Hari
Om
Freedays' are the 'gather our thoughts' days;
Q&As; a general review of the week so far…
During
this week past, Aatmaavrajanam blog became one year old. It was begun as a
direct result of YAM ('Yamini-amma') seeking to take up her role as teacher of
the subject of which she also remains a student. Until Realisation, one can only ever be
continuing to learn, to seek. Having sat before Masters of the philosophy,
having felt the Universality of their 'beingness', it was impossible not to be
sparked into a desire to reach for that status also. It is the nature of spiritual research and
Vedanta in particular. Qualification as aachaarya is passed from Guru to those
whom that Guru deems capable of carrying the mantle. The shishya, in his or her
turn, finds that they have an attachment to the Guru in a fashion not
dissimilar to that with their parents; yet it has dimensions much beyond this.
 |
| Australian brahmacharins (aachaaryas) at the feet of Guru-ji (c) CMAust. |
The
Guru, in his turn, will have an interest in how each shishya is progressing;
yet it is not in an attached manner such as a parent would have. It is very
much about guiding - even commanding - the disciple with as much discipline as
Love. Not the heavy-handed, punishment-like discipline which a parent may mete
out, but the kind of strict guidance which brings about self-discipline and
self-management within the student. The reprimands of a parent can be damaging
because they enter our ego, the little self who wants only approval. The
reprimands of a Sadguru seek to wipe out that ego and bring us home to our true
parent within ourselves. The Sadguru is not interested in giving approval or
disapproval, s/he is only interested in progress and improvement. The genuine
seeker would also not seek approval, neither feel down from disapproval; s/he
is only interested in progress and improvement. Many parents could be said to
have the same intention; yes this is true, but it is, generally, limited to
whether their child is going to succeed materially and it is a rare parent who
can say they are detached from their child's choices.
The
Guru does not attach neither expects attachment. The Master works only for
Brahman, and is seen as Brahman in the eyes of the disciple. It is precisely
this connection which occurred between Yeshu and the Apostles. The passing of
the Guru from the mortal coil will certainly cause some grief to those who were
directly connected; but the Sadguru cannot be said to be dead. They live on,
through the legacy of teaching, through retaining memory of them and through
the understanding of their having attained Godhood whilst in the flesh. They
are not, therefore, to be mourned but to be celebrated only, with humility and
gratitude.
This
small clip was made by CCMT in honour of Gurudev's Mahasamaadhi day last Monday
(known as Araadhana) and after a few of his many names chanted beautifully,
there is a snippet of Gurudev himself talking of The Guru.
