Where can I find my spirtual master?

[Guest guest]

Where do i go to meet my spirtual master?

 

I live in glendale which is like 30 mins away from L.A.

 

 

can anyone give me directions or somewhere I can go?

[Guest guest]

Haribol. Guru is not a location, a church we can join or quit. Actually, our Guru has been with us always, he is the witness bird in the tree, waiting for us all to awaken and see.

 

By chanting the names of the Supreme Lord, the awakening begins, gradually. Folks we meet will help or hinder us in this awakening, so our JOB is to accept and reject accordingly.

 

I didnt go anywhere to get a guru, I just naturally became attracted to friends who told me where they got their juice. Their juice was good, so I tried it too.

 

Associate with others who chant the Names of God. This process is not ascension, we dont approach God, He comes to us, descends from the spiritual strata. Guru will find us, because He is the manifestation of the Guru, Lord Balarama, who never leaves us for a second.

 

I know where Guru resides, he is under the straw in the street.

 

hare krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

[gHari]

Hidden under that straw on the street.

 

[krsna]

 

Sri Siksatakam verse 3

 

“Thinking oneself to be even lower and more worthless

than insignificant grass which has been trampled beneath

everyone’s feet, being more tolerant than a tree, being prideless,

and offering respect to all others according to their

respective positions, one should continuously chant the holy

name of Srî Hari.”

 

Srî Sanmodana Bhåßyam

 

Four symptoms are observed in the sådhaka who chants the

holy name of Srî Krsna free from all offenses: (1) natural

humility born of complete detachment from material sense

gratification, (2) pure compassion devoid of envy, (3) purity

of heart free from materialistic false ego, and (4) an attitude

of respect toward everyone in accordance with their respective

positions.

1. Trnåd-api sunîcena:

Humbler than a blade of grass

When Srî-harinåma, which is the personification of

apråk®ta-cinmaya-rasa, makes its appearance in the heart of the

sådhaka, it overwhelms his heart and he begins to think thus:

“Aho, I am by nature infinitesimal consciousness (anucaitanya)

and a servant of Srî Krsna. I have absolutely no use

for mundane material objects. Alas! Alas! Due to my apathy

toward Srî Krsna, I now find myself in a miserable plight. I

have fallen into the cycle of repeated birth and death, and I

am being scorched by various kinds of afflictions. By the

mercy of Srî guru and Vaisnavas, I have now understood that

my indifference can be dissipated only by sådhana of bhagavadbhakti.

“By becoming situated again in my constitutional identity,

I can obtain bhagavat-prema. Therefore, until, by the grace of

Bhagavån, I obtain release from material existence, I shall

have to take support of the principle of yukta-vairågya. While

cultivating sambandha-jñåna, I will accept only those things

which are appropriate for the maintenance of life.

“Misery arising from scarcity, disease, lamentation, and old

age, as well as happiness arising from wealth, good health,

strength, knowledge, and so on are all manifest reactions of

previous activities known as prårabdha-karma. These I will

certainly have to enjoy or suffer. Loss and gain, life and death,

happiness and distress are not påramårthika, meaning that

they have nothing to do with ultimate spiritual reality.

 

Therefore, I have absolutely no use for these mundane subjects.

Thinking in this way, I shall say with great humility:

“‘Alas, Alas! Krsna! Gauracandra! Prånanåtha! When

shall I obtain Your unadulterated service? Please be merciful

upon this wretched and fallen soul, and accept me without

delay.’ Speaking in this way, I shall pass my days, somehow or

other, living either at home or in the forest.

“Even though grass is a material object, its ego in respect

to matter is natural and reasonable. But my ego in respect to

the present subtle and gross material body is fundamentally

wrong, because it is not related to my pure constitutional

nature. The ego of grass is real, but my material ego is unreal.

Therefore, it is only proper for me to become even lower than

a blade of grass.”

[krsna]

To regard oneself as a guru of Vaisnavas is an impediment

to one’s humility. Those who do not listen to the instructions

of Siksataka set forth by Srî Gaurasundara, who are forgetful

of their actual spiritual identity, who are greedy for prestige

and material gain and who are thus anxious to obtain the status

of Vaisnava or guru to satisfy their senses, can never chant

the holy name of the Lord. A disciple who has faith in the kîrtana

performances of such persons also cannot obtain qualification

for hearing the holy name. Therefore, one should

chant the holy name of the Lord while considering oneself

lower than the straw in the street, being more tolerant than a

tree, devoid of false prestige and offering all respect to others.

[theist]

 

Where do i go to meet my spirtual master?

 

I live in glendale which is like 30 mins away from L.A.

 

 

can anyone give me directions or somewhere I can go?

 

 

You have come to the most important crossroads of your life. So be willing to take your time with this and don't feel pressured into hasty decisions. A little caution is advised. False prophets abound. Ecclesiastical guru systems and multiple sectarian groups are set up to entrap us.

 

First principle is to understand that God is in your heart. He is our eternal guru our eternal guide. Really take some time and thoughtfully and deeply appreciate this point before going on.

 

The Lord is always with us in His form as Caitya-guru, the Lord in the heart. So you can accept guru even now simply by praying to Him to guide you back to Him. Continue to focus on this all your spiritual life.

 

That Caitya-guru(Lord in the heart as guru) will direct you to His other manifestatations in this world that He has kindly provided for our added benefit. Like scriptures and books written for us by His devotees who know Him. So for many,and you also if you like, you can accept Srila Prabhupada's books as guru. That is one form guru comes to us in.

 

The Lord in the heart may also arrange for you to meet another embodied soul to learn from. This is what people generally refer to as finding a guru. A paticular person, and you may be lead by the Lord to offically accept him as your external guide. But we must understand right from the beginning that guru is more than a body in a particular human form.

 

Srila Prabhupada has said "By the grace of Krsna one gets guru, and by the grace of guru one gets Krsna."

 

So the first thing is to approach the Lord in your own heart through prayer and ask Him,

 

"Oh Lord, please lead me to You, Please guide me and lead me to associate with those who know you"

 

We should have the simple faith that the Lord will answer such a prayer without doubt. He has been waiting eons upon eons for us to turn back to Him in such a way. We cannot estimate the joy such a simple humble act will bring to Him. He has already shown He will never abandon us in any stage, so surely He will be with us through this one, as we traverse the path back to Him.

 

And always chant Hare Krishna Hare Rama. You may even be ready now to set up a picture of Srila Prabhupada for example and a picture of Lord Krsna and chant before those pictures. Whatever, I am just saying accepting guru can be done now, this instant, and never requires some offical sanction.

 

Haribol