How Do We Find A Guru?
Sometimes people are simply given the knowledge and their life blossoms
“Guru is a witness to all types of mind, intellect and thoughts — Sarvadhi Sakshi Bhootam” - Gurudev
If the Guru could set you free, he could have done it to the whole world. The Guru is not responsible for your awakening. And yet freedom is next to impossible without the Guru. So, the Guru is responsible, and yet not responsible. This is a mystery
Once, there was a very talented teacher. He was a great orator. He could speak and convince people very well. He had a fair knowledge of scriptures and spiritual techniques too. But he did not feel complete. He was in search of a Master. Though he was honoured by the king and the public, there was something that was out of reach. He just wanted to surrender to a Master, but who could he surrender to?
Only when time comes, does the Master arrive in one’s life. Such a time had almost come for the teacher. When he was departing from the kingdom, the king said, “It’s so far away, you cannot walk. You take my palanquin.”
The man sat in the palanquin and started on his journey of seeking his Master. When he arrived in the town, he asked to be taken to the Master. Then, one of the men who was carrying the palanquin came forward and said, “Here I am.” The moment was one of eternal beauty. The man fell to the Guru’s feet, and asked, “How could you do this? Since when are you carrying me?” The Guru said, “I heard that you are coming to see me. So I came halfway to receive you.”
The Master had come half the way and carried the palanquin of the disciple. He said, “You take one step towards the Master and the Master takes 10 steps towards you.” But the disciple has to take that first step. That’s the story of the tradition of Masters.
It is immaterial whether you choose the Master, or the Master has chosen you. When the time comes, everything falls in place. Sometimes people are simply given the knowledge and their life blossoms. Then there are others, who seek for wisdom, and then they get it. But anyone on the path of wisdom should know that they are the chosen ones.
It is very hard to get a human body. It’s like winning a lottery. Then, once you get a human body, it is very hard to be interested in the spiritual path. Among millions, only a few will have that interest. And even when one is interested, it is very hard to get the right path, to get the right knowledge, the right Master. So, when everything falls in place, you are the luckiest.
There are so many people seeking it, and everyone doesn’t get it.
This is why it is said, when you have come to the Master, you have taken a new birth. When your relationship with the Master and the tradition is established, you have a new life. That’s why often people’s names are changed once they come to a Master, to signify that he is not the same person who he was before. A Guru gives both shiksha, that is learning, and diksha, the culmination of intellect. Information and transformation, both are given by the Guru.
How does one know that they have found the Master? When you come to the Master, five things happen.
Sadness goes away; joy wells up for no reason; you are reminded of the knowledge; awareness dawns suddenly; sense prevails; misery disappears; your desires get fulfilled and your talents manifest. No doubt Guru brings you comfort. But you must understand that Guru is a witness to all types of mind, intellect and thoughts —Sarvadhi Sakshi Bhootam. If you are a witness, you are not involved in anything — good, bad, right, wrong.
Pleasant experiences make you grow, but so do the unpleasant experiences. In life there’s ups and downs. Every rise has expanded something in you and every low has brought you depth and wisdom. Guru Tattva is a witness to all that. Is the Guru responsible for your enlightenment?
If the Guru could set you free, he could have done it to the whole world.
The Guru is not responsible for your awakening. And yet freedom is next to impossible without the Guru. So, the Guru is responsible, and yet not responsible. This is a mystery.
The role of a Guru is as clear as the role of a mother. A mother nurtures, nourishes and makes a person grow in the material world. Similarly, a Guru is there to make you grow in wisdom. Just like a bud has everything it needs to become a flower, but still it needs a little nurturing - a little watering, some sunlight to blossom, the same way in the presence of a Guru, total blossoming of intellect happens. For a Guru, it does not matter whether one comes to him to be relieved from pain or suffering; or whether one comes to seek wisdom or whether the disciple is already a wise person. For a Guru, everyone is equal.
Often seekers ask me if one needs a living Master. It depends on the individual. If someone is connected to their Guru who has crossed over to the other side, they may not need it. But once you have a Master, you will see that the Master is an empty space, and all the other Masters are also with Him. Your relationship is only with the formless, but it gives an illusion to you that you are relating to the form.
At the same time, without the form, you can’t see the formless. As you proceed on the spiritual path, you start relating with the energy, with the presence of Guru beyond the physical body. Once you have found a Guru, remember that he or she is always there with you, watching and giving you wisdom. Only the best will happen for you.