What Is a Guru?
Dear friends,
There is enormous confusion in the West about what a guru is. Most folks think it has something to do with turning your will over to someone else, or someone who dictates every aspect of your life. Of course there are false gurus who are in it for themselves (knowingly or not). But then there are bad doctors, which does not damage the value or efficacy of Western medicine. Bad teachers do not mean education is not worth it. So what, then, is the real value of a rare true Divine Teacher?
We are stuck in our little selves. We spend our whole lives striving for this or that possession, circumstance, or relationship. There is nothing generally wrong with those things, but if we think they will bring us the ultimate joy we all seek, or fill the hole in our hearts, we are mistaken. And sometimes that eighth piece of chocolate cake—no matter how enticing—is just not the best idea. Too, even when we get whatever external thing or situation we want, there is always the fear of losing it.
I myself have been a disciple of Yogananda's for over forty years. I will not share the many, many stories of help or direction received as this is not the place for it. (They are no secret, however, but they are not for this post. Come by the store when I am here, and let's chat! :-) )
It is not easy to learn to accept reality for what it is or see and accept our flaws in order to learn the lessons we need to learn. We are like the child who hides his test paper under his desk so the teacher cannot see his errors. That's no way to learn!
Allowing myself to be directed by my teacher allows me to have experiences I would otherwise naturally avoid. Touching a hot stove once is a much more powerful learning experience than sitting through one hundred lectures about the dangers of touching a stove. Real learning is sometimes uncomfortable! But then we probably learned the easy lessons decades ago. What is left is the tiny weed with the three-foot-deep root.
The work to do absolutely has to be ours as no one can do it for you. But being directed to enter the correct classroom is a very large part of the learning process. If you want to learn physics, enter a room where that is taught. I want to learn how to find Spirit and feel the Bliss that is our birthright. Seems to me listening to someone who is much, much smarter than I in such realms is a good idea.
Blessings,
David G., manager
For the staff at East West