Who is wise? He who learns from all men.
THE TALMUD
I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Since the 1960s, many North Americans have traveled to the East in search of a guru who might liberate them from the painful trials and tribulations of everyday life. During the same time, a succession of spiritual teachers have visited the West to teach the ancient science of Yoga and to guide seekers along the path of Self-realization.
Tradition dictates that when a relationship is established between student and teacher, the teacher becomes responsible for the development of the student, and that the greater the student’s adherence to the teaching, the quicker his or her progress will be. This interaction and commitment is known as the guru-disciple relationship, and for many earnest students this is a time-honored path to the personal liberation known as moksha.
Contrary to popular cultural myth, guru is not a person. Guru is a principle—a universal force of light that dispels the darkness of ignorance. As fundamental as the elements of space, air, fire, water and earth, the light of guru is also a naturally occurring element, or tattva. But unlike the elements that make up the material world, the guru principle exists as a teacher within each of us—always available to help correct our ignorance and cure our dis-ease.
Since our Essential Nature already exists in a state of perpetual light, the darkness spoken of here—that which is in need of enlightenment—is a condition of the mind. The mind and its habit patterns of fear, anger and greed keep us groping in a state of darkness, ignoring the light of our own Divine nature. The confused mind does not realize its own self-imposed limitations. The function of the guru principle is to purify the mind so it can recognize that it must find the light and, ultimately, surrender and merge with the light. Enlightenment refers to an enlightened mind—an instrument of guru continuously reflecting the discrimination of buddhi.
Guru is timelessly present in our heart. Sometimes the guru principle is externalized as an uplifting and reforming factor in our life—a spiritual teacher, mother, father, wife, friend, or adversary, or as an inner urge towards righteousness and perfection. All we have to do is to heed the suggestion of guru and we will be led for our highest and greatest good. What guru asks each of us, in return, is quite simple: learn self-awareness, self-control and self-surrender. This may seem arduous at times, but it is easy if we are earnest—and quite impossible if we are not. Earnestness is both necessary and sufficient. Everything yields to earnestness.
NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ
Yoga philosophy explains that the light of guru appears in every relationship, if we are willing to look beyond our raga/dveshas (likes and dislikes). As we become detached from our own fear, anger and self-willed desire, the mind is purified and we are open to important lessons for growth and expansion. Regardless of whether our relationship is personal and intimate, or one as distant as those facilitated by the media, every relationship is an expression of Divine Providence—a means to our spiritual unfoldment.
To receive this grace we must first learn to include all and exclude none. We must be willing to accept and welcome the fact that every relationship has something beneficial to bring us, as well as something unique to receive from us. Whether the situation appears pleasant or unpleasant to the ahamkara (I-maker or ego), we can learn to be present with whatever appears—welcoming, honoring and observing it without being controlled by it. Centered in the fullness and equanimity of the Eternal Witness (Sat-Chit-Ananda), we can invite the light of guru to dwell within us and shine forth through us in the form of selfless love. Eventually, this love is returned to us because when we give love we give to our Self.
In daily life we all encounter relationships that we perceive as being either pleasant or painful. The sages remind us, however, that pairs of opposites are not what they seem. That which appears as pleasant eventually will become unpleasant. For instance, we may love to hear a certain song on the radio, but if that song were played twenty-four hours a day, the pleasure would inevitably yield to dis-ease. And that which appears as unpleasant will just as inevitably yield a special blessing.
The key, of course, is to be present in each moment— paying attention and knowing that the light of guru reveals itself at the point of equanimity. If we are open and attentive, every relationship provides a unique and beneficial teaching of guru.
An acquaintance once asked, “Wasn’t Elvis Presley’s life a tragedy?” The question opened a floodgate of memories. My relationship with Elvis Presley had begun in 1956. As a teenager, listening to Elvis’s music was one of my first experiences with meditation. Every time I listened intently to his music I felt happy—so happy in fact, that I began to associate Elvis and his music with my happiness. As Paul McCartney similarly observed, “I always knew that no matter how I felt, if I played an Elvis record it would make me happy.” Because of this experience, over the years I continued to freely give my attention to Elvis Presley.
For me, Elvis had charisma. To some extent, each of us has experienced the power of charisma. When someone has charisma, we feel an overwhelming, magnetic attraction that demands our attention. But from a yogic perspective, it’s interesting to question the karmic purpose of such a phenomenon. What is to be learned from an individual who commands our attention, our love, or even our anger?
Before responding about the tragedy or non-tragedy of Elvis’s life, I began to process some memories of him from the chitta. Because I had given Elvis my attention over the years, I actually knew quite a bit about his desires, choices, achievements and some of the painful consequences he experienced—many of which appeared to result from serving the preya of ego or sense gratification. Elvis Presley was obviously a generous and loving man, yet many of his actions were not in harmony with the guru in the cave of my own heart. Observing all this, I knew that as a Yoga scientist, Elvis Presley’s life was not a tragedy for me. Because I had been attentive to Elvis’s life, I was able to receive many important lessons that instructed me what to do—and what not to do. Yes, even Elvis can be a vehicle for guru.
Swami Hariharananda, a contemporary sage who lived twelve years as a hermit in the Himalayan mountains, tells a charming story of the time he participated in a teaching conference in India. On the first morning of the meeting, torrential rains postponed the opening session. Not wanting to waste an opportunity to teach, Swami Hari approached a young boy who stood holding a candle inside the darkened building.
Inspired by the candlelight and the knowledge that all light is One, Swami Hari intended to explain a very basic lesson of Yoga Science: that the light of a candle is the same as the light in a boy’s eye and the light of the sun. Pointing to the flame, Swami Hari asked, “Son, do you know where that light has come from?” As he pondered his answer, the boy alternately looked at the flame, then toward Swami Hari, then back to the flame, and again to Swami Hari. Gazing intently at the flame, he took a deep breath and vigorously blew out the candle. “Sir,” he asked, “do you know where the light has gone?!”
As Art Linkletter often mused, “Kids say the darndest things”—and profound things as well. In this story, the child unexpectedly becomes the teacher and a vehicle for guru. His penetrating response reminds us that Swami Hari’s original question cannot be answered by the intellect. Instead of trying to hedge or ineptly answer the question, the child simply redirects the Swami’s own attention back to guru and even beyond—back to the Source of truth.
In order to be open to the ever-present light of guru, in whatever form it may appear, each of us must be willing to be as innocent, open and non-judgmental as a child. When the outer guru reflects the truth of the inner guru, the advice is to be heeded and served. When a suggestion from the outer guru is not in harmony with the inner guru, as reflected by the purified buddhi, the advice is to be honored, respected and lovingly rejected, with gratitude—for your teacher has just taught you what not to do.
Your every thought presents an opportunity to choose what to give your attention to and what to withdraw your attention from. As a Yoga scientist, you cultivate skills that enable you to be consciously present to serve the shreya—moment by moment—as suggested by the buddhi.
Each human being possesses the capacity to consult the discriminative faculty of buddhi. We all have intuitive access to the knowledge that can answer life’s most perplexing questions—if we can only learn to quiet the mind and look within.
The Chandogya Upanishad teaches, “Tat tvam asi.” It means: Thou art That. In other words, you are what you have been seeking. And when you actually experience this truth through your sadhana, Thou and That literally become One.
In practical terms, each imagined distinction and every space between you and the objects of your perception is annihilated, and you become “One with the Father.” You really are not a woman nor a man. You are neither black nor white, rich nor poor, fearful nor fearless, angry nor forgiving, stressed nor calm, happy nor sad. You may be aware of a male or female body. You may be aware of poverty or wealth, stress or calm, anger or forgiveness, but You, on the highest level of consciousness, are none of these. You are the Eternal Witness—pure Consciousness having a human experience.
Being aware of that Eternal Witness and abiding in the Self, you always have access to the wisdom of guru. The more you rely on that light within, the more you become free to transform the contractive nature of preya skillfully into an ever-expanding, creative resource.
It’s all so very simple. Logically, it must be simple. In order to be available to every human being on an equal basis, the pathway to Happiness must be the common denominator, and that common denominator is pure consciousness—awareness within. You don’t have to be of a certain race. You don’t need a high school diploma or college degree, or to be the follower of any particular religion. You are merely asked to be awake, like every great sage, to hear and to serve the wisdom of guru in mind, action and speech.