It is easy to search for something tangible in the world, but searching for something intangible is difficult. When one sets out, or rather sets in, on the inward journey of truth, he is precisely in this dilemma. He knows nothing about the truth, and yet he looks for it. He yearns for it. This is where the role of the guru comes into play.
Some seekers are available in the guru’s presence while some are not, but the guru’s grace embraces them all. The guru showers his grace and attention on the seekers in many different ways. Each way is meant for a particular kind of seekers and helps them realize the ultimate goal of Self-realization and Self-stabilization.
The way of the turtle: While laying eggs, the turtle emerges from the ocean and lays her eggs safely beneath the soft wet layer of sand. After hiding her eggs safely, the mother returns to the ocean. The hatchlings grow and break out of the tough shell when they are ready. In this process, the eggs hatch even though the mother turtle is far away in the ocean, without any direct contact with the eggs. Similarly, even though the seeker is far away from the guru, the guru’s attention remains with him, propelling him on the journey of truth.
The way of the hen: The hen has a different method of hatching her eggs. The hen doesn’t leave her eggs even for a little while. After laying eggs, she sits on them until they become ripe and hatch. This process is called incubation. It is this constant force of loving warmth that helps the eggs hatch.
The guru trains consistent and focused attention on certain seekers by taking their ego to task relentlessly and delivering knocks. It helps to weaken their ego gradually. It is when the haughty ego dissolves that the true Self can blissfully shine forth. The guru employs this way for the sincere advanced truth seekers to annihilate their ego.
He also uses this way for seekers who are deeply conditioned and closed from within. Such seekers continue with their follies until the guru lashes out at them. The deeply rooted tendencies and habits ingrained in their body-mind during their upbringing pose a hurdle for Self-realization. Due to certain incidents during their childhood, their heart remains emotionally shut, and they feel deprived of love.
When such seekers approach the guru for the ultimate freedom, the guru guides them to honestly bring out all that has happened with them without any prejudices.
When they bring out their so-called story and accept it wholeheartedly, they take the first step towards Self-realization. The guru’s continuous and constant force of grace liberates them to realize their true nature beyond all such conditioning. This force of grace is akin to the caring warmth that the hen lends to its eggs to hatch out of the limiting shell.
The way of the bird paying direct attention: When birds lay and keep their eggs in their nest, they generally fly nearby and are available most of the time. They keep looking at the eggs with joy and eagerly await their hatching. Visualization of the hatching of healthy chicks from their eggs is the subject of their attention.
The guru attends to those who are available before him through his seeing. He knows the situation of each seeker – the situations that they are coping with, where they get stuck, whether they are really contemplating the teachings, the extent to which they live as victims of their past conditioning, how they cater to the whims and fancies of their mind.
He assesses the purpose of their visit and the extent of their devotedness to the truth. The purpose should be to raise their level of receptivity and thirst for the truth. With the constant loving attention of the guru, such seekers break out of their ignorance.
The way of the bird paying indirect attention: Some birds never pay any direct heed to their eggs, but all they do is dance and sing around their nest. There is no direct attention on the eggs. It is only their joyful presence that works! The power of their presence helps these eggs to hatch.
Some seekers are not directly in touch with the guru, neither are they given direct attention, yet they are only asked to be available in a receptive state. Devotion and contemplation on the truth is the way for these seekers to remain in the presence of the Guru essence and break the shell of their ego to realize their true Self.
An ignorant and egoistic seeker might say, “I have been to the spiritual congregation, but no one pays heed to me.” But he doesn’t realize that he has been asked to be available. This itself is his practice of devotion, his sadhana.
Of all the four ways that we discussed, at least one is applicable to each of the seekers of truth to help break their shell of ignorance and ego, attain Self-realization, and stabilize in that experience.
In this age, when there are numerous so-called spiritual disciplines, it is difficult for an earnest seeker of the ultimate truth to find the true guru to guide him. “The Light of Grace” is a book that contains conversations between seekers of Truth and Sirshree that systematically unravels how to recognize the true guru. It explains the profound significance of the guru’s role in a seeker’s life. The Guru’s presence is the light of grace that guides you to be established in the experience of the true Self. You then experientially realize that Guru, God, Grace, and the real You, are one!
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