Guru Stories

[Shivani Devi]

Namaste and blessings of the Lord to you.

This thread leads on from other posts I have recently made about Swami Chidananda of Rishikesh and all of the 'clan' back then - Swami Venkateshananda, Swami Kartikkeyyan and a few others.

I 'spose I have had a few 'gurus' from those at the Divine Life Society (Satyananda, Muktananda etc), and others from different schools...like Osho (who I never met) and a lot of ashrams which were huge in the 1980's and 1990's, but the Swamis were very bad judges of character in choosing their successors, who ended up too greedy and driving them all into the ground...like Gurumayi Chidvilasananda and all those rotten scandals.

Anyway, there is a lot of talk about 'real/fake gurus' and 'how to spot a guru?' and 'how do you know?'...

Well, I don't bow before anybody or touch anybody's feet and it has nothing to do with ego. To do this would be egotistical for me, because I think everybody is the same...nobody higher/lower or better/worse and so, when everybody else is there touching the feet of the guru and washing his feet and garlanding him with flowers, I just go and give a very deep, silent and heartfelt "namaste", closing my eyes and bowing my head only slightly to show respect. It's just who I am and what I do.

So, everybody is there, washing the gurus feet...he is placing his hands on their heads and shoulders going "bless you, my child". Yeah, some see Guru = God, but I see Guru = Guru, so there's a difference...anyway, I go up there and just place my hands together and close my eyes and open my heart up. Then, he stops blessing other people and makes exactly the same gesture as I make to him, back to me! and for the few seconds our eyes lock, there is just knowing...understanding...mutual reverence and it's like there are no words...nothing. You just feel it and know...you just...know and the Guru knows you do, and you know this too...and that's what makes it so much sweeter.

Just because somebody has realised the God within, they should not be worshiped because everybody has this potential and ability! You can be in the company of them and learn from them, but the true worship is the divinity within oneself, even if Guru is an external manifestation of it. I'm not saying not to worship gurus, oh no! Just understand why you are...you're not worshiping a person, you're worshiping that which they have realised...what you can realise too.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[django]

I knew a few people who were gurumai devotees, last I heard she was enjoying being guru to the rich and famous in America, is this what you are referring to in her being a poor choice?

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by django

I knew a few people who were gurumai devotees, last I heard she was enjoying being guru to the rich and famous in America, is this what you are referring to in her being a poor choice?

Pretty much.

Those times you see an ashram turn from a place of bare necessity, piety, satsanga, worship and free meals into a place of being a 'guru temple' with lavish and expensive furnishings, manicured and landscaped gardens, $10 meals in the 'Ashram Cafe' and $1,000 a weekend 'yoga retreats' with nobody I even know...

Maybe it's just me though.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Shivani Devi]

I remember the heady days, staying at the Satyananda Mangrove Mountain Ashram for nothing - in turn for doing chores and seva...then they started charging exorbitant rates for people to stay there - like a day spa.

They turned all these ashrams into 'escape from it all' retreats, where business people and those with money could spend a few days away from the stresses of everyday life and enjoy yoga and meditation in luxury surrounds, with gourmet vegetarian meals, 4 star accommodation and a masseuse on call.

They didn't last very long after that.

Now, it's difficult to find any/many Satyananda devotees left.

Plus there are all these 'sex scandals' and it seems that anybody who has made it big in 'guru-world' will have these accusations made by disgruntled former devotees...whether it is true or not, who knows? but both Satyananda and Muktananda suffered it...Osho suffered it...and now the whole Catholic Church in Australia is suffering it...seems to be the 'accusation of choice' for holy people...but anyway.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[peteyzen]

i have a guru, im happy to surrender to him and to bow to him. We arent equals, we may both be god ultimately, but i know that i have alot to learn from him. Just as if i was trainign in anythign, I would surrender to my teacher.

[Silver]

I subscribe to those who say that you yourself are your own BEST guru. Yeah.

I'm glad I'm not the only truly skeptic when it comes to this kind of stuff, Necromancer.

[peteyzen]

from my own experience, I am not my own best teacher, in spirituality or in physical things, an external trainer has always been better, they btake you where you fear to tread

[Vinayaka]

Originally Posted by peteyzen

from my own experience, I am not my own best teacher, in spirituality or in physical things, an external trainer has always been better, they btake you where you fear to tread

I totally concur. Do we do open heart surgery on ourselves or leave it to an expert? Gurus, (I mean the legitimate ones) are experts in the field of spirituality. Why not listen? They've travelled the path we're on and help us stay on it.

[Silver]

Well, I guess Buddha is my guru - I suppose you're referring to live gurus teachers, eh? XD

Once I got curious about Buddhism and started reading all the good books on it I could, it simply whets the appetite for knowing more, found a good solid forum and I think it's great the stuff I've learned so far, and it has helped me so much. I don't plan on being a guru myself - but the people on that forum say that the 'guru' is anyone and anything - maybe that's a big difference between Buddhist gurus and other religion's gurus. If they hadn't said what I already knew/surmised (about being one's own guru), I might have doubts, but I don't.

[peteyzen]

Originally Posted by Silver

Well, I guess Buddha is my guru - I suppose you're referring to live gurus teachers, eh? XD

Once I got curious about Buddhism and started reading all the good books on it I could, it simply whets the appetite for knowing more, found a good solid forum and I think it's great the stuff I've learned so far, and it has helped me so much. I don't plan on being a guru myself - but the people on that forum say that the 'guru' is anyone and anything - maybe that's a big difference between Buddhist gurus and other religion's gurus. If they hadn't said what I already knew/surmised (about being one's own guru), I might have doubts, but I don't.

Every one follows their own path. Over the years I have come to appreciate the enormous strength and influence of the ego, most people, even those who think they do, do not appreciate how much they are held in thrall by their egos. When we travel down the spiritual path, the real goal is to overcome the ego, to rise above it and to ultimately defeat the false ego. When we are our own guru, it is very very hard because you are trying to defeat the ego whilst operating from within it. This to me is why a real (and I stress real ) guru is required. Otherwise that clever ego will have you spinning this way and that never really progressing, and if you think that it wont...you`re really in trouble.