Does one need a guru?

Spirituality
#201

Hello Karlie
I wasn’t going to mention my exclusion of sex. because the FACT is I met my inner guru whilst in a very normal happy marriage, children etc so I know it is irrelevant whether you do have sex, or not, because you can still meet him. The problem as I mentioned is keeping him actively walking with you, for ever.say.??

I remember reading in the Surangama Sutra, which was a translation of part of it by Author Charles Luk (I like his work) I hope my memory is correct on this but is seems to suggest different levels that one attains in life on different levels.
It mentions sex and seems to suggest that one should pay little attention to the act of sex, before and after… Its the thinking, desire of it I suppose, that is a hindrance to Spiritual progression, just like many many many other things seem to be.

It is the reduction of unnecessary thoughts that improves Spiritual progression.

So if your approach to it is just the fun and pleasure of the moment then I think that is right. I am older now and chose to take this route of no sex to attain a higher level.
You have plenty of time.

I will email you Karlie…please question what I have written, I am just like you, a pursuer of the truth, I may not be right in what I have put, you must decide for yourself.
Kind Regards Kareng

Ps…28/29/30 is a very very spiritually significant time. If you practice now, your practice will be more fruitful in expereinces.

#202

Thanks Kareng, you couldnt be more right about the fact that certain distractions could impede spiritual growth and manifestation- someone has mentioned sometime the 7 passions of the mind- Anger, lust, greed etc.

Someone also cartegorically told me after i had read it in few works that from 28 i would enter a growth period.That was like a couple of months to my 28 birthday-Jan 19th- But then i had no clear sense of what excatly he meant. Where i have found myself in the past several months,the experiences and you mentioning it again finally confirms it all to me. I have found your words to be comfirmatory in more ways. I would like to study the work of your favourite Author- Charles Luk. I also have some spiritual materials that deal on several diverse topics that you may already be adept at.Apparently, am new, these works somehow resonate with me-they have multidimentional understanding… Well there is a lot i’d like to say, with time. For now i have incorporated those ideas into my practices and would keep you posted if you dont mind of how am fareing.Thanks. Remember to email me.

#203

Hello Karlie
The author Charles Luk has written a few good books…all about Buddhism. I haven’t read many books on Buddhism, just Charles Luk…I understand his style of writing.

Can you recommend a book for me to get? something you found interesting/diverse?

Kind Regards Karlie Kareng…I will email you

#204

Keeps you humble.

#205

Hubert!!! Love you … golden words : “In fact, everyone we meet, every situation can be a guru, if we have the required awareness. Life itself is our guru.”

#206

[QUOTE=Sunyuting;29195]I do not have a guru anymore and it has been a blessing. I just
do not respond well to the god stuff. So if I had a guru, he/she might get angry with
me when I speak. I am going to teach yoga with no spirituality. The way it should
be taught.[/QUOTE]

Beautifully, perfectly said.

#207

[QUOTE=kareng;25263]If a person is a reincarnation with prior knowledge, it is possible that they would not feel the need for a living human Guru. If this were the case, the person would know to take the first boat?

There is an inner Guru who can be seen and activated. He will grow larger when the ego is kept at bay. Everyone has an inner Guru and with the right practice, you have access to him, to see him.
Unfortunately, as the ego is such a complicated complaint, most people lose actual sight of their inner guru and he retreats back to his dormant position, waiting for you to get it right.

kind regards kareng[/QUOTE]

Please provide evidence of reincarnation.

#208

sunyuting ,hello, you say you are going to teach yoga without spirituality , then why do you want to call it yoga ? why not call it something else ? by definition yoga has spirituality ,other wise it is not yoga, in my humble view.

#209

Namaste to All:

The following article entitled [U]Understanding the role of Guru in Hinduism[/U] by C.V.Rajan may be of relevant interest to this topic:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Understanding-the-role-of-Guru-in-Hinduism

Hari OM!

Adityananda

#210

Namaste to All:

It is certainly possible to teach yourself a wide variety of things, including hatha yoga or meditation, and many people do successfully. Nonetheless, the fastest, safest, and surest way to learn most things of great value is to be a student apprentice of an accomplished mentor. This is a time honored tradition in virtually every culture and society throughout the globe, simply because it works. A great Rule of Thumb is…when in doubt, watch the professionals and do what they do to excel in their area of expertise. You don’t have to be an Einstein to see reasonable merit in such an idea.

This is particularly true when approaching the practice of spiritual disciplines, since these pursuits involve direct experience with so many unknown variables within the scope of mental and spiritual expression that can’t always be correctly perceived and understood through the familiar mediums of normal sensory input and intellectual reasoning. As a result, spiritual experiences and insights can be easily misunderstood or misinterpreted, leading the practitioner off on a misguided tangent that actually impedes spiritual progress or even causes physical and psychological harm.

The accomplished guru is one who has already negotiated the potential pitfalls of the unseen internal warfare between body and mind, with the instruction and direction of their own teacher, and are therefore able to spot errors and potential problems at a glance, before they become bad habits or harmfully self-sabotaging to personal progress.

If you really wish to learn how to meditate properly, and succeed in your pursuit of spiritual self-realization, don’t allow your ego to convince you that a teacher or guru isn’t necessary. Spiritual training will either make you or break you, depending on the quality ot your practice, so it should never be approached casually or taken too lightly.

IMO, if you want to teach yourself how to play the guitar, you can probably do so successfully with sufficient talent and time spent, but if you wish to learn spiritual yoga, do yourself a huge favor by studying with a legitimate guru!

Hari OM!

Adityananda

#211

sunyuting,hello , i dont know what you do, so i have no idea what to call it. Sorry that you are experiencing problems . peace to you.

#212

I’ve been busy writing about my experiences with my “Guru”. Turned out he is not perfect, not totally pure, and I’m still struggling. I wasted 14 years of my life on this undeserving creature. Anyone interested google ‘false guru swamiji’, and my webpage will come up.
Elisabeth

#213

Namaste elisabeth:

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Sadly, this is all too common among high profile teachers who present themselves as a 'guru'. Unsuspecting followers are often unaware that real sannyasin swamis are essentially monastic renunciates who have no interest in name fame, wealth, personal power, or controlling influence in the lives of other people. These things are directly contrary to the obvious purpose of embracing a lifestyle devoted to spiritual Self-Realization and Liberation.

Thus, anyone who claims to be a guru, but then knowingly and deliberately uses the assumed status of that role to further their own personal fame and wealth is clearly an impostor, even if they are able to display some yogic powers or psychic skills.

My own late Guru, having attained nirvikalpa samadhi through his yoga sadhana, never accepted gifts of any kind from initiate followers or from visitors to the ashram, never asked for financial donations to support his ashrams, never required fees for instruction, and never demanded blind obeisance from his followers. Never!

He wrote more than a dozen excellent books on various aspects of yoga practice and the Advaita Vedanta spiritual path, but resolutely refused to allow these works to be published and sold for profit during his lifetime, even though the sale of his books most likely would have generated sufficient income to financially support all of his ashrams, both in Himalayas India and abroad. All of his ashrams continue to be self-supporting through the combined efforts of their residents, even though located in remote areas where this would seem difficult or impossible to do.

He correctly believed that the attention garnered through personal fame and fortune, and the attachments they produce, would surely be a distraction from his spiritual practice priorities and in direct opposition to the core principles of his teaching.

Swamiji's sole request of initiate disciples was simply that those who didn't reside at his home ashram write to him once per month to update him on their personal practice and progress, and to ask for specific clarification or advice regarding their sadhana as needed. Oftentimes, I would ponder a specific question or meditation experience and decide to write to him about it, only to receive a letter from India in which he specifically addressed my questions or concerns in detail before I even wrote or mailed my letter! :eek:

That's how an authentic guru conducts his or her personal life and teaching, in a completely selfless and egoless manner! :cool:

Accept no substitutes, my friends. There's nothing like the real deal! :wink:

Asato Ma Sadgamaya Mantra

Lead me from Untruth to Truth
Lead me from Darkness to Light
Lead me from Death to Immortality

Hari OM!

Adityananda

#214

I think it really depends on why you are doing Yoga. If you lean more to the physical side, i.e. Yoga as a form of exercise you probably do not need a guru. However, if you lean to the spiritual side of things, you may need a guru to help guide you on your journey.

I am not saying either way is better, just saying depending on how you lean you may or may not need a guru.

All the best.

#215

The Need for an Experienced Yoga Guide

> The one who has gone far along on the path of yoga is heavily familiar with the problems and realities of the inner life.

> It is necessary to have a spiritual guide who has successfully carried out the experiment of yoga on him/herself. Because it will help to go deeper to understand what vast array of techniques and practices of yoga truly have to offer.

> Though for the higher stages of yoga, an experienced master is essential.

> Any yoga teacher, who is a committed and disciplined practitioner of yoga. And have adequate knowledge and experience to understand the problems of those under their guidance, has the capability to guide students through to higher levels of experience and understanding.

> Ultimately, it is up to each person individually to walk the path to knowledge. If one eventually wants to be able to learn what a great master has to teach, then they must prepare their self to be able to benefit from that guidance.

#216

GURU BRAHMA
GURU VISHNU
GURU DEVO MAHESHVARA
GURU SAKHAT
PARAM BHARMA
TASMAI SHRI GURUVEY NAMAHA

Param bharma means that guru is beyond the form…and this follows:

This mantra says that Guru is a Creator. Our creation is a expression of guru’s power.

Guru is a preserver, vishnu preserves everything.

Devo Maheshvara is a Shiva, transformer, so any transformation in ones life can be vied as guru. (illness, death, accidents, difficulties.)

Sakshat means that guru is nearby, hence everything we meet in the life is guru. Guru is not an ONLY man sitting in the lotus pose chanting and saying words of wisdom.

#217

I believe it is a mistake to conclude that our spiritual welfare is dependent upon another person.

There is also the factor of how many gurus aren’t the transcendent masters they claim to be. Yet, if a person concludes that such a guru is a master, he (or she) is liable to go with what the guru says, even if it is different than what his own heart, conscience, experience, intelligence and common sense say. It is hard to question what a person says, if we have concluded that this person is infallible.

I found that my spiritual development improved significantly once I allowed myself to question viewpoints that are supposedly beyond being questioned.

I don’t believe it is wrong to help others spiritually, but I figure somebody who knew wouldn’t make other people dependent upon he or she.

I don’t believe our so-called egos need to be overcome, just our self-centered viewpoints.

I’ve found that we eventually we reach a state of being where we abide as one and many at the same time. If there was only self, I figure some being claimed the right to be this one self long ago. Therefore, the outlook wouldn’t be bright for the rest of us.

On the other hand, if we don’t need to anihilate our sense of individuality, all will be good for the rest of eternity. If we didn’t exist substantially, we couldn’t share love and oneness with each other substantially.

#218

Elisabeth:

I applaud you for speaking up.:smiley: Chances are you’ll help some people by doing what you’re doing, but unfortunately, “many” people have to learn the hard way.

If your guru humuliated you and/or others, you probably found that such an approach doesn’t affect true spiritual growth, despite what some gurus might say about working on your ego.

It is unfortunate that sincere seekers are taken advantage of by unethical people. It is a big mistake to interfere with the spiritual progress of others, eventually this will be found by all including those who interfere for self serving reasons.

[QUOTE=elisabeth111;29231]I’ve been busy writing about my experiences with my “Guru”. Turned out he is not perfect, not totally pure, and I’m still struggling. I wasted 14 years of my life on this undeserving creature. Anyone interested google ‘false guru swamiji’, and my webpage will come up.
Elisabeth[/QUOTE]

#219

Namaste,

A guru is definitely necessary on the spiritual path. If there is no grace of the guru then you will not get anywhere. However, having said that, you need to make sure you choose the right guru from the very outset. It is a very large commitment you are making so make sure you do all the research that is possible on your guru, attend his/her discourses and personally meet him a few times before you make that commitment.

Make sure they are who they say they are. Ask for proof of their ability. If the guru cannot display any of their powers to you, the chances are you they are not a realised guru. Ask them at least to transmit consciousness to you and give you an experience. The realised masters can give you a glimpse.

#220

I don’t see how a person can hold the key to another person’s ability to connect with God, divine love, the light, the oneness, whatever term you use. It is a matter of finding a way to open up to what is available.

Just as Christian fundamentalists have said you better believe in our viewpoint of Jesus or else, gurus have said you better follow me or else.

When it comes to finding a good guru, perhaps any person who tells others that his or her grace is necessary for their spiritual advancement, is a sign that they aren’t a good guru.

I believe it is very narcistic and misleading for one person to tell other people that he or she holds the key to their spiritual welfare.

Now that I no longer follow a guru my spiritual practice has been much more successful.

Even if there are gurus who are good even though they say other people need to be dependent upon them, so many people have followed gurus who are false, it is apparent that finding a trustworthy guru isn’t an easy thing to do. How is a person going to figure this out? Once they’ve become psychologically conditioned to believe that a guru is the master he claims to be, it is hard to get them to see differently. Quite often they have to go through years of being misled before they find out the hard way.

Perhaps we might try to be an exception and be free thinking enough so we can see that our spiritual welfare isn’t dependent on another person. Each of us is so preciously divine, it is hard to see how we can be dependent on another person.

[QUOTE=Surya Deva;36076]Namaste,

A guru is definitely necessary on the spiritual path. If there is no grace of the guru then you will not get anywhere. However, having said that, you need to make sure you choose the right guru from the very outset. It is a very large commitment you are making so make sure you do all the research that is possible on your guru, attend his/her discourses and personally meet him a few times before you make that commitment.

Make sure they are who they say they are. Ask for proof of their ability. If the guru cannot display any of their powers to you, the chances are you they are not a realised guru. Ask them at least to transmit consciousness to you and give you an experience. The realised masters can give you a glimpse.[/QUOTE]