What exactly is a guru?

 

A disciple’s job is to satisfy his spiritual master, but how can you satisfy someone who is already satisfied? If your guru is satisfied, then your growth is slowed, but if your guru is unsatisfied, he is away from the Self. 

If your guru is satisfied, then what can inspire you to grow? If he is unsatisfied, he cannot be a guru. And if he is satisfied, he cannot be a guru! So what is the answer?

A guru is nothing but wisdom and love. He is that principle, which is wisdom and love, which is awakened in each one who has stepped onto the path. He is also that person in whom there is no gap between life, wisdom and love. 

Often one recognizes wisdom but sees a gap between wisdom and one’s own life. The purpose of becoming a disciple of a guru is to bridge that gap. Being with a guru means spontaneous integration of life and wisdom.

Is a guru responsible or not?

 

Is your guru responsible for your enlightenment? If yes and you are not awakened, then he is to be blamed. 

If you find freedom, then your guru is again to be blamed because he has been partial to you. If your guru can set you free, then he can do it to the whole world. So your guru is not responsible for your awakening, and yet freedom is next to impossible without having a guru. 

So a guru is responsible and yet not responsible. This is a mystery.

This Christmas, you be a Christmas tree!

A Christmas tree only gives, it does not take anything for itself. It just gives.

Come summer or winter or fall, it never falls, never springs. All through the year it’s green and in winter it gives presents.

I want to see everyone smiling and happy. Just create waves of happiness, everything else is irrelevant. In the world things happen, some pleasant, some unpleasant. Some things happen the way you want it, some things don’t happen the way you want. Bundle it all and put it aside. Nothing can really take away your happiness.

When you have had a good meditation, and when the prana is high, what do you feel? Nothing matters! Right? Nothing really matters! This is what we need to know.

Happiness is our very nature. What overshadows this happiness is, ‘I want this’, or, ‘I want that’. ‘I want something’, this is what puts away happiness. When you say nothing whatsoever matters, immediately freedom is there. Just keep this in mind, that’s all. Nothing, what so ever will matter.

In the world there is always some imperfection, some pleasant things, some unpleasant things. Some things happen the way you want it to happen, some things the way you don’t want it to happen; it’s part of creation. When nothing matters to you then things happen the way you want. 90% things would automatically happen, or whatever is happening that is what you would want.

In this whole drama, in this whole universe of multitude, of diversity, this complex game of life and society is inevitable. Things come and fleet away, and everything that comes and goes has a purpose. A thorn and a soft rose petal, they both have their purpose. It boils down to our first point, opposite values are complimentary.

Don’t worry about anything. No need to be scared or worried about anything. You’ll say, ‘I don’t worry about the world but I worry about my connection to the path, to the knowledge, to God and all that’. I tell you, it can never go! That will not go. You don’t worry about it at all. Do you get it? Your connection with the Divine can never go.

Though Jesus says in his last moment, ‘God, why have you forsaken me?’ He immediately realized that no, he has not forsaken me. But that pain sometimes brings that question, ‘Oh God, why have you forsaken me?’

 

Even if you get disturbed, never mind! It’s okay. ‘Okay, I got disturbed, so what?’ Move on. I think it gradually happens. Sometimes you don’t even notice it that you’ve suddenly become unconditionally happy!

How cultural differences dictate how a guru is viewed

 

In the Orient, having a master is considered a matter of pride. A master is a symbol of security, love and a sign of great wealth. Being with a guru is like being with one’s higher Self. Not having a master was looked down upon as a sign of misfortune. Orphans were not those without parents; rather those without a master were considered orphans. 

In the Occident having a master is considered shameful and a sign of weakness, for there, masters are thought to enslave people. 

In the Orient, people take pride in having a guru for every aspect of life – a religious guru – dharmaguru, a family guru – kulaguru, a guru for the kingdom – rajguru, a guru for a particular discipline – vidyaguru, and a spiritual guru – satguru. 

In the Orient, masters make their disciples feel powerful, while in the Occident, masters are thought to make people weak. In the Occident, a master is considered a motivator and one who provokes competition. In the Orient, masters give a deep sense of belongingness that enables people to dissolve their limited identity into infinity.

Why be with a guru

 

The main reasons to be with a guru (spiritual master) are: 

• You want to have your wishes fulfilled. You find it more pleasurable. 
• You come for comfort as everything else is more painful to you. 
• You want to evolve and become enlightened; you want to attain higher knowledge. 
• You have a vision or a goal in common with a guru, whom you see as a missionary or visionary, who can help you achieve your goal. 
• You are there just to serve and to give comfort. 
• You belong to your guru. You have no choice.

Communism and spirituality

 

Communism has three goals: to check the greed of feudal and capitalist societies, to halt the fanaticism and fundamentalism of religious communities, and to care for the needy and share resources with them. However:

• Only spirituality brings fulfillment to communism. 
• Only spirituality checks greed and opens the hearts of the wealthy to help the needy. 
• Only spirituality stops the fanaticism and fundamentalism of religious groups and creates a sense of belongingness with the whole world. 
• Only spirituality cultures caring and sharing.
• Only spirituality brings about open-mindedness and a progressive attitude. 

Communism cannot fulfill its goals without spirituality. It is impossible and time has proved it. Spirituality nourishes communism.

Spirituality is at the intersection of economic systems

 

Do not feel shy to speak about human and spiritual values. The time has come now to call the whole world to these principles. 

The All is calling, 

The ball is rolling, 

Time is milling, 

The soul is willing...

Often business is looked down upon by spiritual people, and spirituality is considered impractical by businessmen. The ancient people realized that spirituality is the heart and business is the legs. An individual or a society is incomplete without both these aspects. Business brings material comfort and spirituality brings mental and emotional comfort. Spirituality brings ethics and fair practice to business.

In the mind-body complex, depriving either the body or the mind of comfort means depriving both of them. You cannot talk of spirituality to the poorest of poor people without taking care of their basic needs. They need to be supported materially. There is no spirituality in the world that is devoid of service and service cannot happen if material needs are ignored. Service cannot happen only through the lips; it needs legs to work.

Every economic system has its flaws. Capitalism exploits the poor while socialism dampens individual creativity, innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit. Spirituality is the bridge between socialism and capitalism. Spirituality gives to capitalists the heart to serve and to socialists the spirit to innovate.

Why tech needs spirituality

 

The purpose of technology is to harness nature to bring information and comfort to human beings. 

When spiritual values – human values – are ignored and neglected, technology brings fear and destruction instead of comfort. Technology without human values considers nature a dead object. 

Science gives insight into the life of nature and spirituality makes nature come alive. In the eyes of children there is nothing dead in the world – animals, trees, the sun and the moon – they all have life, they all have emotions, they all have feelings. But in the eyes of a stressed and ignorant person, even human beings are like robots – objects. 

Technology without spirituality is destructive. Spirituality is the technology of consciousness and the whole world is the play and display of consciousness.

Two types of knowledge

 

There are two types of knowledge. The first one is pure knowledge and the second one is applied knowledge. Applied knowledge may benefit you immediately and directly, but pure knowledge benefits you indirectly in the long run. 

If there are some things that you have studied or understood which you are unable to put into practice, do not get disheartened. Sometime in the future, if you do not discard as impractical the knowledge you have, it will be of use to you.

Often people discard pure knowledge for its lack of immediate application. In fact these two types of knowledge complement each other. Applied knowledge without pure knowledge remains weak. And pure knowledge without application will remain unfulfilled. Do not discard or label knowledge as impractical, and do not label yourself as weak or unworthy because you are unable to apply the knowledge in your day-today life.

Sometimes when you are alone in nature, silent, taking a walk, looking at the sand on the beach, a bird in the sky, or while meditating – suddenly knowledge will emerge and you will recognize knowledge dawning in your life.

Arguments can run counter to knowledge

 

A person who argues should not be given knowledge. An argumentative mind is not receptive to knowledge. 

When someone is in an argumentative mood, then giving knowledge or advice is in vain. A person in an argumentative mood feels he knows it all, so he is not ready for knowledge. That is why wise people do not give advice when they are in an argumentative environment. 

Argument has a purpose. It can bring out the truth if there is no emotion or sense of “I” attached to it. Argument can also be a disadvantage. It can make untruth appear to be truth. 

A wise man will not take arguments seriously; he will just have fun with them. Wisdom is beyond all arguments.    

Art of revealing a secret

 

A wise, enlightened, person makes no effort to conceal a secret, but he does not make an effort to reveal a secret either. 

For example, you do not talk about menstruation or death to a five year-old, but as they grow older these things are not hidden from them. They become known as a matter of course. 

An unenlightened person tries to protect a secret, or he reveals a secret at the wrong time, to the wrong person, or in the wrong place. And he makes a big fuss about secrets. 

Trying to protect a secret causes anxiety and discomfort. An ignorant one is not comfortable with a secret, whether revealed or unrevealed, but the wise one is comfortable with a secret, whether revealed or unrevealed.

One more step to knowing yourself

 

To be able to know yourself or to judge your actions, you need to understand tarka, vitarka and kutarka. 

Kutarka is wrong logic. Most people use this logic and get caught up in ignorance. For example, the door is half open means the door is half closed. Therefore, when the door is fully open means the door is fully closed. Another example – God is love. Love is blind. Therefore God is blind. 

Tarka is sequential logical understanding which increases scientific knowledge. When sequential logical understanding changes, then scientific conclusions change. For example, pesticides and antibiotics were considered to be very useful and harmless, but they are now proven to be harmful. In tarka, paradigms change. 

Vitarka is asking questions to which there are no evident answers such as “Who am I?” “Where am I?” “What do I really want?” These philosophical questions bring forth spiritual knowledge, increase your awareness and bring about the blossoming of consciousness. Atma gyan (self-knowledge) increases. The wise know how to distinguish between these three. They will not apply kutarka or tarka for vitarka, or use vitarka for tarka.

Knowledge is like a coconut tree

 

Knowledge must be digested properly, and an inability to do so causes: 

• False ego, which has no cure. 
• Disinterest, taking things for granted, lack of awareness. 
• Familiarity without understanding, without depth – shallowness. 
• A tendency to preach. “Heart” burn. 
• Using knowledge for one’s own small ends. 
• Adamancy, stubbornness.

If you are in love with the Divine, then you can digest knowledge. Love is the appetizer, knowledge is the main course and seva is the exercise. Without love and seva, knowledge becomes indigestible.

A coconut tree is a natural desalination plant. It takes salt water from the earth and makes fresh water inside the coconut. Knowledge is like that tree – it takes us from salty mud to pure bliss.