Questions and Airs

November 14, 2003

Is questioning bad or less than? The very act of asking is one that

invites recieving. I remember learning a homa ritual from a teacher

who didn't want me to ask questions. I was learning too fast for him

or asking questions he didn't know. Pretty soon, that ended and that

was ok for me. I think it's good for Americans to honor their

learning process so that we can continue to learn in whatever way it

looks like. To judge a questioning person is to make assumptions

about them and that is why this person was no longer my teacher.

Questions... our very search is one big question, a Quest. The ways

of culture is just that - ways. I think it's ok for the east to not

question if that is how they were raised and I think it's ok for the

west to question because that is how we were raised. Why is the idea

'to question or not to question' important? Do easterns think

questioning automatically means doubt or lack of

faith? It could be so basic and we make it a very complex issue due

to culture. Questions that come from the quest are very holy and

deserve to be answered. The very impetus to enlighten is the same

nature of the question, I feel.

Also, why can't we be relaxed with our Guru? Is anything else putting on airs?

Astraea brings up some good topics..astraea2003 <astraea2003 > wrote:

Sarada,Thanks for the great Shree Maa stories!One of the things (I

found interesting in these stories) is our American habit of

questioning everything. As you know, in the traditional Hindu way,

the Guru's suggestions are treated as commands and followed without

question.It's so natural for us to question everything. It's very

funny that we treat the Guru as if She were an ordinary human being.

(And I suspect She probably makes a point of being as "ordinary" as

possible.)Very funny stories!Jai Maa!Astraea--- In

, "Sarada" <sarada_saraswati> wrote:>

Latha, I have a similar story but the result was a bit different. A >

few years ago the wooden bridge that leads to our Mandir needed to >

be replaced. It was starting to rot away and every time a car

passed > over it there was a good chance that it would be the end of

the > bridge. One day when we finally decided to rebuild it, I was >

starting the first stage of the demolition of the old bridge in a >

very light rain, and Maa walked by and said that I should go inside >

because the wet weather conditions would make me sick. I has lived >

in some pretty extreme climates in my life and to me this light rain

> posed no threat at all to my health especially because I had a very

> strong immune system and had been used to working in freezing rain >

and snow during the previous five years in Boston. So I considered >

the advice to be nothing but Maa just being the sweet mother to her >

children and kept right on doing what I was doing.> > The next day I

woke up with the worst flu that I can remember > having in my life

and I was in bed for a week. I couldn't believe

> it, I hadn't been sick at all for years and now this. I then >

remembered Maa's advice. Sometimes the Guru sees thing that we just >

can't perceive and give advice according to that intuition. As >

devotees, we have to have faith that they know what is best for us >

even when we think that we know better. Sometimes they are just >

testing us. Ma told me a story once of one of Her Gurus telling Her >

to eat a rock. When She put it in Her mouth and began to chew it >

turned into a delicious sweet. > > There is another story that

happened when we were building Maa's > house. There was a big oak

tree in the front yard that Maa decided > one day that it needed to

come down. She was afraid that one day the > tree would fall on Her

house. This was a difficult proposition for > us because the angle of

the tree put the house at risk of being > toppled when we would cut

it, so we

tried to talk Her out of it. The > tree appeared to be perfectly

healthy to us so we felt confident > taking responsibility for

letting the tree stay. "Of course it won't > fall down," we thought,

"What does She know about trees anyways and > besides, the tree shows

no signs decay at all. This tree will be > here for another hundred

years easily." Well, after a few days of > debate we decided to

listen to the Divine Mother and we cut down the > tree. To our

surprise, the entire center of the tree was rotten and > it would

have only been a matter of time before Maa would have been >

surprised by a crashing tree falling into Her kitchen.> > Even

though from the outside the tree showed no signs at all of > danger,

Maa saw inside the tree and was giving Her advice from that >

perspective. I would imagine that all of Her words come from this >

same intuition. >

> > , "kamalama_2002" >

<kamalama_2002> wrote:> > As we purify more and more, I pray

that our will comes into > harmony > > with the Divine Will. Not

only that, but that we intuit, and know > > without uncertainty, and

yield to that Divine Will! Is the Guru's > > desire also the Divine

Will? You surrendered! Jai Maa!To from this group, send

an email to:Your use of

Groups is subject to the

Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard

November 15, 2003

Dear Kelly,

I was reading your post and rereading Astraea's. Sure questions are

good. That is how we learn. Swamiji says that He can tell what

kind of sadhana a disciple is doing from the questions that he/she

asks. The "questioning" that was brought up, though, is of a

different kind. We meet the Guru and AFTER USING DISCRIMINATION

determine this to be a true teacher, then we should learn NOT to

question Her/Him because, as true teachers, Their objective is only

our graduation to a higher level. Maa and Swamiji want us to ask

questions, but to question Their suggestions and

proddings......well, one ends up learning the hard way.

, Kelly Leeper <blissnout>

wrote:

> All,

>

> Is questioning bad or less than? The very act of asking is one

that invites recieving. I remember learning a homa ritual from a

teacher who didn't want me to ask questions. I was learning too

fast for him or asking questions he didn't know. Pretty soon, that

ended and that was ok for me. I think it's good for Americans to

honor their learning process so that we can continue to learn in

whatever way it looks like. To judge a questioning person is to

make assumptions about them and that is why this person was no

longer my teacher. Questions... our very search is one big

question, a Quest. The ways of culture is just that - ways. I

think it's ok for the east to not question if that is how they were

raised and I think it's ok for the west to question because that is

how we were raised. Why is the idea 'to question or not to

question' important? Do easterns think questioning automatically

means doubt or lack of faith? It could be so basic and we make it a

very complex issue

> due to culture. Questions that come from the quest are very holy

and deserve to be answered. The very impetus to enlighten is the

same nature of the question, I feel.

>

> Also, why can't we be relaxed with our Guru? Is anything else

putting on airs?

>

> Astraea brings up some good topics..

>

> astraea2003 <astraea2003> wrote:

> Sarada,

> Thanks for the great Shree Maa stories!

> One of the things (I found interesting in these stories) is our

> American habit of questioning everything. As you know, in the

> traditional Hindu way, the Guru's suggestions are treated as

commands

> and followed without question.

>

> It's so natural for us to question everything. It's very funny

that

> we treat the Guru as if She were an ordinary human being. (And I

> suspect She probably makes a point of being as "ordinary" as

> possible.)

> Very funny stories!

>

> Jai Maa!

> Astraea

>

> , "Sarada"

<sarada_saraswati>

> wrote:

> > Latha, I have a similar story but the result was a bit

different.

> A

> > few years ago the wooden bridge that leads to our Mandir needed

to

> > be replaced. It was starting to rot away and every time a car

> passed

> > over it there was a good chance that it would be the end of the

> > bridge. One day when we finally decided to rebuild it, I was

> > starting the first stage of the demolition of the old bridge in

a

> > very light rain, and Maa walked by and said that I should go

inside

> > because the wet weather conditions would make me sick. I has

lived

> > in some pretty extreme climates in my life and to me this light

> rain

> > posed no threat at all to my health especially because I had a

very

> > strong immune system and had been used to working in freezing

rain

> > and snow during the previous five years in Boston. So I

considered

> > the advice to be nothing but Maa just being the sweet mother to

her

> > children and kept right on doing what I was doing.

> >

> > The next day I woke up with the worst flu that I can remember

> > having in my life and I was in bed for a week. I couldn't

believe

> > it, I hadn't been sick at all for years and now this. I then

> > remembered Maa's advice. Sometimes the Guru sees thing that we

just

> > can't perceive and give advice according to that intuition. As

> > devotees, we have to have faith that they know what is best for

us

> > even when we think that we know better. Sometimes they are just

> > testing us. Ma told me a story once of one of Her Gurus telling

Her

> > to eat a rock. When She put it in Her mouth and began to chew it

> > turned into a delicious sweet.

> >

> > There is another story that happened when we were building Maa's

> > house. There was a big oak tree in the front yard that Maa

decided

> > one day that it needed to come down. She was afraid that one day

> the

> > tree would fall on Her house. This was a difficult proposition

for

> > us because the angle of the tree put the house at risk of being

> > toppled when we would cut it, so we tried to talk Her out of it.

> The

> > tree appeared to be perfectly healthy to us so we felt confident

> > taking responsibility for letting the tree stay. "Of course it

> won't

> > fall down," we thought, "What does She know about trees anyways

and

> > besides, the tree shows no signs decay at all. This tree will be

> > here for another hundred years easily." Well, after a few days

of

> > debate we decided to listen to the Divine Mother and we cut down

> the

> > tree. To our surprise, the entire center of the tree was rotten

and

> > it would have only been a matter of time before Maa would have

been

> > surprised by a crashing tree falling into Her kitchen.

> >

> > Even though from the outside the tree showed no signs at all

of

> > danger, Maa saw inside the tree and was giving Her advice from

that

> > perspective. I would imagine that all of Her words come from

this

> > same intuition.

> >

> > , "kamalama_2002"

> > <kamalama_2002> wrote:

> > > As we purify more and more, I pray that our will comes into

> > harmony

> > > with the Divine Will. Not only that, but that we intuit, and

> know

> > > without uncertainty, and yield to that Divine Will! Is the

> Guru's

> > > desire also the Divine Will? You surrendered! Jai Maa!

>

> Sponsor

>

> Terms of

Service.

>

> Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard

November 15, 2003

Namaste Kelly,

Here are my two cents ...

Unless you ask how will you know ? If you ask, you have two

possibilities - either you get an answer or you dont. If you dont

ask, you have only one possibility - no answer.

Therefore we should keep asking... It is not what we ask , but the

way that it is asked and the spirit in which it is asked that

matters.

How do we ask the question - that is where the problem arises. The

cultural difference is there ; I know it personally because I have

seen the interaction between western students and eastern teachers,

and western students and western teachers.

If we look at any teacher - any culture is - first and foremost , to

show respect. The question is framed as a request, because we are

the beginners and we have come to gain the knowledge. The personal

relationship needs to be built, for some this happens right away.

If you asked your teacher and the teacher didnt respond :- chances are

1) communication gap - can be worked on with analysis.

2) the teacher felt he could not help you - you move on.

3) you need to be patient and ask at another opportunity.

Dear Kelly, I have read enough of your posts to know that you look

for a 50-50 partnership in the Guru-disciple relationship. However

when it is a question of you learning from your Guru, you surrender

100% and the Guru gives back 100%. So it is a 100%-100% relationship,

atleast my understanding.

Thanks for calling out these important questions.

Latha

, Kelly Leeper <blissnout>

wrote:

> All,

>

> Is questioning bad or less than? The very act of asking is one

that invites recieving. I remember learning a homa ritual from a

teacher who didn't want me to ask questions. I was learning too fast

for him or asking questions he didn't know. Pretty soon, that ended

and that was ok for me. I think it's good for Americans to honor

their learning process so that we can continue to learn in whatever

way it looks like. To judge a questioning person is to make

assumptions about them and that is why this person was no longer my

teacher. Questions... our very search is one big question, a Quest.

The ways of culture is just that - ways. I think it's ok for the

east to not question if that is how they were raised and I think it's

ok for the west to question because that is how we were raised. Why

is the idea 'to question or not to question' important? Do easterns

think questioning automatically means doubt or lack of faith? It

could be so basic and we make it a very complex issue

> due to culture. Questions that come from the quest are very holy

and deserve to be answered. The very impetus to enlighten is the

same nature of the question, I feel.

>

> Also, why can't we be relaxed with our Guru? Is anything else

putting on airs?

>

> Astraea brings up some good topics..

>

> astraea2003 <astraea2003> wrote:

> Sarada,

> Thanks for the great Shree Maa stories!

> One of the things (I found interesting in these stories) is our

> American habit of questioning everything. As you know, in the

> traditional Hindu way, the Guru's suggestions are treated as

commands

> and followed without question.

>

> It's so natural for us to question everything. It's very funny that

> we treat the Guru as if She were an ordinary human being. (And I

> suspect She probably makes a point of being as "ordinary" as

> possible.)

> Very funny stories!

>

> Jai Maa!

> Astraea

>

> , "Sarada"

<sarada_saraswati>

> wrote:

> > Latha, I have a similar story but the result was a bit

different.

> A

> > few years ago the wooden bridge that leads to our Mandir needed

to

> > be replaced. It was starting to rot away and every time a car

> passed

> > over it there was a good chance that it would be the end of the

> > bridge. One day when we finally decided to rebuild it, I was

> > starting the first stage of the demolition of the old bridge in a

> > very light rain, and Maa walked by and said that I should go

inside

> > because the wet weather conditions would make me sick. I has

lived

> > in some pretty extreme climates in my life and to me this light

> rain

> > posed no threat at all to my health especially because I had a

very

> > strong immune system and had been used to working in freezing

rain

> > and snow during the previous five years in Boston. So I

considered

> > the advice to be nothing but Maa just being the sweet mother to

her

> > children and kept right on doing what I was doing.

> >

> > The next day I woke up with the worst flu that I can remember

> > having in my life and I was in bed for a week. I couldn't believe

> > it, I hadn't been sick at all for years and now this. I then

> > remembered Maa's advice. Sometimes the Guru sees thing that we

just

> > can't perceive and give advice according to that intuition. As

> > devotees, we have to have faith that they know what is best for

us

> > even when we think that we know better. Sometimes they are just

> > testing us. Ma told me a story once of one of Her Gurus telling

Her

> > to eat a rock. When She put it in Her mouth and began to chew it

> > turned into a delicious sweet.

> >

> > There is another story that happened when we were building Maa's

> > house. There was a big oak tree in the front yard that Maa

decided

> > one day that it needed to come down. She was afraid that one day

> the

> > tree would fall on Her house. This was a difficult proposition

for

> > us because the angle of the tree put the house at risk of being

> > toppled when we would cut it, so we tried to talk Her out of it.

> The

> > tree appeared to be perfectly healthy to us so we felt confident

> > taking responsibility for letting the tree stay. "Of course it

> won't

> > fall down," we thought, "What does She know about trees anyways

and

> > besides, the tree shows no signs decay at all. This tree will be

> > here for another hundred years easily." Well, after a few days of

> > debate we decided to listen to the Divine Mother and we cut down

> the

> > tree. To our surprise, the entire center of the tree was rotten

and

> > it would have only been a matter of time before Maa would have

been

> > surprised by a crashing tree falling into Her kitchen.

> >

> > Even though from the outside the tree showed no signs at all of

> > danger, Maa saw inside the tree and was giving Her advice from

that

> > perspective. I would imagine that all of Her words come from this

> > same intuition.

> >

> > , "kamalama_2002"

> > <kamalama_2002> wrote:

> > > As we purify more and more, I pray that our will comes into

> > harmony

> > > with the Divine Will. Not only that, but that we intuit, and

> know

> > > without uncertainty, and yield to that Divine Will! Is the

> Guru's

> > > desire also the Divine Will? You surrendered! Jai Maa!

>

> Sponsor

>

> Terms of

Service.

>

> Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard

November 15, 2003

Yes it's true you can tell what a persons sadhana is like due to

questions, but there are also times when I ask questions just to hear

the answer at that time from that person. To see if the answer will

change. Even in satsang I will ask questions for the sake of the

group, a question I already have my answer to. Often times you can

tell where one is

'at', but not all the time:) I use questions as a vehicle for the

mind to think of possibilities, even with my Guru. You can also tell

where a person is 'at' by the answers they give, but the answer may be

partial because of how the question was phrased. This is why when in

satsang, if I feel another side of a question or a different way of

posing a phrase, I will throw it out there for the sake of

conversation.

As far as doing what the Guru says, of course, that is why we have

one. Also, each disciple has different bellies so one's nature might

be more inquisitive than anothers. I have alot of lessons in my life

that if I were to have followed the teacher, I would have gone down

the WRONG road, including renunciation... It would have been very

wrong for me and my nature but my Guru wanted it for me. When one

has a deep intuitive connection already, to not listen to ones own

intuition is a grave mistake, no matter how insightful the Guru is.

The Guru might even test the disciple this way... Will she think for

herself? How well does she know herself? It's not always cookie

cutter the same.

I appreciate your words Gauri:) Jai Maa!

Kelly

Gauri <gaurima108 > wrote:

Dear Kelly,I was reading your post and rereading Astraea's. Sure

questions are good. That is how we learn. Swamiji says that He can

tell what kind of sadhana a disciple is doing from the questions that

he/she asks. The "questioning" that was brought up, though, is of a

different kind. We meet the Guru and AFTER USING DISCRIMINATION

determine this to be a true teacher, then we should learn NOT to

question Her/Him because, as true teachers, Their objective is only

our graduation to a higher level. Maa and Swamiji want us to ask

questions, but to question Their suggestions and proddings......well,

one ends up learning the hard way.,

Kelly Leeper <blissnout> wrote:> All,> > Is questioning bad or

less than? The very

act of asking is one that invites recieving. I remember learning a

homa ritual from a teacher who didn't want me to ask questions. I

was learning too fast for him or asking questions he didn't know.

Pretty soon, that ended and that was ok for me. I think it's good

for Americans to honor their learning process so that we can continue

to learn in whatever way it looks like. To judge a questioning person

is to make assumptions about them and that is why this person was no

longer my teacher. Questions... our very search is one big question,

a Quest. The ways of culture is just that - ways. I think it's ok

for the east to not question if that is how they were raised and I

think it's ok for the west to question because that is how we were

raised. Why is the idea 'to question or not to question' important?

Do easterns think questioning automatically means doubt or lack of

faith? It could be so basic and we make it a very complex issue> due

to culture. Questions that come from the quest are very holy and

deserve to be answered. The very impetus to enlighten is the same

nature of the question, I feel. > > Also, why can't we be relaxed

with our Guru? Is anything else putting on airs?> > Astraea brings

up some good topics..> > astraea2003 <astraea2003> wrote:>

Sarada,> Thanks for the great Shree Maa stories!> One of the things

(I found interesting in these stories) is our > American habit of

questioning everything. As you know, in the > traditional Hindu way,

the Guru's suggestions are treated as commands > and followed without

question.> > It's so natural for us to question everything. It's very

funny that > we treat the Guru as if She were an ordinary human

being. (And I > suspect She probably makes a point of being as

"ordinary" as > possible.)> Very funny stories!> > Jai Maa!> Astraea>

> , "Sarada" <sarada_saraswati>

> wrote:> > Latha, I have a similar story but the result was a bit

different. > A > > few years ago the wooden bridge that leads to our

Mandir needed to > > be replaced. It was starting to rot away and

every time a car > passed > > over it there was a good chance that it

would be the end of the > > bridge. One day when we finally decided to

rebuild it, I was > > starting the first stage of the demolition of

the old bridge in a > > very light rain, and Maa walked by and said

that I should go inside > > because the wet weather conditions would

make me sick. I has lived > > in some

pretty extreme climates in my life and to me this light > rain > >

posed no threat at all to my health especially because I had a very >

> strong immune system and had been used to working in freezing rain >

> and snow during the previous five years in Boston. So I considered >

> the advice to be nothing but Maa just being the sweet mother to her

> > children and kept right on doing what I was doing.> > > > The

next day I woke up with the worst flu that I can remember > > having

in my life and I was in bed for a week. I couldn't believe > > it, I

hadn't been sick at all for years and now this. I then > > remembered

Maa's advice. Sometimes the Guru sees thing that we just > > can't

perceive and give advice according to that intuition. As > >

devotees, we have to have faith that they know what is best for us >

> even

when we think that we know better. Sometimes they are just > > testing

us. Ma told me a story once of one of Her Gurus telling Her > > to eat

a rock. When She put it in Her mouth and began to chew it > > turned

into a delicious sweet. > > > > There is another story that happened

when we were building Maa's > > house. There was a big oak tree in

the front yard that Maa decided > > one day that it needed to come

down. She was afraid that one day > the > > tree would fall on Her

house. This was a difficult proposition for > > us because the angle

of the tree put the house at risk of being > > toppled when we would

cut it, so we tried to talk Her out of it. > The > > tree appeared to

be perfectly healthy to us so we felt confident > > taking

responsibility for letting the tree stay. "Of course it > won't > >

fall down," we

thought, "What does She know about trees anyways and > > besides, the

tree shows no signs decay at all. This tree will be > > here for

another hundred years easily." Well, after a few days of > > debate

we decided to listen to the Divine Mother and we cut down > the > >

tree. To our surprise, the entire center of the tree was rotten and >

> it would have only been a matter of time before Maa would have been

> > surprised by a crashing tree falling into Her kitchen.> > > >

Even though from the outside the tree showed no signs at all of > >

danger, Maa saw inside the tree and was giving Her advice from that >

> perspective. I would imagine that all of Her words come from this >

> same intuition. > > > > > > ,

"kamalama_2002" > > <kamalama_2002>

wrote:> > > As we purify more and more, I pray that our will comes

into > > harmony > > > with the Divine Will. Not only that, but that

we intuit, and > know > > > without uncertainty, and yield to that

Divine Will! Is the > Guru's > > > desire also the Divine Will? You

surrendered! Jai Maa!> > > > Sponsor> To

from this group, send an email to:>

> > > > Your use of

Groups is subject to the > > >

> > Protect your

identity with Mail AddressGuardTo from this group,

send an email to:Your use of

is subject to the

Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard

November 15, 2003

Gauri,

You understood my post.

It's interesting how questions can be used as weapons.

Sometimes "questions" aren't really "questions" at all, but a form of

aggression disguised as "questions". The questioner isn't really

interested in the answer to the questions; he knows there are no

simple answers to those questions. Sometimes when a person is

bludgeoned with a barrage of "questions", he can feel

(rightfully) "attacked".

On the other hand, the questioner may be like a small child who

asks "Why?" mechanically, not really listening to the answers.

One gauge is to pay attention to the way you feel after dealing with

the "questions": if you feel drained & exhausted afterward, it's a

pretty good indication of what you've been dealing with.

Astraea

, "Gauri" <gaurima108> wrote:

> Dear Kelly,

>

> I was reading your post and rereading Astraea's. Sure questions

are

> good. That is how we learn. Swamiji says that He can tell what

> kind of sadhana a disciple is doing from the questions that he/she

> asks. The "questioning" that was brought up, though, is of a

> different kind. We meet the Guru and AFTER USING DISCRIMINATION

> determine this to be a true teacher, then we should learn NOT to

> question Her/Him because, as true teachers, Their objective is only

> our graduation to a higher level. Maa and Swamiji want us to ask

> questions, but to question Their suggestions and

> proddings......well, one ends up learning the hard way.

November 16, 2003

Namaste Kelly,Here are my two cents ...Unless you ask how will you

know ? If you ask, you have two possibilities - either you get an

answer or you dont. If you dont ask, you have only one possibility -

no answer. Therefore we should keep asking... It is not what we ask ,

but the way that it is asked and the spirit in which it is asked that

matters.

********* agree totally *********How do we ask the question - that is

where the problem arises. The cultural difference is there ; I know

it personally because I have seen the interaction between western

students and eastern teachers, and western students and western

teachers.If we look at any teacher - any culture is - first and

foremost , to show respect. The question is framed as a request,

because we are the beginners and we have come to gain the knowledge.

The personal relationship needs to be built, for some this happens

right away.

********* for me, having several Guru's in my life, I've had various

experiencese with each one, definately a history. Respect was always

there as I am a pretty sweet person and quiet in person, always

respectful. But some of them took advantage of that and Maa has

given me lessons in asserting myself and recognizing my own intuition

and for the most part, when I follow it, it has proven to be more

sound than the Guru's advice. I can't ignore what Maa has given me

with my own intuition, that would be disrespecting Her gift. But

yes, respect goes both ways, I agree. When it comes to learning puja

or sanskrit, of course I would need a guru for learning that, but

that is not my emphasis. I like reciting, but doing things with my

hands is destracting.If you asked your teacher and the teacher didnt

respond :- chances are1) communication gap - can be worked on with

analysis.2) the teacher

felt he could not help you - you move on.3) you need to be patient and ask at another opportunity.

******* I think number 3 was it. He is now my closest friend and

companion besides God, but his method of teaching is not my method.

I'm very interactive and he is more traditional being from India.

His Guru told him not to question so he never did, so he expected

that of me. So we became the closest of friends instead:) Now the

'roles' don't matter. He is not teaching me homa, but that is OK. I

learn very differently than he teaches, so when he has patience for

questions, I might not ask so many:)Dear Kelly, I have read enough of

your posts to know that you look for a 50-50 partnership in the

Guru-disciple relationship. However when it is a question of you

learning from your Guru, you surrender 100% and the Guru gives back

100%. So it is a 100%-100% relationship, atleast my understanding.

********* Babaji is definately a 100% relationship. I have found the

Ego of physical Gurus to get in the way of sincerity. Their

pompousness or attachments come out around me for some reason and a

strong need to control. It's sad, but I have to let them be when

they get that way. I am not responsible for a Guru's reactions, he

is and the disciple is not always to blame. There is always a

history to the stories, so God has been my friend in first aid of

Guru damage more than a few times. I would love to have a physical

Guru, but I don't think it's going to happen. Maa has already shown

Herself through so much and I learn much more acutely that way. So,

like a court jester, I like to respectfully ask questions to probe

the mind of Swami's and Guru's. I want to hear answers to see if

they are valid or superstitious, then I might post some more. I

definately lean toward the siddha path which

is shaivism of south India since rebirthers are shaivites for the most

part, but finding a Guru in that tradition is very, very hard. They

do not wear orange and they do not make themselves known to the

masses, so to travel there ISO a Siddha Guru who is really an

immortal (can physically transmute) might be difficult, but I would

be so blessed to find one. I have one, Babaji but he is not in a

body right now. Some say he is, and he could be in two or three

right now. The important thing is to do sadhana and love God. When

one is doing their sadhana, Guru comes thru everything, this is what

I have seen.Thanks for calling out these important questions. Your

welcome:) Thanks for posing some questions back:) Namaste:)Latha---

In , Kelly Leeper <blissnout> wrote:>

All,> > Is questioning bad or less

than? The very act of asking is one that invites recieving. I

remember learning a homa ritual from a teacher who didn't want me to

ask questions. I was learning too fast for him or asking questions

he didn't know. Pretty soon, that ended and that was ok for me. I

think it's good for Americans to honor their learning process so that

we can continue to learn in whatever way it looks like. To judge a

questioning person is to make assumptions about them and that is why

this person was no longer my teacher. Questions... our very search

is one big question, a Quest. The ways of culture is just that -

ways. I think it's ok for the east to not question if that is how

they were raised and I think it's ok for the west to question because

that is how we were raised. Why is the idea 'to question or not to

question' important? Do easterns think questioning automatically

means

doubt or lack of faith? It could be so basic and we make it a very

complex issue> due to culture. Questions that come from the quest

are very holy and deserve to be answered. The very impetus to

enlighten is the same nature of the question, I feel. > > Also, why

can't we be relaxed with our Guru? Is anything else putting on airs?>

> Astraea brings up some good topics..> > astraea2003

<astraea2003> wrote:> Sarada,> Thanks for the great Shree Maa

stories!> One of the things (I found interesting in these stories) is

our > American habit of questioning everything. As you know, in the >

traditional Hindu way, the Guru's suggestions are treated as commands

> and followed without question.> > It's so natural for us to question

everything. It's very funny that > we treat the Guru as if She were an

ordinary human being. (And I > suspect She probably makes a point of

being as "ordinary" as > possible.)> Very funny stories!> > Jai Maa!>

Astraea> > , "Sarada"

<sarada_saraswati> > wrote:> > Latha, I have a similar story

but the result was a bit different. > A > > few years ago the wooden

bridge that leads to our Mandir needed to > > be replaced. It was

starting to rot away and every time a car > passed > > over it there

was a good chance that it would be the end of the > > bridge. One day

when we finally decided to rebuild it, I was > > starting the first

stage of the demolition of the old bridge in a > > very light rain,

and Maa walked by and said that I should go inside > > because the

wet weather conditions would make me sick. I has lived > >

in some pretty extreme climates in my life and to me this light > rain

> > posed no threat at all to my health especially because I had a

very > > strong immune system and had been used to working in

freezing rain > > and snow during the previous five years in Boston.

So I considered > > the advice to be nothing but Maa just being the

sweet mother to her > > children and kept right on doing what I was

doing.> > > > The next day I woke up with the worst flu that I can

remember > > having in my life and I was in bed for a week. I

couldn't believe > > it, I hadn't been sick at all for years and now

this. I then > > remembered Maa's advice. Sometimes the Guru sees

thing that we just > > can't perceive and give advice according to

that intuition. As > > devotees, we have to have faith that they know

what is best for us > >

even when we think that we know better. Sometimes they are just > >

testing us. Ma told me a story once of one of Her Gurus telling Her >

> to eat a rock. When She put it in Her mouth and began to chew it > >

turned into a delicious sweet. > > > > There is another story that

happened when we were building Maa's > > house. There was a big oak

tree in the front yard that Maa decided > > one day that it needed to

come down. She was afraid that one day > the > > tree would fall on

Her house. This was a difficult proposition for > > us because the

angle of the tree put the house at risk of being > > toppled when we

would cut it, so we tried to talk Her out of it. > The > > tree

appeared to be perfectly healthy to us so we felt confident > >

taking responsibility for letting the tree stay. "Of course it >

won't > > fall down,"

we thought, "What does She know about trees anyways and > > besides,

the tree shows no signs decay at all. This tree will be > > here for