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A caller wanted to know, “could we so help her” — whew! This is a much more complex proposition than she probably had any idea. But it is fascinating to hear what happens to seekers who seriously pursue this quest.
But wait. Have we agreed what this word guru is to mean? It is bastardized in American slang as a synonym for a mere teacher or expert — or even for someone who thinks to be one. Would that true gurus of the Spirit were so common!
Guru in its Sanskrit root is literally an enlightener — one who can take a sincere seeker from darkness to light, from the crudeness of material appearance to the subtleties of spiritual truth. It follows that to be a guru one must first be a master. Not a master over anyone else, but over the self, the ego—the little world-bound portion of consciousness through which we live our daily lives: human, flawed, ignorant of the divinity that pervades and surrounds it.
A true guru, or sat-guru, is one whose life is not constricted by temporal desires and past karma but is attuned to serve the Force of Love that ever attempts to draw us back to experience the divine. Sat-guru can be translated savior because this rare being is able to take away large portions of his or her disciples’ karma (sins), thus saving them from much suffering and accelerating their experience of the Heavenly Kingdom.
In conclusion there is a very simple answer to whether I can help anyone find a true guru: No. Meeting one doesn’t asure finding anyway.
Thousands of people rubbed elbows with Jesus, with Krishna, with Buddha. Very few could perceive their spiritual statures. “When the student is ready, the teacher appears,” for it is not a physical finding. A young man roamed India for years in search of a holy guru. Every high being eluded him. Dejected he returned to the States and sat down to enjoy the solace of his grandma’s milk, cookies, and comfort. Looking at her loving face he saw for the first time: she was his guru (—as related by Ram Dass). “When the student is willing to go to the ends of the earth, the guru will appear.” (—Autobiography of a Yogi)
© Richard Pinneau, 2003 Feedback appreciated: rp@richardpinneau.com |
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