viernes, 8 de julio de 2016

The importance of a true Guru



Guru:
.- In Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, a personal spiritual teacher
.- Any of the ten spiritual teachers who developed Sikhism between the 16th and 18th centuries
.- A trusted counselor and adviser; a mentor
.- A popular or influential leader or advocate, as of a movement or idea 

.- A person who has a lot of experience in or knowledge about a particular subject 


Sometimes is impossible to avoid to talk about political facts during the meetings of the circle; actuality is too important and we touch it with respect for everybody always trying to do it differently to the common approach. This time the Brexit gave rise to the discussion. The speaker is known for his skeptic view on actuality and blazes that we are only puppets in hands of the big power of the 137 corporations or 60 decision makers. Commenting the process spoke about the people that emerge as Guru and create tendency and influence people to the point to appear as Illuminati in actual businesses or politics. 

-- It is necessary to be attentive and know if a guru is real or not. The verse 17 of the Guru Gita aptly describes the guru as a "dispeller of darkness" (gu= darkness, ru= that which dispels). The guru is similar to a teacher, guide, expert or master in any field. Traditionally in spiritual items but also lately in any sector in modern society. Having a teacher to guide us in any field is invaluable, but a guru is very different to a teacher or a preacher. He is a beacon of light in our personal world, and leads us to discover what is in us and what we really believe, if spiritual the universal principles that underlie all religions and cultures; if material the working mode below from what we see; and if personal development in understanding ourselves and our reactions, letting us always free to follow one way or an other. And this makes the point a guru never imposes just shows ways or provokes doubts that we solve with our analysis. In politics and economics all newspapers comment and discuss theories and applications, but what happens in our lives? In our personal sphere when we are not even interested in yoga, spirituality, religion or even moral improvement? Can this even be the case? Not be interested in personal development? The answer is no, we can't avoid being interested in our live. To start with for two simple reasons: is OUR live and all we do affects us. And this so called OUR live is not more than a bunch of emotions packed together in a bundle that we try to organize.

And this is the point: our emotions are really dominating our life. We speak since a few years about emotional intelligence, emotional guidance in all and discover also that governments have used our emotions to dominate us. But this is not new, we have seen this in history with the so called charismatic leaders that were  able to move people and create revolutions.

And what does this have to do with gurus, personal life and finding the right guru? All this is related don't enter in despair. Our bunch of emotions reacts according to what we learned during our first education. Education might be a science... but with not many real good experts. Even with the best education the person may feel emotionally isolated or unstable without being aware of it. And this will influence all actions in life. Emotional alteration can be the real deep root of addictions, illness, chronic diseases and not be detected as in itself is not a disease, is only a gap, a trauma in childhood if we could call it so. The fact is that to avoid the terrible isolation we arrive to the opposite: addiction, need of constant attention. Within this panorama our society tells us, demands us to be smiling, positive and optimistic and not to be negative.... and this creates again an emotional problem.

Pink glasses don't allow reality to intrude on our perception of the world. We can't see things as they are if we have to maintain the falsely rosy view that our society imposes. The contradiction between what we know, feel and are obliged to accept / believe is fatal. Positive thinkers die much quicker. And here comes the point, to really survive we need to think, not positively, not negatively, just think. Thinking means to look at all as it is, to discover or rediscover without denial of reality being conscious and aware of our own limitations and development due to the social stress oppressing us. And to help in all this, our individual instinct is nominating as personal guru someone only because we seem to see in this person the answers to what we look for, even not knowing what it is. Until people manage to change society personal suffering is going to happen and except a few emotionally ill people, nobody wants to suffer. Is normal that we look around and try to follow the best way. We seem not to search but are attentive to see if we can recognize someone that can help us in progressing in the science of being and art of living.

We may find people from whom we can learn the Art of Thinking, or that show us the Art of Speaking and even tha can teach the Art of Action. Each one of them can be a guru as far as we find in them the answer we are looking for. Some can even add the Art of Behavior and Understanding or the Key to Good Health. We may discover answers on Right and Wrong and ways to arrive to them. And even so they may be all false gurus. The first reason is that we all are emotionally different and have different needs. People have different levels of knowledge and experience, also the pretended gurus. We all may have passed through a similar stage as someone now close to us, similar not equal. Experience can not be transmitted.

We may find answers and stimuli to arrive to them in some indications, views, hints or comments, but is OUR work to develop it. Not to stay with the information, keeping and accepting it. The true Guru will make us doubt more than one time; will show a subtle way to follow, not impose any view and push us to continue till we arrive or return. Beware of the Guru that has all answers, avoid him. A true guru has limits and doesn't hide them. In all items versed gurus are only skilled people ready to cultivate the own ego. A true Guru is only helping in some points; knows the importance of the seed. Growth is only personal work.  



6 comentarios:

  1. Me gusta el blog porque los temas son punto de arranque para una discusión pero en este post creo que falta un toque al peligro de las sectas. Iluminados que dominan especialmente a quienes son emocionalmente más inestables.

    La inestabilidad o alteración emocional infantil como causa de enfermedades crónicas o adicciones si es real abre la puerta a una robotización muy preocupante.

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  2. Gracias Herminio.

    Hay mucha literatura acerca de la inestabilidad emocional como cause de adicciones y enfermedades crónicas y sí, es preocupante que pueda ser usada para "mejorar nuestro estado general". Algún día aprenderemos a cooperar y no a tratarnos a nosotros mismos.

    Sectas... es algo aparte; también los grupos en los que se aprende de varios maestros y no solo de uno. En lamasterios, en tribus africanas, en la sociedad moderna, existe esta figura pero siempre el avance es individual a base de no aceptar y si comprender.

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  3. Cuentan que un noble le preguntó al maestro Hakuin:
    -¿Qué le sucede cuando muere a quien ha alcanzado la iluminación?
    -¿Por qué me lo preguntas?
    -Porque eres un maestro zen.
    - Sí, pero no un maestro zen muerto.

    Los gurús no tienen todas las respuestas como se ve.

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    Respuestas
    1. Tienes razón, por suerte no las tienen. Si las tuvieran todo sería comprensible o todo estaría predeterminado.

      Gracias por el apunte.

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  4. Thank you... As always wisely... Provocative ... Makes think...
    In some moments of our life we all may need "guru"- somebody we trust and consider wiser us, in other moments we have to think ourselves ...but in any case , it's wonderful to have somebody wise in your life who can guid you if you need, push you , support you if you doubt... But of course even the "smartest in the world " guru cannot to live your life instead of you...
    Thank you ...

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    Respuestas
    1. Thank you for the comment. The post should be provocative yes, at least help to think about what is commented.

      Gurus have a limited time to be acting as such. We all evolve and need an other view and Gurus normally don't know about all. "Beware of the Guru that has all answers".

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