What is the Guru?
[Pictured: His Holiness Sri Swami Shivapadananda Puri Maharaj, 2nd President and Spiritual Head,the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
[now a Centre of the international Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission]
DAILY READINGS
Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.
Day 982
The guru [spiritual preceptor, teacher] is only a walking stick [aid] outside. He's nothing else. You throw away [no longer require] the stick after gaining the strength. You use a stick as long as you cannot walk without a stick. When you are independent and you've got the strength, you let go the stick. And then you become a walking stick [spiritual growth, development, support-system] for somebody else. Because the walking stick has got its own strength. It doesn't want you to fight over it. It doesn't want you to get narrow [sectarian, bigoted] over it.
A guru gives you God-realisation, or instructs you in God-realisation. God-realisation comes automatically because that's your birthright. It ends there because once you realise God, the guru is merged in God. The outer guru is then seen inside. So if you cling only to the external form, you will one day have to cremate that form with your own hands. That means your guru is dead. From that point of view some religious groups say, 'The dead guru can't do anything.' It's true. The dead guru can't do anything – I agree with them. Because if you think the body is the guru, naturally the body is burnt, but when you say 'the guru' you have to mean something else. And that is – the spiritual being in that body. Which is a very minute expression of the infinite Being, called God.
So now from the outer guru, you'll have to go to the inner guru. Respect the guru, love the guru just like you would respect and love everyone else. From that point of view you're going to become good. But when you go inside [introspect], the guru is merged into the Ishta Devata [personal deity or chosen ideal] – whether it's Shiva, Krishna, Kali, Durga, Jesus. The guru is merged in that. And that Ishta Devata himself must be merged again into the formless and the nameless and the attribute-less [Brahman, the one universal consciousness]. If a drop of water merges in the ocean you don't lose the drop of water. It is included in the ocean. The outer guru must be merged in the inner deity. The inner deity must be merged too.
Devotee: Instead of saying 'inner deity' can you say 'inner guru'?
Swamiji: The inner guru is the only guru. The outside guru is an illusion.
Devotee: But you say take away name and form and what's left, Swamiji, what about personality and all those things?
Swamiji: All that dissolves – all that goes – then you'll understand and love all. From that point of view, you'll become all. Then there won't be hatred, like thinking about what xyz did to you the other day. There won't be all that. That thing too, is included in it. The one [deity or aspect] that you're fighting over, you'll know is included. You become all. You understand what I mean?
Let's take Krishna, take Shiva or say Kali. Say I'm attached to Kali. He's attached to Shiva, we're going to argue, make no mistake about it. Until he knows that Kali is in reality also nameless, formless – the other nature of it – and I know that Shiva is beyond that nameless, formless, there we can meet. But no sooner you project, there is separation. Do you understand? Once you project, then there's separation. Because you can't project something without making it separate. But when you withdraw it in the formless, nameless, then all are one. Krishna here, Shiva here – they both get into the nameless and formless.
You must have one-pointed devotion. Outside you must have one-pointed devotion. Only when you go inside is it merged. But that does not give you licence to talk ill about anyone's guru, anyone's deity, anyone's God, anyone's religion. I know who you are [i.e. part of the one divine consciousness], but I love you in this form. This is a very, very important thing that I am saying – remember that.
I don't want you to grow narrow. I want you to be broad [inclusive] but not undiscerning broad. Don't just believe anything they push down your throat. The lion, Ramakrishna said, is God. The deer is God, the dog is God, the cat is God. You embrace the cat, you embrace the deer – are you going to embrace the lion? That lion doesn't know you are God. It'll make a breakfast out of you! That's what I say.
1) Care should be taken by the reader to understand and take Swamiji's words in these postings, in context. Every teaching or instruction that he gave was specific to the people who were with Swamiji at the time.
2) Mouse-over the words highlighted in red in the posting for further explanation or links.
There are currently available, 150 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order.
For more about the Holy Trinity, and also the founding Swamis of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, please mouse over their names below:
Sri Ramakrishna Sri Sarada Devi Swami Vivekananda
Swami Nischalananda Swami Shivapadananda
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - read online
Reference websites – please mouse over the name and click to connect:
Ramakrishna Math and Mission Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa Ramakrishna Dham