thoughts about the Guru..

We need somebody indeed to guide us reach that Inner Guru or the Self, Knowledge or truth. Infact, all true Masters stresses the need to realize our Self or to know WHO AM I. Infact this is the only message of the Upanishads or Vedanta, Know thy Self. For an enlightened soul, Guru is always within. But, to come to this point, the outer Guru always points us towards the inner self. The endeavor or work of a true Master is not so insignificant as we may think of. Its a relationship of commitment, mutual trust and above all, reverence, faith and surrender unified. All the scriptures says this, only if we consider them as true.One may say, but, he/she has to accept somebody as authentic or how would we know that we are on the right path? Does everything our heart says is true? And how to know that our heart has become completely pure, devoid of all impurities? How to determine the true knowledge, how to measure that? We come to a point where we have to take some references if not help. This person, scripture or whatever becomes our Guru because He/it gives us the right knowledge.The way spirituality is carried out mostly in the orient or the way the Vedanta or Upanishads has come to us from time immoral, we see this knowledge has been traveling through this master disciple relationship. Anyone can disagree with this fact and we have absolutely no disagreement with them. Our aim is to know the Self and we believe that Guru is the transmitter of this knowledge in the heart of the disciple. The actual essence is, knowledge though present eternally within the heart of the disciple is revealed to him by the higher knowledge or Guru. The only message that International Vedanta Society wants to give to us all is- this Knowledge of the Self can be known in this present age. We have known this from our Master and so we are humble and grateful to Him. And as we grow more spiritually, we become more grateful and would like to share our love for our Master with you all. Our only humble request to you all, we know that Brahman or the Self is the only reality and we have not only been saying this, but practicing and preaching this, let us serve you all the way it has been served to us." I have shown you today the secret of the highest decision of all the scriptures and my own realizations. This is supreme and most mysterious indeed. Thou, too, must speak this unto one who is desirous of liberation, convinced that he has fulfilled all his duties and is bereft of all defects - whose mind has become free from all desires.Hearing this words of the Master and bowing down to Him with all reverence, with His permission and blessing, the disciple departed, free from all bondage.And the Master too, with His mind always merged in the ocean of bliss, went away in order to purify the world."Sankaracharyya, Vivekachudamani- 575-577.Thanks and regards to you all, Swami Probuddhananda. ---------------------------------------------------------
It is not hurting someones feelings or something to do with the structure of IVS, this is how the knowledge of the Self is attained. People who believe that a master is not needed for Self Knowledge maybe right, our goal of human life is to realize the Self, go forward and realize it. But, as I said before how to know that you had actually realized that? And the term Self and existence of that is also known to me from some external source like the scriptures or sages. The Self is realized through a state called Samadhi or super consciousness, how to know that you had attained that state? Ultimately, we have to take help from someone, He is the Master or Guru.Sometimes I have seen this tendency of projecting ourself as a follower of non dual philosophy and discarding the idea of Guru. We think as Advaita is a subject based on discrimination and intellect is involved, so, a master is unnecessary, that we can do that ourself. But, the area of intellect is also limited, how can it perceive the infinite. The conception of infinite is planted within us by someone who has experienced that and as we perceive it, we attain the Knowledge. We may disagree, but for many or for most it is true. I have seen many disciples of Bhagavan in his initial stages come to Him and realize the Self and when asked about their Master, they say the self to be their Master or Ramakrishna as their Master. This is a lie. We should be brave enough to call our father a father even if he is a poor and unknown. Some of us do have the tendency to call the richest man of the locality as our fathers, the problem lies within them, not in their fathers.Shivji, after realizing this non dual self, we come back into this dual world again with this knowledge of non duality. Though we have experienced that existence which is beyond name and form, where names and forms doesn't exist, yet, we start seeing the names and forms but in the back of the mind the knowledge of non duality is always present. Now, we do dwell with the world external, but, at every step we can feel its non existence or falseness and our non attachment to them. Though we dwell, we can feel that we are always free from this duality. This is where, the love for the Master comes. The more he feels bliss and peace and freedom remaining within this chaotic world, He feels how grateful he is to the one who has helped or in some cases, given Him this knowledge. The relationship which started with a question, Who AM I" goes beyond that, he sees that the only real relationship which he had was with his master. But, this is something to be realized, it is futile to talk if we are far away from this nectar of love which flows through the words of the Master. The lives of almost all spiritual stalwarts is a direct example to this Master disciple relationship. And perhaps this is the only reason, the context of adhikari or qualifications comes in advaita knowledge - who is qualified to know this knowledge of the Self?For the benefit of everybody, I present the very first verse of the Astavakra Gita," How can knowledge be acquired? How can liberation be attained? How is renunciation possible? - Tell me this, O Lord. "Ramana Maharishi sayings-" Association with Sages who have realised the Truth removes material attachments; on these attachments being removed, the attachments of the mind are also destroyed. Those whose attachments of mind are thus destroyed become one with That which is Motionless. They attain Liberation while yet alive. If association with Sages is obtained, to what purpose are the various methods of self-discipline? Tell me, of what use is a fan when the cool, gentle south wind is blowing? The heat of mental and bodily excitement is allayed by (the rays of) the moon; want and misery are removed by the kalpaka tree; sins are washed away by the sacred water of the Ganges. But all these afflictionsare altogether banished by the mere darshan of the peerless Sage.Neither the holy waters of pilgrimage nor the images of gods made of earth and stone can stand comparison with the benign look of the Sage. These purify one only after countless days of grace, but no sooner does the Sage bestow his gracious glance than he purifies one. "I conclude with a doha of Kabir,"Guru Govind Do Khare, Kako Lago PyerBalihari Guru apno jo Govind deo bataye"If the Master and God stand together, whose feet should we touch first? Kabir says, I bow down to the Master First who has shown me who and what God is.With regards to everyone, Swami Probuddhananda.