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Guru and the Light within
“If
you prepare yourself to know the higher knowledge, then you
will deserve. To deserve means to increase your capacity.
You want to put the entire ocean in a bucket. The ocean is
there. You can have it, but you do not have the capacity.
When you deserve, you will have the capacity. The Lord, the
Reality, the Truth, is always within you. You simply have to
become aware. You can make sincere efforts to work with
yourself.
Don’t be
disappointed with failures. When you start to make sincere
efforts and start to practice, you will find light on the
path. The light itself will guide you. The light of
consciousness is within you. If you ignore that light, the
guide outside you, the external teacher, will be of no use
to you. He will make you a slave. Every individual has
certain notions. He also lives with his notions. He creates
a following and millions of people are swayed and misguided.
Do you
know what a guide means? The word guru has been vulgarized.
Such a pious word is being misused. I call it guide. Do not
depend much on guides. It is better for you to prepare
yourself and remain awake. The scriptures say to wake up
from the deep sleep of ignorance. Remain fully awake, remain
conscious, and go on learning. Never close the door of
learning. The day you close the door of learning you become
ego, ego, ego.
In the
Himalayas the teacher examines the student and the student
examines the teacher. When my master sent me to various
teachers he told me, “The teacher who can sit still for a
long time is a good teacher because he has practiced
something. Listen to him. If the teacher changes his posture
many times in five minutes, do not waste your time there.”
There are certain signs and symptoms that have been
explained by the great scriptures. The scriptures help the
student to know who is a good teacher so he does not waste
much time. Otherwise, what are we teachers doing?
Suppose
you want to go to New York. You come to Swami Rama for
directions and Swami Rama says to go this way. You meet a
different Rama on the way and he says, “Oh, come on! He does
not know anything. Go this way.” And the student is very
sincere. Then another teacher says, “Both Ramas are fools.
Better go this way.” By that time the poor fellow has wasted
twelve years and he is nowhere.
The word
teacher means “knowledge.” The knowledge should be followed,
not the individual personality of the teacher. The subject
should be given prime importance, not the individual.
Teachers have complicated things. Yoga science has suffered
because of this. One teacher says, “This is my method.”
Another teacher says, “This is my method.” The poor student
is confused. After some time he finds that his mind, his
individuality, and his pocket have been robbed.
When you
become aware of the light within, and that light reveals the
Truth to you, there are no chances of being misguided.
Teachers come and go. From your external teacher just pick
up that which is useful for you and leave that which is not
useful. No doubt you need a teacher, a guide. I will never
tell you that you should not seek and you should not learn
from other people, or that you should not study books.
Teachers only inspire you and make you aware of that
Self-existence that you have forgotten. Their role is to
make you aware of the Reality.
You do
not need any new form. Christians should not become Hindu,
Hindus should not become Buddhist, and Buddhists should not
become anything else. They should remain as they are and not
create any serious new problems for themselves. A known
devil is better than an unknown devil. Remember this. Try to
make your life happy wherever you are.
Yoga
science tells you to go to the inner levels of your being
and be guided by the light that is already within you, that
leads you in the darkness. If you understand the light
within, when you are introduced to that light, you will not
crave for any outer guidance. Learn to make your abode in
darkness so that you can see the light, but not the
superficial light. Superficial light creates problems for
you and does not allow you to see the light within.
When you
start treading the path you will never find any difficulty,
for the light is already within you. The light within you is
coming out. When I look at your faces I find that they are
different because of the light that has the power of
discrimination. That light can correctly judge and
understand and know. That light is higher than any other
light of the sun, the moon, and the stars. That is why human
beings are superior to all these lights that you see outside
yourself.
In the
light of the sun, in the light of the moon, and in the light
of the stars there is no discrimination. The light within
you has the power of discrimination. You can use that light
to see the darkest corners of your inner chamber. For that
you do not need outer guidance. The purpose of a guide,
guru, or teacher is to introduce you to that light.”
Guru and the Light within
http://swamij.com/swami-rama-guru.htm
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