Chetan Prabhakar As per Verse 4.34 of the Bhagavad Gita, one should approach a bonafide spiritual master to learn the truth as the self-realized spiritual master can impart the knowledge, because he has seen the truth, however, the question is: how to know who is a bonafide spiritual master? To reach this juncture, where we can actually know who is a bonafide spiritual master, we have to start our spiritual journey alone and on the path of self-realization, when we gain knowledge by self-study and practice, we shall start finding many bonafide spiritual Masters and Gurus, who will help us in our journey of self-realization and finding the truth. It is said, ‘when the seeker is ready; the master appears’. Thus, the most important thing is to start the spiritual journey by becoming your own Guru first and then on the path, many spiritual gurus and masters will come into to your life to teach you different aspects of self-realization and steadfast your spiritual journey. The only requirement is your dedicated, consistent and patient approach. Who was the Guru of Buddha? The Buddha got enlightenment under a tree of wisdom. So, in case of the Buddha, wisdom tree was the Guru. So why not in our journey of self-realization, we should also find a tree of wisdom and make it one of our Gurus. When you sit under a tree and meditate there, it will give you its energy because trees are most awake living beings on theEarth. In Upanishads, Trees are said to be the incarnation of Shankar who takes in the poison (carbon dioxide) and give nectar (oxygen). As Chanakya has said, ‘religious austerities should be practiced alone’. Hence, we have to start our spiritual practise alone, and with time, many great spiritual masters will appear and teach us by different modes and make our spiritual practise strong and steady. This is also important for us to know that Gurus can only initiate different wholesome seeds of self-realization and then, the journey is our own to find our own truth and have self-realization; by watering these wholesome seeds.Different Gurus will give us different seeds in the form of their teachings:one Guru may teach us an art of meditation, mindfulness and living in the present moment;another may teach us a lesson of patience and serenity; other may teach us the lesson of compassion, peace and love; someone may teach us the art of relaxation; someone may teach us how to look divinity within our own self; one can teach us how to dream meditatively;someone can teach us how to transcend ego, how to let go and remove attachments and: some can teach us a lesson of eternal bliss and happiness. So, when we can have many gurus to teach us many things, then, why to stick ourselves to one person. As venerable Dr. Ajay Kotwal, an enlightened mystic and a Guru of Gurus says, ‘when you have the fortune and luxury to take refuge and blessing from so many Gurus and all the God/Goddess of this cosmos, then, why should you follow and stick yourself to a single Guru. He says, learn from all of them and make all of the known and unknownGurus’part of your spiritual journey towards self-realization.’ Also, a true Guru will ignite a Guru within you. As said by venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, Eminent Zen Master and Father of Mindfulness that ‘A true teacher, a true spiritual partner, is one who encourages you to look deeply in yourself for the beauty and love you are seeking. The true teacher is someone who helps you discover the teacher in yourself’. It is also important to note that any spiritual practice to know the truth or your true-self will never include dogmas and/or superstitions as for one who has realised the truth, he will never believe in any kind of superstitions and/or dogmas. Also, Self-realised souls do not discriminate between good or bad, pure or impure, complete or incomplete and pious or impious, as for them, everything is created by the Supreme and everything is fine and anything is okay which comes on its own accord and theyare away from all kind of dualities. Verse 2.45 of the Bhagavad Gita provides that’The Vedas deal mainly with the subject of three modes of material nature. O Arjuna, become transcendental to these three modes. Be free from all dualities and form all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the self.’In view thereof, a true transcendentalist has to go beyond the three modes of material nature that are a) Sattvam (Goodness); b) Rajah (Passion) and: c) Tamah (Ignorance). If a Guru is preaching and believes in dogmas and/or superstitions, then, we need to open our eyes to his reality and see if he/she is a true Guru. If you really want to look out for a teacher or Guru, then, you need to look for the transcendental qualities which are enumerated in Verse 16.1-3 of Bhagavad Gita which are as follows: ‘16.1-3 The Supreme Personality of Godhead said; Fearlessness; purification of one’s existence; cultivation of spiritual knowledge; charity; self-control; performance of sacrifice; study of the Vedas; austerity; simplicity; nonviolence; truthfulness; freedom form anger; renunciation; tranquillity; aversion to fault finding; compassion for all living entities; freedom from covetousness; gentleness; modesty; steady determination; vigour; forgiveness; fortitude; cleanliness; and freedom from envy and from the passion of honour-these transcendental qualities, O Son of Bharata, belong to the Godly men endowed with divine nature.’ In view of the aforesaid, the Ture Guru or Bonafide Spiritual Master will be someone who has gone beyond all kinds of dualities and hasthe aforesaid transcen dental qualities; may not all but most of them; because, self-realization is a journey and even the Guru has to keep learning throughout his life to imbibe all of these qualities. Therefore, till the time, we find a Ture Guru or a Bonafide Spiritual Master; let us start our spiritual journey on our own and find a Guru with into imbibe the transcendental qualities. (The author is a Mindfulness & Life Coach and a Modern-dayYogi at Sachetan-The Mind Gym)
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