On the occasion of Guru Purnima, Gurudev explores how spiritual masters and their students relate with each other on six different levels.
Gurudev recently shared the following insights about the six different levels of relationships with a guru:
1. In the first and highest level of the relationship between master and student, there is no “two”, no difference. That unity of consciousness is really no relationship at all. It's just the realization of the non-dual highest.
2. Then comes the second level, recognizing the greatness, wherein the master sees no imperfection in the student, and the student sees no imperfection in the master. In greatness, there are no imperfections.
3. Then, in the third level, there's a gap. The master speaks from one place and the student receives from another. There’s no perfect sync, but there’s understanding and effort from both sides.
4. The fourth level is a divine connection with all different emotions. The connection involves going through and accepting many emotions.
5. The fifth one is divine and not so divine. In this connection, the student wants the maximum but lives in his own world, starts finding faults, and then takes one step in and one step out. These are people who come to the path to get something that isn’t spiritual. They enjoy it when others see them as spiritual, so they get photographs taken, etc. They use the knowledge to attain trivial goals and purposes.
6. The last one isn’t divine. You can’t escape learning. If you don’t want to do something, you learn that when somebody does those things. They’ve automatically taught you something. Somebody made a mistake, you saw that and learned not to do it.
Learning from doubt
Some masters feel that their disciples are hopeless. They examine whether someone is really worth teaching. Is the student able to learn? A master gets some doubt and says, “Am I spending my time well? Is the person worth my time? Why should I waste my energy?”
If there’s fertile soil, you can sow the seed. I’ve heard this from many masters. What are you doing sowing seeds on a rock? It’s of no use.
Many teachers distance themselves. But adamant students chase their master, saying, “Yes, I’m worth your time and energy.” In this relationship, there’s a connection despite a gap. In these cases, they go through all different emotions, sometimes anger, happiness, and tears.
When you go beyond emotions, you see the differences, and then one step past that is the great relationship. Then, questions disappear. There are no wants. You’re simply there, radiating bliss, beauty, and energy. You want to be fully soaked in joy and wisdom.
Hopelessness on both sides
Some teachers have strong faith in students. Even if they go astray or are into anti-social activities, the master still tries to bring them compassionately to the path.
Usually, the positivity is with the master and the negativity is with the student, but the opposite happens too. Sometimes the master is hopeless, but a student’s faith can uplift everyone.
Your connectivity to yourself is what is important in all of this. Self, mastery, and divinity aren’t different. You are divine. That’s the message. You are that.
Guru puja says there’s one thing that is eternal and pure, without blemish, that doesn’t move or change. The witness of all thoughts and emotions is beyond feelings yet contains everything.
Infinite space
Who am I? I am the space, not an outer person or a personality. I’m infinite space, the consciousness in everything as everything. You learn this step by step or in one stroke.
You have no escape from the guru. You learn. Even when someone says, “Don’t follow any guru,” and you heed their advice, then they’ve become your guru. If you follow someone’s words, you’ve followed them.
There’s no escape because you always learn and unlearn. A guru’s job isn’t just giving you information, but it’s also making you learn and unlearn to achieve big and small things. On Guru Purnima, rejoice and feel grateful for this wisdom. It lightens the path of life, uplifts the spirit, and makes your life rich in the real sense.
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Editor’s note:
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