L P Bhanu Sharma
SPIRITUAL IMPORTANCE OF GURU PURNIMA
Nobody knows exactly when the concept of the teacher and student came in human understanding. But one thing can be said beyond doubt: real progress started in human life the day people started learning from others. This way, it looks the student-teacher relationship must be in existence ever since human beings felt that they can learn and grow. And to keep growing they must keep learning. Guru Purnima, earlier known as Vyasa Purnima to hail the glory of Vyasa, is an occasion dedicated to the spirit of knowing.
Teacher and Guru
Generally, the word guru is translated as teacher in English. But the real spirit of the word guru is much beyond what the word teacher signifies. We have uncountable teachers in our life starting from mother, father, family, school, university, society and every event in life. There are two types of education: one, leaning about the objective universe (objective knowledge) and two, learning about oneself (subjective knowing). The teacher gives you objective knowledge but only a true guru can take you within yourself and give you subjective knowing. The more appropriate word for guru in English is 'master'.
Spiritual meaning of Guru
The term guru means one who dispels the darkness of ignorance. Gu means one who is beyond attributes (gunas), ru implies one who is beyond forms (rupas). A guru is the one who takes you back to yourself, to your own inner core of being wherefrom you can shine in your complete glory. All others are merely teachers, like the teachers of different subjects in a school or college. Guru is the one who reveals the guri (target) to the disciple. Guri here refers to God, who is the source of all energy basic, through eternal spiritual principles.
Do we really need a guru to learn?
Leaning in life depends on two factors: intention to learn and ability to learn. Modern discoveries in neuroscience and psychology prove that our brain becomes most open, pliable and effective when it understands that we are with someone from whom we can learn. Our intention to learn triggers our brain and the whole hormonal system to operate it at optimum efficiency. If our brain understands that we are not open to new knowledge, environment or an opportunity to learn, it shuts itself off creating great chaos and confusion. Thus, to maximize our own efficiency it is very important to develop the right intention to learn and this also adds to our capacity to learn.
We need a teacher even for knowing facts of the objective world, i.e., to learn alphabets, mathematics, language and science. Subjective knowing is a discipline filled with mystery and involves charting of unknown territories. It is obvious that without a true guru, one can never go about delving into one's own mysteries and unraveling the hidden secrets of one's own existence. I have seen people wasting decades trying to go into meditation or complete a spiritual practice without a proper guru. In fact for people who have a matured outlook towards life, accepting someone as a guru comes easy.
Role of a guru
A guru's role can be summed up in two steps: destroying the old mind and allowing the new mind to emerge and settle. The guru first breaks the old patterns of your mind completely to get you rid of your problems, worries and negativities. Once you become fresh and you get a new mind that can learn, listen, adapt and internalize the mystic teachings, the guru starts his second work. Now, he creates an environment where you can listen to subtle sounds, hear that which is not ordinarily audible and feel something that was beyond your perception earlier. He takes you into a new world where your old mind cannot create any barriers so that he can communicate directly with you.
Your present mind cannot receive and hold deep spiritual teachings. It is simply unfit to know and experience the truth. You will have to undergo a complete metamorphosis, which can sometimes be as painful as death. For this to happen the guru sometimes shows you unconditional love, sometimes challenges you to your core and sometimes negates you completely. The disciple has to be ready to face all these and that is why a master-disciple relationship is based solely on trust.
Is there a disciple in you?
This entire science is based on the readiness of the disciple. The guru is not that important. What is most important is whether you are ready to activate your disciple-hood. There is an old Egyptian adage, "The master appears when the student is ready". The moment you are ready, the unlit lamp of your consciousness will catch the guru's fire and burns in its fullest glory. People come and ask me, "How to know who is a true guru?" I tell them that the only relevant question is "Are you a true disciple?"
Published in: The Rising Nepal, July 03, 2012
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