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Shraddha and the Guru
Guru Brahma
Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshwara
Guru Sakshat
Param Brahma
Tasmai Sri
Guruve namaha
May I have the good grace to see the teacher in my creators, those helping to preserve my present life, and the lessons learned through calamity, illness, birth and death. May I become aware of those gurus around me all the time which may pass me by, and the teachers in those otherworldly forces I may not see or even understand.
The other day while explaining the meaning of the Guru Chant in class, a student in the front row of class asked gently, “excuse me, do I have to participate in this part of class? I’m Christian…”
I was glad that she asked this question since people coming to a yoga class for the first time, and in particular the Jivamukti class where there tends to be chanting and spiritual discourse, may be intimidated by references to Hindu Dieties, and talk about God, Faith and Spirituality.
Yoga in itself is not a religion. It may certainly co-exist and strengthen one’s spiritual beliefs, however, the yoga practice has no organized hierarchy of persons residing over a specific set of beliefs or rituals that one must follow to be admitted to the organization. The ancient texts of the yoga practice aim to aide the practitioner in understanding and attaining the state of yoga, and many of the western schools of yoga exist to keep these teachings alive through modernised methods. While there are books, schools and studios available to educate and bring structure to one’s practice, it is not necessary to read the texts or even to practice with a school of yoga to be a yogi. In fact, some of the great, enlightened beings have been self-taught or have even been born in that state (see Amma, Anandamayi Ma, Ramana Maharshi, Sai Baba-ji).
There is a sanskrit word shraddha, which translates loosely to faith, or as the great teacher Amma describes it “constant alertness arising from Love”. It is with this faith that we can be open to the teachers as they present themselves to us in all their various forms. This faith enables us to believe in the teacher, as well as the teacher that we all have within us. This faith empowers us to become self-aware and to take responsibilitiy for our actions, particularly how we interact with and affect the planet and all its inhabitants. In this context, yoga is a faith-based spiritual philosophy with limitless paths (sadhana) and unlimited possibilities for everlasting bliss and happiness (samadhi). It is the teachers in our lives – from our parents and ancestors, to those supporting us in our daily lives to those we may not even recognize as teachers at all – who help us to define our individual path and continue to evolve along the way. May we honor these teachers.
Ma, the first teacher
The teachings of yoga honor the Mother as the first true Guru in our lives. Not the Virgin Mary or even the Mother Earth, but one’s actual mother; the one who brought life into a developing fetus, the one whose subtle (and sometimes no-so-subtle) vibrations are heard and felt through the first days and years of life.
A Guru means the one who has removed the darkness, or one’s inability to see the Truth (Ru-remover; Gu-ignorance, darkness, obscurity). The Truth is that we are all connected through our unlimited potential to love and be loved; we are not separate, individual beings, but One. The Guru is the teacher who sees her student completely and transparently, loving the student unconditionally as a holy being.
Traditionally it is the mother who spends the most time with her child through the early years of life. Teaching baby how to eat, sleep, and bathe are paramount; communication, walking and talking fall in place as priorities for survival. However, it may difficult for some to perceive mother as a teacher, particularly if the relationship has been complicated by a history of harmful or abusive behavior. Growing up through the various changes in life is challenging, and often love and hate become intertwined in moments of frustration; anger can emerge as emotions run high.
Yoga philosophy says that nothing is by chance. Past karmas (everything we’ve ever thought, said or done, including in past lives) dictate the family one is born into, whom one’s parents are, where one comes from, and even how a person looks and behaves. Whether or not this is in line with your belief system, resolving past issues with one’s mother can aide in reaching a point of compassion and understanding in the relationship. Through the practices of yoga, we come to appreciate that given one’s samskaras (past karmic grooves or imprints), each and every one of us is doing the best we can in life given our individual circumstances, and this understanding alone can help cultivate loving kindness.
Thich Nhat Hanh says “give up hope of a better past”. By focusing on the present moment honor your mother as your teacher and all the positive things she’s brought into your life.
The Guru as Mirror
guru satyam guru jnanam guru anandam guru shantih
My teacher is the truth, my teacher is the wisdom, my teacher is the bliss,
my teacher is the peace.
Often when a student talks about their guru, they say things like, “It was like they saw right through me. There is nothing I can hide from them; I am transparent in their presence. They remind me of God; I feel more whole when I am with them. They seem to know everything about me, and yet they still love me, unconditionally.” How does this work? What kind of relationship is this? Gu means “ignorance; that which obscures Truth.” Ru means “that which removes.” The guru is the agent-the teacher-who removes ignorance so that the Truth can be revealed.
The relationship between student and teacher is a spiritual one-a relationship focused on identity. The quest for identity is the ultimate quest. To know oneself, to find out, to discover who you are, is the truth that everyone is looking for. The student seeks out a teacher because they want to know who they are. They are looking for help in understanding the confounding complexities and limitations of their own personality. You could say they are having an identity crisis. Usually the search starts with an experience of discontent and a feeling that they may be more than they thought they were, or that life may hold more potential beyond just eating, sleeping, money, sex, marriage, home, job and acquiring more stuff. This is why the spiritual path is not for normal people; it is for people who are looking for something more than success in the realms of the three basic power drives which fuel the three lower chakras: money, sex and fame. When these start to look less interesting, it is then that a person is at a critical point where they begin to realize that they are more than their body and mind, more than a skin encapsulated ego/personality. At this time, they begin to seriously ask: Is there more to life? Is compassion, generosity and kindness really worthwhile? What is Love, and does God exist?
We all need help to be able to see ourselves as we truly are. The job of a guru is to provide this assistance. A guru is someone who sees you as you really are-sees beyond your personality foibles, sees you as a holy being. It is through the medium of love that the guru is able to perceive this truth.
Love is that which connects us all-it is the ground of being, the medium through which all is created, sustained and renewed. Real love is slippery like mercury and cannot be grasped, while at the same time it is attractive, embracing, enveloping, nurturing and constant. Traditionally the guru serves as a love object for the student, allowing the student to love them. It is understood between student and teacher that the relationship will be based on love. The teacher by their presence becomes a focus for the student to pour their feelings into, but it is an unusual relationship because the normal aspects of relationship are missing; material gain, sexual gratification or ego enhancement is not involved. You could say it is a “pure” relationship in that sense; there is nothing else that the teacher gives the student: in the words of the old song, “I can’t give you anything but love.” There is nothing that the teacher needs or wants from the student other than the student’s happiness and ultimate enlightenment-Self realization-the realization of Love.
This realization is facilitated by the guru, who serves as a mirror for the student, reflecting the student’s outward as well as innermost desires, and thereby reveals to the student who they really are. The teacher reminds the student of God, which after all is who they really are. Before embarking on a teacher-student relationship, it is good to be sure that you want and are ready for what will come up, because it will all come up. But approached with humility, respect, appreciation and a sense of adventure, the guru can be a doorway, a magic mirror through which the student can walk into the realm of infinite possibilities.
-Sharon Gannon
A reason, a season, a lifetime
I’ve always been in awe of those yogis who have had their Gurus magically appear for them, showing up in all different forms at the right time to shine a light on the yogi’s practice. I spent many years seeking this type of relationship, but as much as I tried to present myself to my key teachers as a ready and able disciple, no force, human or other, appeared in quite the way I envisioned.
Don’t get me wrong; I have and have had some amazing teachers in my life and consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have studied with whom I consider some of the best yoga teachers of my time. Students constantly inspire and challenge me, and countless other extraordinary beings contribute to making my daily life mentally stimulating and enchanting. I’ve even had moments questioning whether or not those teachers are my Gurus…but somehow my lack of certainty has stifled the mere possibility. You see, my concept of Guru is bigger than my mental ability to second guess, or analyze the nature of the relationship. I always figured that if and when it happened, I would just know, kind of like falling in love, or meeting a soul mate.
Maybe I have had an idyllic picture in my head of how it would be to have a Guru. I’ve envisioned a special relationship, one that is tremendous effort but incredibly rewarding. A relationship based on trust and deep understanding, enriching one’s knowledge and acceptance of a larger self- one that is interconnected with all beings and limitless. In fact, what I’m describing sounds a lot like the relationship I have developed with myself by means of practicing yoga.
Teachers are fundamental in accepting one’s self unconditionally. To have the blind faith in another being needed to develop the surrendering fully of one’s energy and intention instills both humility and confidence, enabling a progression outside of one’s daily drama and into the interconnectedness of all beings.
My experience has been that teachers come in and out of our lives in waves. When we are open to it, the possibilities for learning are limitless. As we ebb and flow and continuously transform, our influences are also likely to change. It is only the teacher that accepts us unconditionally who can nurture us over a lifetime. Is the one guru, like the only true asana, the Self?
