THE NEED OF A GURU

[Guest guest]

The Need of a Guru (Swami Vivekananda's)

Every soul is destined to be perfect, and every being, in the end, will

attain the

state of perfection. Whatever we are now is the result of our acts and

thoughts in

the past; and whatever we shall be in the future will be the result of what

we think

and do now. But this, the shaping of our own destinies, does not preclude

our

receiving help from outside; nay, in the vast majority of cases such help is

absolutely necessary. When it comes, the higher powers and possibilities of

the

soul are quickened, spiritual life is awakened, growth is animated, and man

becomes perfect and holy in the end.

This quickening impulse cannot be derived from books. The soul can only

receive impulses from another soul, and from nothing else. We may study

books

all our lives, we may become very intellectual, but in the end we find that

we have

not developed at all spiritually. It is not true that a high order of

intellectual

development always goes hand in hand with a proportionate development of the

spiritual side in man. In studying books we are sometimes deluded in

thinking

that thereby we are being spiritually helped; but if we analyze the effect of

the

study of books ourselves, we shall find that at the utmost it is only our

intellect

that derives profit from such studies, and not our inner spirit. This

inadequacy of

books to quicken spiritual growth is the reason why, although almost everyone

of

us can speak most wonderfully on spiritual matters, when it comes to action

and

the living of a truly spiritual life, we find ourselves so awfully deficient.

To quicken

the spirit, the impulse must come from another soul.

The person from whose soul such impulse comes is called the Guru; the

teacher,

and the person to whose soul the impulse is conveyed is called the

Shishya-the

student. To convey such an impulse to any soul, in the first place, the soul

from

which it proceeds must possess the power of transmitting it, as it were, to

another; and in the second place, the soul to which it is transmitted must be

fit to

receive it. The seed must be a living seed, and the field must be ready

ploughed;

and when both these conditions are fulfilled, a wonderful growth of genuine

religion takes place. “The true preacher of religion has to be of wonderful

capabilities, and clever shall his hearer be”; and when both of these are

really

wonderful and extraordinary, then will a splendid spiritual awakening result,

and

not otherwise.

 

There are, however, certain great dangers in the way. There is, for

instance, the

danger to the receiving soul of its mistaking momentary emotions for real

religious yearning. We may study that in ourselves.

There are still greater dangers in regard to the transmitter, the Guru.

There are

many who, though immersed in ignorance, in the pride of their hearts, fancy

they

know everything, and not only do not stop there, but offer to take others on

their

shoulders; and thus the blind leading the blind, both fall into the ditch.

The world

is full of these. Everyone wants to be a teacher, every beggar wants to make

a gift

of a million dollars! Just as these beggars are ridiculous, so are these

teachers.

 

-Swami Vivekananda

 

------

“Anyone and everyone cannot be a Guru. A huge timber floats on the

water and can carry animals as well. But a piece of worthless wood

sinks, if a man sits on it, and drowns him. Therefore in every age God

incarnates Himself as the Guru, to teach humanity.

 

He who can himself approach God with sincerity, earnest prayer,

and deep longing needs no Guru. But such deep yearning of the soul

is VERY rare; hence the necessity of a Guru.”

-Sri Ramakrishna

 

In " Inspired Talks " of Swamiji's he clearly states that ALL spiritual

practices only lead to lust without initiation from a qualified teacher.

 

------------------------

On this Wednesday, the 28th, on Gurupurnima, let us seek the blessings of our

gurus, and let us worship God, who is the only Guru and comes in the form of

our gurus on this earth out of compassion for us.

 

HARI OM

-Om Lala