The Guru! (According to Babuji)

Taken and translated from a comment by cri-cri on Elodie's French Blog: Pour Que vive le Sahaj Marg. (see the comment in an article called : Recettes de Cuisine Sahaj Marg by Sam

Cri-cri (Christian) was an abhyasi with Chari for 18 years. He has a Phd in, and is working as a, research psychologist and is also a "psycho linguist". See his blog (in French with some English): Analyse de la SRCM

(PS... As there is a controversy in Sahaj Marg about a "female" being a Master (The feminine equivalent of Master is Mistress) , and since Sister Kasturi acts as a "teacher, guide, Guru or Master", 4d-Don has added the "feminine" in red italics where appropriate. It is not in the original Babuji writings nor in Christian's comment.)

4d-don said:

I am officially opening: 4d-Don's Guru Counseling Services for "needy" Gurus. ;-))

When a Guru expresses openly his/her needs (desire) for his disciples to "keep your guru happy under all circumstances", then the Guru needs the disciples and the disciples do not need the Guru and they should be offered FREEDOM and LIBERATION from such a drain on their vital energies, which probably renders and leaves them emotional. It is unhealthy and not "SPIRITUAL" or Natural!

The Guru is then either sucking the disciples' vital energies, such as their emotions (love and adulation...creating ego), mind (constant thoughts or obsession), and physical (constant requests for money, time, service, etc.) much like a "vampire", or he is milking his serfs as if they were his own group "cash cow" his target market. He (the inferior Guru) also takes much of the focus and time away from the ULTIMATE and SPIRITUALITY, which is the raison d'etre of SRCM, Sahaj Marg and other such religious groups.

If your Master needs you to "make your guru happy under all circumstances", then he can't claim to teach Babuji's Sahaj Marg. Babuji's teachings and writings seem to infer that Chari's actions are evidence of his being an "inferior type of guru" ... Read below and see, using the brain as well as your "all", of course!



The GURU!

One need only read what is written by Babuji. While some people have focused people's attention on the typology of followers he had written about, and especially on the poor (bad) followers who do not do what is needed, Babuji was also committed to speaking about the bad gurus, or the risks that there are in attaching (one's self) to a guru.

Moreover, while a theological schism opposes those that had (or have) the nerve to usurp the role of "Living Master" and those who did not have the gall, but who ultimately like to play the "guru", there again, Babuji is sufficiently explicit to shine some light and to show that it is not so simple.

Some selected excerpts to put the record straight with a few comments in [brackets] so as to see things more clearly.


Excerpts from The Voice of Reality, t2 Complete Works, Ram Chandra (SRCM Publishing, 1993)


"The support of the Master," pp. 94-104


[sadhana =regulate the mind]

Appropriate regulation of the mind is essential to achieve inner peace (...). This must be the primary goal of any sadhana undertaken for this purpose. A sadhana is useless if it does not guarantee a sadhak a moderation of the trends of his mind. (...) Nearly all Sadhanas in principle have the same goal, which remains neglected.


[Robot-Guru or robot-abhyasis in the great imperial machine of the Sri Rajagopal Chari Mission = danger of getting lost]

(...) At the moment, the gurus, in their eagerness to impress people, also employ similar methods that actually take us very far from the field of spirituality. And their followers, who have lost all discernment, are unable to grasp it in its various shades and tones. They only attach to what is colored, and their mental, functioning mechanically demands nothing more than a mechanical guide, leading them by mechanical means.

Consequently, they (disciple) remain forever held back by the spells of their (guru) mechanical operations. They are not the only ones to blame in this regard. In fact, they are saturated to the point of being stunned by the slow poison which has been administered to them from the height of the soapboxes, by brilliant preachers who refer to themselves as saints and religious teachers of world renown. (...) This is the condition of the teachings and also of the teachers: the first is imbued with complacency and pride, while the second is overwhelmed by the desire of sensual pleasure, which he mistakenly took for a state of anandam.


[sadhana = abhyas + using a Living Master]


(...) The sadhana has two aspects: one, the abhyas, and the other, using the master. The abhyas are only intended to create in the abhyasi, internal conditions to attract the flow of divine grace, but it involves a personal effort. However, this personal effort is not enough by itself because it must be complemented by support from the Master. Indeed, all we need to realize our ultimate goal is God's grace and nothing else. (...) For this reason, using the Master is essential. In the early stages, divine grace flows into the abhyasi only through the Master. That's why it is often considered as the grace of the Master. That it comes through the Master's intermediary or directly, it is anyway, the same grace. Until the abhyasi is able to receive it directly, it is incumbent upon the Master to grant its benefit. Once he/she has developed the ability to attract the benefits directly, the work of the Master is virtually complete, although he/she should keep a watchful eye on him/her to protect him/her if necessary. That is the real function of a true Master.

However, the support of the teacher is an essential feature of sadhana, it is incumbent on the abhyasi to seek out a guide who is worthy of guiding him/her on the path and to help with his/her power transmitted through the process of yogic pranahuti.

[guru = servant]

(...) I do not, for the above reason, in no way advocate the Orthodox idea of a guru, because I think it is only mental slavery. Under our system, we have a common brotherhood in a spirit of mutual love, service and sacrifice that are absolutely essential in our search. We strongly condemn the idea of personal service required by the gurus on the pretext that the disciple will form pious samskaras. Nevertheless, we believe that a guide, in a spirit of service, should him/herself serve his/her disciple, not only spiritually but also physically if necessary.

[poor choice of guru=disaster]

The choice of an appropriate guide or guru is the next point to consider. The work of the guru, being the most significant and invaluable of a spiritual life, it is essential to take the necessary precautions in order to choose the man (or woman?) who will fulfill this task. The slightest mistake in this area is often quite disastrous.

[ guru= God only]

God alone is our true guide or guru and (SHE/HE/IT) only provides us light. (...)

[need for Living Master]

There is therefore a need for one of one's peers, who has enough stature to help in this direction. You can call him/her a guide, a guru, a master, or by any other name, but he/she is basically a help and a support, working in a spirit of service and sacrifice.

[superior guru= usurper]

(...) If a guru presents himself as a Master in this field, inflated by his/her sense of his/her greatness and superiority, clearly he/she has usurped the position of the true Master, God. In this case, it is quite certain he/she can not serve others as required. It is therefore essential that he/she considers him/herself as being humble and act in a spirit of love and service. He/she must devote themselves completely to the service of others, individually and collectively. This service can be physical as well as spiritual. He/she must always take care of spiritual service, but he/she must also be willing to fulfill the physical service if necessary. He/she must be devoid of any sense of grandeur, importance or pride.

[in the absence of better, take the least worse]

(...) If this person is not available at the time, the only solution is to join forces with someone who is well connected with the Great Personality because when the best is beyond our reach, we must find one who is the best after him/her.

[inept guru= null progress]

(...) The practical observation reveals that up until now, most of the sages could not reach up to these limits, except maybe some in the distant past. They lingered indefinitely in one or the other (state) without finding the exit and that, for the simple reason that most likely their guru had neither the stature nor the capacity necessary to open the path by making use of their higher powers.

[choice of guru = difficult task. Do people really choose or do they simply allow themselves to be overwhelmed?]

(...) There is no doubt that choosing a guru worthy of the name is a very difficult task.

[the difference between spiritual and idolatry]

(...) If a being is absorbed in God and another in its material manifestation, what will each one attain? One, the Reality and the other, its imitation. Should we blame God for this?

[the Master for Babuji is not Babuj, but God]

(...) I feel at one with all my associates because we are committed to the same Master, God, without the slightest idea of being elevated or lowly, big or small. Indeed, it may be that an entity, having a human form is considered big by his/her fellow humans, while in reality he/she is the smallest.


"Gita", pp. 234-235

[Blind faith also has drawbacks and does not guarantee success]

(...) Blind faith has advantages along with disadvantages. It can be of immense value when the chosen guide is really a guide of the highest level and someone who has reached the most high. But if, unfortunately, you attach yourself to someone who is not up to the mark, and who has deceived you by his/her scholarly discourses or by performing miracles, your blind faith in him will lead you in the other direction, only to illusion and deception. In this case, you do not see his/her faults since you agreed to follow him blindly. As a result, you will not be able to achieve the goal.

[first put to the test. Then look again and again]

It is therefore necessary that, before placing your faith in anyone, everyone should look twice, then again and again.



"Attachment and faith," pp. 235-237


[sectarianism=inhumanity]

(...) I believe that if one does not feel distressed by the plight of others, that person lacks the most basic humanity, or, in other words, he/she is not a man (woman...human?) . Therefore, I am not at all in agreement with those (...) who incite people to see father, mother, brother or son as their enemies. For my part, and no matter what the price whatsoever, I will never be inclined to follow this principle. Whatever their opinion, these people do, in my opinion, only lead others in a mechanism by their preaching, which could ultimately be fatal to their sacred cause. If we adopt this practice it will give rise to feelings of hatred and revulsion which are also harmful to our spiritual goal.

[Pray]

(...) Pride and arrogance are additional links to the already-existing chain of selfishness. To guard against this terrible scourge, one should remain in direct contact with God through sincere prayer as prescribed in our Mission.



"Types of gurus and disciples," pp. 285-288


[for the sheep is in the hands of the wolf]

(...) It is possible that these words seem very harsh but I am obliged to say that "for the sheep is in the hands of the wolf and the entire herd is dispersed."

[To idolize the Special Personality: reveals what kind of guru?]

(...) The gurus of the inferior type are those who tell us to revere ghosts and apparitions, and who claim to know some spells (have powers).


Cricri

Thursday April 16, 02:05:00 PM