If you follow the news closely, it is only a matter of time before you find another guru, or spiritual master, caught up in some kind of scandal, whether sex, money, booze or drugs… sometimes altogether in one man (not so often with women).
Does it even make sense any more to seek enlightenment or find yourself through another human being? Isn’t it better to read books and do exercises on your own? Perhaps take a stroll in the woods or a walk by the beach.
Why would you want to be next in line to play being a sucker?
What Does the Word “Guru” Really Mean?
“Guru” actually means “dispeller of darkness” or torchbearer, the person who casts light on a situation. It originated in India to describe a rishi, or life mentor, who leads young men to find their role as Brahmins and achieve self-realization, or in the case of Buddha, awakening.
Guru has grown to mean a deep expert in any subject or domain who embodies his or her field. You can ask her any question about her subject, and she will have a ready answer. More importantly, she will help you solve your problems and give you perspective on any relevant issue.
Guru means mastery, and it suggests a human being much like you who became world-class in a subject area and who has learned how to apply his expertise in any situation. He is not just a brain, but has a heart of compassion.
He will do whatever is necessary for you to “get” the crucial insights you need for your growth or awakening.
Guru versus Pundit
India makes a major distinction between pundit and guru. A pundit is an intellectual who has a vast amount of knowledge in a certain field such that he has become an authority, a thought leader. People tend to go to him for the last word. For example, Dr. Deepak Chopra has established this position worldwide in the relationship between mind and body.
A guru has a mastery of the subject, but is focused primarily on applying the wisdom and insights into life circumstances and helping youth discover who they ultimately are, as well as what their individual dharma or destiny is in this life. A guru means business, and is accountable to, and for, his disciples.
Often you will find pundits who are intellectual geniuses and emotional morons.
In mysticism and spirituality, you will find Ph.D.’s who have no clue what it is really all about, but who have amassed a ton of thoughts, ideas and facts. Sometimes even gurus fall into this trap, in which case it is very costly for their disciples.
States versus Stages
Ken Wilbur has done pioneering work clarifying the fundamental distinction between states and stages, especially with regard to enlightenment.
States can shift rapidly from moment to moment, while stages are all about growth and typically take long amounts of time. You can have a mind-blowing revelation, but be an infant in your ability to assimilate that insight into your character and personality.
More to the point, the stage of growth you are at determines the way you interpret mystical experiences. A religious fundamentalist will arrive at a vastly different interpretation of Christ, for example, than an interfaith universalist. His perspective may be right for him at that stage, but of very limited helpfulness outside his own immediate circle.
The problem comes when you have a traditional guru with brilliant insights, but with a traditional or modern perspective who has yet to reach a pluralistic or integral level of understanding of reality. He has the only true way, and everyone else is wrong. That’s just too bad for the rest of us!
The Guru Always Comes When You Are Ready
Baba Ram Dass, more than anyone else, opened up a whole generation of people, including the likes of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Inc.
Ram Dass got people to appreciate the unique value of an authentic guru in realizing the ultimate truth. He had the great fortune to find a true saint and extraordinary master with uncanny powers who manifested miracle after miracle.
Ram Dass maintained in his masterpiece, Remember Be Here Now, that the guru always appears when you are ready for him or her. You could meet a spiritual genius, but totally miss the point until you were ready.
The guru always appears when YOU are ready!
One of the fascinating things about the way the Buddha taught was that he saw the full potential of any person for that particular incarnation. Siddhartha would speak to that man or woman from where he or she was in that phase of life.
In Ram Dass’s case, there was no way that he could have predicted how and when he would meet his master, Maharaji. However, it is very clear that his extensive experimentation with psychedelics paved the way.
Ram Dass (Dr. Richard Alpert) became totally clear that his earlier model of reality was totally inadequate to explain these new experiences. Hence, he took the plunge to journey to the East, starting with Nepal.
At first he was thinking Lama’s, but an unexpected encounter with Bhagavan Dass, a young American led him to climb down the mountains to the Himalayan foothills and discover the magic of a little old man in a blanket.
The True Guru Is Always Within You
Ram Dass went on to emphasize that the true guru is entirely on another plane, that the inner guru is more fundamental than the outer guru.
Ram Dass went on to emphasize that the true guru is entirely on another plane, that the inner guru is more fundamental than the outer guru. The man or woman you meet who plays the role of guru with you could be considered a materialization of your inner quest. It is like the question you ask determines the answer you get.
I have had intriguing discussions with a friend who has been close to Swami Nithyananda, a highly accomplished spiritual master with extraordinary psychic powers and an extensive international following. The problem was that a few years back, Nithyananda got caught up in a dreadful sexual scandal with an Indian actress, and even got himself arrested in the process.
My friend maintains that Nithyananda is completely innocent. I accept the possibility that high profile people, thinking of stars like Michael Jackson, can easily be framed. However, I wanted my friend to consider that while his relationship with Nithyananda may be precious to him, the ultimate guru lies within him.
How to Know If You Have the “Right” Guru
Mariana Caplan, a cultural anthropologist and spiritual seeker, describes in her study, Do You Need a Guru?: Understanding the Student-Teacher Relationship in an Era of False Prophets... how she went to over a dozen accomplished gurus around the world and had many escapades.
They put her through all kinds of exercises and occasionally asked her sexual favors. Mariana admonished her readers to get into the guru business with open eyes.
Key questions to ask yourself include:
- Is my prospective guru placing a high pricetag on his services?
- Is my prospective guru claiming that everyone alike must take his training?
- Is my prospective guru claiming that he, alone, has the Truth, and you must follow his way or be damned?
- Is my prospective guru all wrapped up in siddhi’s or powers, as opposed to love and compassion?
- Is my prospective guru offering a cheap, instant salvation with nothing whatsoever required of me?
- Does my prospective guru have a dubious reputation, and does he evade this issue when anyone has the presumption to ask?
- Does my prospective guru trash every other guru as having missed the point?
- Does my prospective guru make me uptight and defensive, as opposed to feeling truly at home?
If any of these questions are in the affirmative, you may want to consider moving on, and never giving up on your quest. In one area, Paramahansa Nithyananda is absolutely right. If you completely fall in love with a guru, then you know that he is the right person for you… at least at the time.
Whatever you do, remember to keep looking within to discover your own ultimate truth.
Do I Need a Guru To Find Myself? appeared first on http://consciousowl.com.
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