Explain to me a bit about the
spiritual tradition of gurus and disciples - 4
From: "jagbir singh" <adishakti_org@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat Jan 28, 2006 10:56 am
Subject: Re: Explain to me a bit about the spiritual
tradition of gurus and disciples - 4
—- In adishakti_sahaja_yoga@yahoogroups.com, "jagbir singh"
<adishakti_org@y...> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> i received an email that read:
>
> "Dear Jagbir,
>
> Please could you explain to me a bit about the spiritual
tradition
> of gurus and disciples; and how this all works in SY? Do
all
> people need gurus for teaching and help; from my own
experiences I
> think that they probably do? What I mean is, people really
need a
> teacher for guidance along the path, someone very advanced
and
> experienced to tell and ask about specific problems and
personal
> situations and difficulties, a yoga master. Especially
people from
> the Western cultures and from restrictive religious
backgrounds
> need help understanding the Eastern concepts of
spirituality, and
> need personal guidance at times."
>
For the part 4 i am quoting Dr. Ramananda Prasad of the
American/International Gita Society, Fremont, California,
USA. He
has written this article titled "ALL ABOUT GURUS". Please
read it
carefully and judge if Shri Mataji has fulfilled the most
important
requirements of an incarnated SadGuru (not guru). It is
imperative
that She be judged against the rigorous time-tested signs
and
requirements of a SadGuru.
"The contact of great souls who have realized the truth is
very
helpful. Reading scriptures, giving charity, and doing
Saadhanaa
alone may not give God-realization. A God-realized soul can
awaken
and kindle another soul. But, no guru can give a secret
formula for
Self-realization without His grace. It is said that human
birth,
faith in God, and the help of a sadguru come only by His
grace. The
Vedas say: The one who knows the land, gives direction to
the one
who does not know, and asks for it (Rigved 9.70.09). One has
to
complete the journey with his or her own efforts. One has to
row his
or her boat through the turbulent waters of this world.
People
discover the truth by their own efforts. Krishnamurti said:
"The
precepts of Truth are essentially an individual process."
Just as
the complete spectrum of sunlight is not visible to human
eye
without a prism, similarly, we cannot see the light of Brahm
without
the grace of Guru, God, and Gita.
Personally, we feel that anybody who does not share the
knowledge
fully is not helping either his own spiritual progress, the
progress
of the society, or the followers. The Eastern gurus should
learn the
art of sharing from the West. The material progress of the
world is
mostly due to the sharing of scientific and technological
knowledge
of the West. Any body who meets the minimum requirements can
learn
anything in the universities in the USA. The fees are
affordable and
the requirements not very difficult to meet. This is not the
case
with the so called spiritual masters writers have come
across. Most,
if not all, Indian spiritual masters (that this writer has
met in
USA or in India) are very miserly. They are really not
serving the
people, or their disciples. I hope this article promotes the
concept
of true sharing of spiritual wealth by the possessors of the
wealth
for the upliftment of the humanity. Lord Krishna has
condemned all
those who do not help others with a selfless motive in the
true
spirit of selfless service, or Nishkaam Karm Yog.
The Vedas prohibit the sale of God in any form. It says: O
mighty
Lord of countless wealth, I will not sell thee for any price
(Rigved
8.01.05). The role of a guru is that of a guide and a giver,
and not
of a taker. Before accepting a human guru, one must first
have — or
develop — full faith in the guru, and leave the human
frailties of
gurus out of consideration; take the pearls of wisdom and
throw away
the oyster shells. If this is not possible to do, it should
be
remembered that the word guru also means the light of Jnaan,
the
true metaphysical knowledge, that dispels ignorance and
delusion,
and the light comes — automatically — from Par-Brahm, the
internal
Param guru, when one's mind is purified by sincere Saadhanaa,
Sevaa,
and Surrender (Gita 4.38). One must follow the scripture
with faith,
especially in this age when it is very difficult to find a
sadguru.
There are four categories of gurus: a false guru, guru,
Sadguru, and
Param guru. In this age too many false gurus are coming to
teach (or
give a mantra) for a price. These false gurus are the
merchants of
mantra. They take money from disciples to fulfill their
personal
material needs without giving the Taartamya-vidyaa, or
Brahm-jnaan,
the true knowledge of Brahm. Saint Tulasidaas said that a
guru who
takes money (or any form of Sevaa from the disciples and
does not
remove their ignorance of metaphysics goes to hell (Tulasi
Raamaayan
7.98.04) ). Jesus also said: Watch out for false prophets;
they come
to you looking like sheep on the outside, but they are
really like
wild wolves on the inside (Matthew 7.15).
A guru is the one who should impart true knowledge and
complete
understanding of Sat and Asat. The most common meaning of
the word
guru is the subject matter expert, a teacher or the guide.
Thus any
human being who imparts you any knowledge, spiritual or
material,
becomes your guru for that knowledge. Rishi Dattaatreya had
twenty-
four gurus, both human as well as non-humans, such as:
Earth, water,
fire, sky, air, sun, moon, as well as some birds, beasts,
and
insects, because, he learned lessons from their lives.
A Sadguru is a Self-realized master mentioned in Gita 4.34.
A
Sadguru helps the devotee maintain God-consciousness all the
time by
his or her own spiritual power. When Antah-karan, the subtle
senses
such as the mind and intellect, is purified; Supreme Lord
Krishna,
the Param guru, reflects Himself in the Chitt of a devotee,
and
sends a guru, or a Sadguru to him or her. ...
Our own Atmaa inside all of us is the Param guru. Outside
teachers
only help us in the beginning of the spiritual journey. Our
own
mind, when purified by Nishkaama Karm, prayer, meditation,
Jap,
Kirtan (the congregational chanting of holy names), and
scriptural
study, becomes the best channel and guide for the flow of
divine
knowledge (See also Gita 4.38, and 13.22). The Divine Person
within
all of us is the Param guru, and one must learn how to tune
in with
Him. It is said that there is no greater guru than one's own
mind. A
pure mind becomes a spiritual guide and the inner divine
guru
leading to a Sadguru, and Self-realization. This is
expressed by the
common saying that the guru comes to a person when one is
ready. The
word guru also means vast, and is used to describe Brahm or
Paramaatmaa, the Param guru and the internal guide.
The wise spiritual teacher disapproves the idea of blind
personal
service, or the guru cult, which is so common in India, and
is being
imported abroad. A Self-realized master says that God only
is the
only guru, and all are His disciples. A disciple should be
like a
bee seeking honey from flowers. If the bee does not get
honey from
one flower, it immediately goes to another flower and stays
at that
flower as long as it gets the nectar. Idolization and blind
worship
of a human guru become stumbling block in the spiritual
progress of
both the disciple and the guru and bring downfall of
Hinduism.
One must follow a scripture of his or her choice with firm
faith,
especially in this age when it is difficult to find a true
guru.
Adherence to the high teachings of the scriptures will ward
off all
evil and bring about goodness. If a bridge is built, even an
ant can
easily cross the river, no matter how big a river is.
Similarly, the
scripture is the bridge to cross over the river of Samsaar.
The ignorance of true metaphysical knowledge (Ajnaan) is
humanity's
greatest predicament and root cause of all evils in the
world today.
There is only one God, and all creatures are His children,
then it
is childish to fight in the name of Father! In some
religions,
however, only the members of one's own sect are considered
favorites
of God, and others are considered infidels. The Vedas say:
Let noble
thoughts come to us from everywhere (Rigved 1.89.01).
Different
religious teachings are but different expressions of the
Supreme.
They are to be respected, not regarded as instruments of
division.
The dignity and welfare of humanity lie in the unity of
races and
religion. True knowledge of religion breaks down all
barriers,
including the barriers between faiths. Any religion,
prophet,
preacher, sant, mulla, or prachaarak that creates the walls
of
conflict and hatred among people in the name of God is not a
religion, but selfish politics in disguise." (end)
Yes, the "ignorance of true metaphysical knowledge (Ajnaan)
is
humanity's greatest predicament and root cause of all evils
in the
world today." That is what www.adishakti.org and
ww.al-qiyamah.org
websites explains and gives evidence in detail to all
seekers.
jagbir
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