Guru Purnima 2007

On the calendar of religious festivals in India there is to be found a special festival, Guru Purnima, devoted to the Master, called Guru in that country. This festival is celebrated every year at full moon in the Hindu month of Ashad throughout India and in Hindu temples across the world. This year, at Sacha Dham, Maharajji’s ashram in Rishikesh, it will be celebrated on Monday, 30th July.
On this occasion, disciples from all over India and even from abroad will participate. On that day, there will be a ceremony in the ashram temple and Maharajji will deliver a message to all his disciples. The ceremony will end with the blessings which the holy Master will shower on all, present or absent.
It is highly recommended that we inwardly connect ourselves to this ceremony and to Maharajji on that special day.

Why is there Such a Festival?
From a historical and traditional point of view, this festival is celebrated in memory of the great Instructor and Master, Vyasa who, it is said, wrote the Vedas and certain other important books of the Hindu Scriptures. Vyasa, also called Veda-Vyasa, has thus become the Guru of Hinduism. Later on, this festival was held to honour all the Gurus who, from age to age continue to spread divine light for the benefit of all beings.
The word “Guru” (Master ), is formed from two syllables of which the first “Gu” means “darkness”, “ignorance”, and the second “Ru” meaning “light”. The word “Guru” therefore means the one who dispels darkness and brings light.

Destructive Doubt
One often hears this question: Why is it that in India there are many saints and through all the ages, without exception, contrary to other parts of the world? In fact, one of the main explanations is to be found in this special relationship which Indians have with their Master, their Guru. Indeed, for Indians who are just as monotheistic as those who claim to be so in other parts of the world, God, who is inaccessible in His transcendance (Parabrahman is the Absolute, the transcendent One), manifests Himself fully through those who have attained spiritual realization, so as to be accessible to men. Consequently, for a Hindu, the Master, the Guru represents the living incarnation of the Divinity.

This attitude creates in the student a true link of confidence and firm faith in his Instructor. The effect of this is that the disciple more easily has access to the soul of the Master, for there is a spiritual law according to which, if a believer or a disciple doubts his Master or any Divinity, he can never create a spiritual relationship with him. Why is that so? It has been explained that doubt raises an impassable barrier between the disciple and the Master (or the Divinity). From the time a barrier is created, the light from the Master cannot reach the one who doubts, and so he remains in darkness. There is a good reason why Scriptures in all religions have always recommended that the believer have faith. It was not at all because there was the desire to have submissive people, who never thought about what they were told, but on the contrary is was so that people would not raise a barrier between them and the Divinity. One who doubts can follow all the yogas and disciplines he likes, but this will be to no avail for each spiritual discipline is not only a set of techniques, but also a psychic and spiritual link which connects the Master and the disciple.

Consequently, when, through faith, confidence and sadhana, the disciple gains access to the Master’s soul, the latter can transfer directly to him his own light and knowledge on the subtle planes.

Masters Act According to the Law of Harmony
Does one find elsewhere than in India disciples with the same attitude of confidence and faith in their Master? In these regions other than in India, does the society acknowledge the existence of Masters? Do they not try systematically to discredit anyone who calls himself a spiritual teacher? Isn’t he often suspected of being an imposter or a person trying to live at the expense of others? Unfortunately, the few cases of fraud are seen as being the rule and today in certain countries, the word “spirituality” itself is looked upon with suspicion. It is therefore not surprising that those regions of the world do not produce as many Masters, and the very few ones who incarnate there are obliged to work anonymously.

Masters act according to the law of harmony. A Master manifests himself in a place where the spiritual atmosphere is conducive to his physical existence from the vibratory point of view on one hand, but also that of his spiritual work on the other. He cannot carry out his work where no open hearts aspire to infinity. No doctor would want to operate a sick person in a place full of germs. Thoughts of suspicion, doubt and mistrust towards a Master are like germs and cannot attract him for they are very inharmonious. And do not count on him to waste his time justifying who he is. He will only shake the dust off his feet and go far away from there.

The Bridge of Confidence and Faith
If, on the other hand there is faith, if there is confidence, and if, added to this there is a sincere effort to seriously follow one’s sadhana, then one has started off on the highway to spiritual enlightenment. Faith alone is not enough, but without it, nothing can be done.
All those who have read the Gospels remember that Lord Jesus Christ insisted on one having firm faith. We remember the example of how Peter, who was walking quite well on the water as his Master had told him to, started to sink as soon as he became afraid (Matthew 14:25-33). We also remember the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who, with faith, asked Jesus to heal him. Jesus did so saying “Go your way, your faith has made you well” and he immediately recovered his sight. (Mark 10:46-53)

The Bhagavad Gita, in chapter 4, verses 39 and 40 stresses :
"The man who is full of faith, who is devoted to it, and who has subdued all the senses, obtains (this) knowledge; and, having obtained the knowledge, he goes at once to the supreme peace.
The ignorant, the faithless, the doubting self proceeds to destruction; there is neither this world nor the other nor happiness for the doubting."

Hindus who have understood these spiritual laws for millenniums know, and rightly so, the place of the Master on the Earth, and they are right to consider that God is the Guru and that the Guru is God. This can seem shocking to certain people, but in the long run, which other country has seen as many saints as India? Hasn’t this country’s practice proved to be effective? Time alone decides what the value of each thing in the world is...

A Summary of the Present Task

As we have seen, according to Maharajji and the Masters of the Sacha lineage, a great cycle is starting off at the present moment, and will progressively bring light to the world. From now on, each person must turn his consciousness towards God in order to be in harmony with the powerful vibrations and energies of this cycle. Turning towards God does not at all mean retiring to monastic and religious orders as formerly. Turning towards God today means making God the centre of one’s life by devoting to Him even a minimum of one hour a day in prayer, meditation or any other valid spiritual practice. But along with this spiritual practice, one must have a loving heart, be tolerant, open to others, concerned about the Common Good. At the same time, one must live a normal family life, carry out one’s professional activities, thus serving society to the best of one’s ability.

A Great Adventure
It is not simple to follow such a discipline, especially in the beginning, for each of us has already acquired so many habits in life that it is difficult to change them. However, whoever wants to achieve such results always does everything in his power to succeed. Each person, when he is motivated enough, always manages to move mountains. Why wouldn’t he succeed in the greatest adventure in his life called the “quest for the Divinity within”? This is the first reason for his coming into the world, it must never be forgotten. Maharajji does not invite anyone to adopt a particular religion. He rather teaches a technique of yoga, an inner attitude based on the heart to find the God within each of us, who is the reflection of the universal God. Maharajji always stresses the importance of the heart, which could be summarized thus : live with your heart, see others with your heart, do everything with your heart, for the heart is the centre of love in man and love is God.

Be Courageous
Much courage is needed to take this step. But is there anything in this world which is of great worth and for which courage and hard personal work are not necessary? Many people remember Lord Jesus Christ’s parable of the hidden treasure in the Gospels when speaking about the Kingdom of God, a symbolical name for the state acquired by those who have attained spiritual realization.

“The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds a treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. A person like that is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.” (Matthew 13:44)
This is exactly, almost word for word what Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita. (6:22 – 23)
“After Self-Realization, one does not regard any other gain superior to it. Established in this state, one is not moved even by the greatest calamity.”
“The (state of) severance of union with sorrow is known by the name of yoga. This yoga should be practised with firm determination and perseverance, without any mental reservation or doubts."

What Prometheus Accomplished
Naturally, a wise person does not take this path to the Kingdom of God to enjoy eternal beatitude, for that would be selfish behaviour, although not of a low type. Each human being is potentially a Prometheus, the Greek Titan who stole divine fire to give men, although it was a great sacrifice for him. Consequently, a kind-hearted person with a sense of duty takes the path of realizing the Divinity especially because it is necessary to help suffering humanity, show men in a practical manner and step by step the way to peace and endless freedom without hindrance. That is why all true Masters sacrifice themselves. They remain among men to serve them although they do not have anything to learn here. Joy, happiness and divine blessings are only flowers found on the way, but they are not the goal. So with steadfast determination, let us take the path leading to the conquest of our eternity and immortality. In doing so, we will become an agent of the Divinity for the good of all beings who are, in fact ourselves, in spite of how things may appear because of maya (illusion).

A World-wide Chain of Pilgrims
It is marvellous that from now on, this quest for the Divinity within is an adventure which is both collective and individual, in that the entire humanity is involved in it, even though today everybody is not aware of it. But progressively, as the years go by, circumstances will be created and each person will become consciously involved. We will be even stronger if we hold one another’s hands to go up the path together, and lean on one another !

May Maharajji’s peace shine in our hearts and in all our being !

Meditation

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10)

Meditation is a very ancient technique that gives man access to the treasures of God which are in his heart. Its purpose is to create a channel of communication between the physical body and the soul, then with the Atma. There are several techniques for meditation, but we will not list them here.

Besides creating a channel between the upper and lower parts of our being, meditation calms the mind, refines the emotions and purifies the physical body, so that the outer man progressively becomes receptive to the influence of the soul. This results in the development of intuition which manifests itself more and more frequently. More and more often the disciple experiences a certain inner peace which he had never felt before, and which becomes stronger as he practices meditation. He then becomes more tolerant and loving.

It is Said That Patience is a Virtue!

With time, if the disciple meditates regularly, one day the outer man and the soul merge and become one, resulting in the soul’s perfectly ruling the outer man. It must be known that it is necessary to live many lives before these results are manifested, for in nature everything develops slowly. That is why one has to be very patient. Concerning this point, the Masters advise us to always practice meditation without seeking any results, for it is sure that once we have followed the programme given, this will ineluctably bear fruit in due time, when God sees that the disciple is ready... Maharajji usually says that it is little by little that the disciple becomes transformed. In fact, when the disciple meditates, inner transformation takes place in his subtle bodies and in what is called chakras. (We have already indicated in a preceding article how much it is dangerous to try to artificially develop one’s chakras through “miraculous” experiences found in books or on the advice of people who do not know what they are doing”.)

The Master sees these transformations with his divine eyes before they manifest outer effects. However, the disciple himself notices nothing in the beginning; he therefore concludes that nothing is happening and often becomes discouraged. This is a common mistake. Practising sadhana is like a farmer sowing seeds in the soil. When he has finished this simple work, nothing seems to happen in the first few days. But the farmer knows from experience what will take place, and so does not become impatient. He does what is necessary, i.e. weed the ground and prevent the seeds from being eaten by birds and small animals. He then waits as long as necessary, and in general after a few days, a small, frail plant comes up out of the soil, on its way irresistibly up towards the heights! The farmer was not worried before the germination, because he knows that seeds go through different phases of transformation in the soil, and that this entire cycle must be completed before the shoot appears above the ground.

Cumulations of the Past

Of course, we see that certain disciples get results quickly, and seem to progress extremely rapidly. This is not due to a miracle or to God showing favouritism, for God is never unfair, and basically miracles do not exist. What seems to us to be rapid progress is due to the fact that these disciples had already attained or got close to those levels in their past lives and so in this life, they simply get back up to that level first of all, before going beyond it, if they pursue their sadhana. Indeed, in each life, one must first of all get back up to the level one had in one’s last life before progressing when one becomes an adult. In fact, the different bodies of a child cannot bear the high vibrations of the soul and consequently, the spiritual level reached in the last life is toned down.

Nothing is Better than a Sure Guide

It can be added that the best thing is to practice meditation under the guidance of one's Master. Certain people will reply that they do not need a Master because they find meditation techniques in books and that all they need to do is just use them, and then all is fine! We will ask these people if they want to visit or cross a forest in an unknown country if it is better to just trust the descriptions given by friends, follow information given in a guide book, or rather go with a person from that region who knows the forest well? Everyone will agree that is is better to choose a guide from the region rather than descriptions from friends or books, however detailed they may be!

And why have we drawn a parallel between meditation and visiting or crossing a forest? Simply because when one meditates, one’s consciousness goes on high planes which are not the physical plane one is used to. So one needs to be guided by a person who is used to being there and who knows them as we know the physical plane. Furthermore, there are certain ways of meditating which can be prejudicial to the disciple. If he has a Master, the latter will step in on the subtle planes to correct these errors.

In Good Hands

Maharajji intervenes in that way from time to time to help his disciples when it is necessary to set right certain situations, whether the disciples be in Rishikesh or at the other end of the world, for his divine eye constantly watches over his disciples. This help can be given through intuition, dreams or direct spiritual perception. If the disciple has spiritual faculties which are developed enough, he can then clearly hear the voice of the Master recommending that he do this or that or correct some wrong way of doing things. But that is not all. The Master is also the one who, when he judges that the disciple has made sufficient progress, gives him additional spiritual energy to raise his consciousness up to a level which the latter alone would never have been able to reach.

The Flowers of Ardent Aspiration

Naturally, for different reasons, certain seekers will not be able to leave their country to go and find a Master living in India or elsewhere. In that case, through spiritual aspiration, prayer and devotion towards the Master one has chosen, one places oneself under his spiritual guidance. The Master is an essentially spiritual being and he knows who, in the entire world, aspires to be guided by him. So if the seeker is worthy, the Master will guide and protect him even if they have never met each other in this life. We have reported such a case in this blog with the story of the Dutch nun in the section “His Disciples’ Stories”. This nun had never physically met Maharajji, but he guided her whenever necessary. Many sincere seekers have successfully experienced this solution. On the other hand, if it is possible to go and see the Master, nothing is better than to go and spend some time with him, for he can better help a student who is available for a short time, free from the daily cares of the world.

Indeed, here we are speaking about energies, and these energies can only be given by the Master when conditions are right, otherwise the opposite results may happen. Seriously ill people are only operated on by doctors when the requirements for hygiene and whatever is necessary for the operation are met, so as not to put the patient’s life in danger. Masters act in the same way. They cannot grant too great a quantity of energy to a person who is deeply immersed in the world, drinks alcohol regularly (one could give other examples of ways of living which are dangerous when one wants to attain high planes of consciousness), whose mind is not calm or who does not sufficiently master his emotions. When one is near a Master, one usually makes an effort to be pure enough and this makes the transmission of energies easier.

Do not do one thing and its opposite

One last thing before finishing this article. Formerly, people who wanted to practice meditation and a sadhana, generally retired to monasteries, caves or isolated places to escape from the turmoil of life and solicitations of all kinds. This is no longer what is suitable today. Maharajji says that we should practice spirituality wherever we are, and at the same time carry out our duties to society. Each cycle has its requirements. However, this advice does not mean that someone who wants to progress spiritually can give in to whatever goes on in this modern world. One must be, as the saying goes, “in the world but not of it”. Indeed, certain habits are not conducive to progress, in particular indulging in a lot of alcohol, too much meat, too much sensual practices, being too materialistic. Here, it is not a case of morality for, generally speaking, morality is only a deformed image of a natural law which has not been perceived clearly. If we say that these above practices are contrary to progress, that is because they weigh down the subtle bodies instead of refining them. Therefore to indulge in them while following one’s sadhana is like wanting to go somewhere and then taking one step forward and two backwards. What will the result be?

Having said that, all those who up to now have been living like that are not less worthy to start a sadhana than others. Who can throw a stone at his brother, don’t we all go through that stage? What is important is to progressively break with the habits of the past. In the end, Mary Magdalene whose life had not been a model of virtue before the meeting with Jesus, turned out to be more virtuous than certain disciples who had been with the Christ in Palestine from the very beginning ... It is the devotion which one shows to the Path, the Master and to God which counts and not what one is today. When one has a lot of devotion, weaknesses are easily overcome!

May Maharajji’s peace be with all!