamurti said: " The

precepts of Truth are essentially an individual process. " Just as

the complete spectrum of sunlight is not visible to human eye

without a prism, similarly, we cannot see the light of Brahm without

the grace of Guru, God, and Gita.

 

Personally, we feel that anybody who does not share the knowledge

fully is not helping either his own spiritual progress, the progress

of the society, or the followers. The Eastern gurus should learn the

art of sharing from the West. The material progress of the world is

mostly due to the sharing of scientific and technological knowledge

of the West. Any body who meets the minimum requirements can learn

anything in the universities in the USA. The fees are affordable and

the requirements not very difficult to meet. This is not the case

with the so called spiritual masters writers have come across. Most,

if not all, Indian spiritual masters (that this writer has met in

USA or in India) are very miserly. They are really not serving the

people, or their disciples. I hope this article promotes the concept

of true sharing of spiritual wealth by the possessors of the wealth

for the upliftment of the humanity. Lord Krishna has condemned all

those who do not help others with a selfless motive in the true

spirit of selfless service, or Nishkaam Karm Yog.

 

The Vedas prohibit the sale of God in any form. It says: O mighty

Lord of countless wealth, I will not sell thee for any price (Rigved

8.01.05). The role of a guru is that of a guide and a giver, and not

of a taker. Before accepting a human guru, one must first have — or

develop — full faith in the guru, and leave the human frailties of

gurus out of consideration; take the pearls of wisdom and throw away

the oyster shells. If this is not possible to do, it should be

remembered that the word guru also means the light of Jnaan, the

true metaphysical knowledge, that dispels ignorance and delusion,

and the light comes — automatically — from Par-Brahm, the internal

Param guru, when one's mind is purified by sincere Saadhanaa, Sevaa,

and Surrender (Gita 4.38). One must follow the scripture with faith,

especially in this age when it is very difficult to find a sadguru.

 

There are four categories of gurus: a false guru, guru, Sadguru, and

Param guru. In this age too many false gurus are coming to teach (or

give a mantra) for a price. These false gurus are the merchants of

mantra. They take money from disciples to fulfill their personal

material needs without giving the Taartamya-vidyaa, or Brahm-jnaan,

the true knowledge of Brahm. Saint Tulasidaas said that a guru who

takes money (or any form of Sevaa from the disciples and does not

remove their ignorance of metaphysics goes to hell (Tulasi Raamaayan

7.98.04) ). Jesus also said: Watch out for false prophets; they come

to you looking like sheep on the outside, but they are really like

wild wolves on the inside (Matthew 7.15).

 

A guru is the one who should impart true knowledge and complete

understanding of Sat and Asat. The most common meaning of the word

guru is the subject matter expert, a teacher or the guide. Thus any

human being who imparts you any knowledge, spiritual or material,

becomes your guru for that knowledge. Rishi Dattaatreya had twenty-

four gurus, both human as well as non-humans, such as: Earth, water,

fire, sky, air, sun, moon, as well as some birds, beasts, and

insects, because, he learned lessons from their lives.

 

A Sadguru is a Self-realized master mentioned in Gita 4.34. A

Sadguru helps the devotee maintain God-consciousness all the time by

his or her own spiritual power. When Antah-karan, the subtle senses

such as the mind and intellect, is purified; Supreme Lord Krishna,

the Param guru, reflects Himself in the Chitt of a devotee, and

sends a guru, or a Sadguru to him or her. …

 

Our own Atmaa inside all of us is the Param guru. Outside teachers

only help us in the beginning of the spiritual journey. Our own

mind, when purified by Nishkaama Karm, prayer, meditation, Jap,

Kirtan (the congregational chanting of holy names), and scriptural

study, becomes the best channel and guide for the flow of divine

knowledge (See also Gita 4.38, and 13.22). The Divine Person within

all of us is the Param guru, and one must learn how to tune in with

Him. It is said that there is no greater guru than one's own mind. A

pure mind becomes a spiritual guide and the inner divine guru

leading to a Sadguru, and Self-realization. This is expressed by the

common saying that the guru comes to a person when one is ready. The

word guru also means vast, and is used to describe Brahm or

Paramaatmaa, the Param guru and the internal guide.

 

The wise spiritual teacher disapproves the idea of blind personal

service, or the guru cult, which is so common in India, and is being

imported abroad. A Self-realized master says that God only is the

only guru, and all are His disciples. A disciple should be like a

bee seeking honey from flowers. If the bee does not get honey from

one flower, it immediately goes to another flower and stays at that

flower as long as it gets the nectar. Idolization and blind worship

of a human guru become stumbling block in the spiritual progress of

both the disciple and the guru and bring downfall of Hinduism.

 

One must follow a scripture of his or her choice with firm faith,

especially in this age when it is difficult to find a true guru.

Adherence to the high teachings of the scriptures will ward off all

evil and bring about goodness. If a bridge is built, even an ant can

easily cross the river, no matter how big a river is. Similarly, the

scripture is the bridge to cross over the river of Samsaar.

 

The ignorance of true metaphysical knowledge (Ajnaan) is humanity's

greatest predicament and root cause of all evils in the world today.

There is only one God, and all creatures are His children, then it

is childish to fight in the name of Father! In some religions,

however, only the members of one's own sect are considered favorites

of God, and others are considered infidels. The Vedas say: Let noble

thoughts come to us from everywhere (Rigved 1.89.01). Different

religious teachings are but different expressions of the Supreme.

They are to be respected, not regarded as instruments of division.

The dignity and welfare of humanity lie in the unity of races and

religion. True knowledge of religion breaks down all barriers,

including the barriers between faiths. Any religion, prophet,

preacher, sant, mulla, or prachaarak that creates the walls of

conflict and hatred among people in the name of God is not a

religion, but selfish politics in disguise. " (end)

 

Yes, the " ignorance of true metaphysical knowledge (Ajnaan) is

humanity's greatest predicament and root cause of all evils in the

world today. " That is what www.adishakti.org and ww.al-qiyamah.org

websites explains and gives evidence in detail to all seekers.

 

jagbir