Guru is Within....

    
    Below is an excerpt from an article in the Elephant Journal. It really left an impression on me. A while back I had left a comment on a youtube video of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev expressing my desire to meet this incredible spiritual master. A man came on chastising me in a very condescending way that there is no need for a guru other than myself and that I would be just like a sheep following someone and not thinking for myself. I was rather put out with this guy and responded by letting him know that he was basically a condescending jerk...lol

     I just love this article below which very eloquently expresses why it is not just a good thing to want, but is essential to our spiritual progress to be in the company of an actual God-Realized individual. I live for the day that I will be lead to my own guru, in whose company I know will only enlarge my own soul all the more. I know that it will be at a time that I am truly ready to experience it. For now I will continue to follow the dictates of my heart and intuition and practice my personal sadhana to the best of my ability...Shiva willing the Universe will open the doors of opportunity for me to be in the presence of some great Divine Being.

The Guru—Not a Substitute—A Culmination

Connecting to a living guru is not a form of intellectual enslavement. It is not a substitute for any of the work we have to do. Rather, it is a culmination of those actions (sadhana) and a connection to one who is embodying the truth we are seeking to embody.

Spending a lot of time with Amma, or other Mahtamas is actually very hard because they are like standing in front of a mirror, a very active one. Imagine if the mirror had a volume knob on it and if the knob was more like a “contrast” knob, where the dark gets darker and the light gets lighter.

Gurus like Amma are often compared to the sun. The sun brings light, which reveals color and aliveness, but also shadows and dirt. When the room is dark it is easy to not clean up the dirt in the corners. We may not see it or even know it’s there. My experiences about spirituality were like that. I thought the room was clean. But once we turn on the light, we see all of the mess—the dirt, the roaches, the neglect. Then, we have to make a conscious choice to either clean it up, or turn the light back off.

The beauty, compassion and selfless love of the guru is so compelling that even if you try to turn the light back off, and return to sleep, you can’t so easily. The truth of the guru, and its connection to your truthful self will haunt the puny ego. The soul recognizes the purity of the Mahatma as a communion with its own nature. I have witnessed many egos for many years avoid meeting Amma, always finding an excuse to be busy then, or conceptualizing it with the “Guru within” philosophy.

I think that is a good strategy for an ego that wants to survive in tact. It is wise to avoid the sun and scrutiny. As for me, it is a never-ending opening to love and letting go of the familiar. I am eternally grateful to have met a true master in this lifetime. The direct transmission of love from those amazing eyes to mine has healed me in ways I surely do not grasp.

Such a beautiful mirror to the guru within.

(You may read the article in its entirety here: Guru is Within)

Jai Guru!

Nirvani