Who Is A Guru In The True Sense
My Guru Sadhguru, is a renowned Indian yogi, mystic, and the founder of the Isha Foundation. This non-profit spiritual organization offers various programs to enhance human well-being and foster spiritual growth. Sadhguru has dedicated his life to exploring the deepest dimensions of life and has a unique ability to make the ancient yogic sciences relevant to contemporary minds.
A Live Guru
In Sadhguru’s perspective, a live guru is indispensable for one’s spiritual journey because of the experiential nature of spiritual realization. It is not just about gaining knowledge or information but about shifting one’s perception and experience of life.
Spiritual growth is a deeply personal process. A live guru can provide tailored guidance and support based on the specific challenges and experiences of the seeker. Spiritual truths cannot be understood solely by intellectualizing or reading about them. They are experiential. A live guru, who has personally experienced these truths, can guide seekers in a practical, experiential manner.
Certain aspects of spiritual processes involve a transference of energy from the guru to the seeker, which can only occur in the presence of a live guru. A live guru serves as a role model for seekers. By observing the guru, seekers can imbibe the qualities of equanimity, joy, and inner peace.
A guru is often described as a mirror. They reflect our limitations, not to criticize or judge, but to bring awareness to our unconscious patterns and help us transcend them. The journey of self-realization is a journey into the unknown. A guru acts as a compass, pointing the direction. They also act as a catalyst, accelerating the process of inner transformation.
While scriptures and books can provide a theoretical understanding, a live guru offers direct, experiential knowledge and personalized guidance, which is critical to spiritual development. As Sadhguru often says, “A guru is not a person. A guru is a certain space, a certain energy. It can only be done in a certain way.”
An Ancient Rishi Amongst Us
In many ways, Sadhguru embodies the wisdom and spirit of the ancient Rishis or seers of India. Just like these Rishis, he is not bound by any particular religion or dogma but emphasizes experiential spirituality, urging individuals to explore their inner realms through self-effort. He stresses the same fundamental truth that the Rishis expounded – that the ultimate reality is within us, and the purpose of human life is to realize this inherent divinity.
Much like the ancient Rishis, Sadhguru uses various tools to assist seekers on their spiritual journey. These include meditation, yoga, pranayama, and practical wisdom for living a fulfilled life. His teachings conveyed through powerful discourses, books, and social media, echo the timeless wisdom of the Rishis, yet are presented in a modern, accessible, and often humorous manner, making them relatable to the contemporary seeker.
This generation is indeed fortunate to have Sadhguru amongst us, for he bridges the gap between the ancient wisdom of India and the needs of today’s world. His teachings guide us to look inward, which is more important now than ever, as humanity faces complex challenges both externally in the world and internally within the mind. By inspiring millions to turn inward and unlock their ultimate potential, Sadhguru is instrumental in bringing about a spiritual awakening in the world, much like the ancient Rishis did in their times.
The Dispeller of Darkness
The term “Guru” is derived from the Sanskrit language, in which “gu” means darkness and “ru” means dispeller or remover. So, a Guru is often described as one who removes or dispels the darkness of ignorance. This ignorance is not merely a lack of factual knowledge but a more profound misunderstanding of the nature of reality and one’s self.
In spiritual terms, darkness often signifies the state of unawareness or ignorance about the true nature of the universe and oneself, while light signifies knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment. A Guru, therefore, is seen as a guide or a teacher who illuminates the path to self-realization, helps seekers uncover their true nature, and assists in navigating the often confusing and challenging spiritual journey.
When Sadhguru says that a Guru is the dispeller of darkness, he’s referring to the transformative role a Guru plays in enlightening seekers by helping them overcome their ignorance and misconceptions. It doesn’t necessarily mean giving new information or knowledge to the seeker but rather aiding them in dispelling their misconceptions, thereby unveiling the innate wisdom and awareness within them.
Guru The Doorway
In many of his talks, Sadhguru has referred to the guru as a doorway. He means that a guru, or spiritual teacher, serves as a conduit or a bridge to higher dimensions of experience and consciousness.
A guru is not the end goal or the destination. Instead, the guru is a means to an end, the doorway that leads to self-realization or enlightenment. It’s important to remember that walking through a door is not to admire the door itself, but to enter into a new space, or in this context, a new dimension of experience.
In essence, Sadhguru emphasizes that a guru’s role is not to provide answers but to raise the right questions, not to give a doctrine but to give methods of self-realization, not to provide a map of the divine but to make one’s own body and mind the map.
A guru’s task is to assist the seeker in their journey of self-discovery, to help remove the barriers of ignorance and illusion that prevent them from recognizing their true nature. So, when Sadhguru says a guru is a doorway, he means that it helps open up new realms of spiritual understanding for the seeker, guiding them to discover their true self.
