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Re: the Guru and you
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To: alt-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: Re: the Guru and you
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From: Bon Giovanni <bongiovanni@delphi.com>
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Date: Sun, 19 Feb 95 03:24:26 -0500
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From news@news1.delphi.com Sun Feb 19 03: 16:36 1995
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Newsgroups: alt.hindu
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Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice)
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References: <3i2m0o$poi@ucunix.san.uc.edu>
Hello Kris,
I wanted to let you know I really appreciate your question about guru.
Earlier, Vijay offered a pretty neat reply and I suggest you take his words to
heart (I do; even if they stab me there sometimes). His reply was pretty much
on the money.
You said you didn't " understand the emphasis on following a Guru."
Man I grok that question. The idea of a goo roo seemed to me like a fifth
wheel on a bike. Why in the world, thunk I, would anyone need someone else to
teach em about God? Heck that was what church was for. Then I met a guru.
You ask now much better questions than I asked then. I wish I had had the
presence of mind to have said in my first meeting with a guru:
>If one's "job" as it were is to "see God," then can we not do that directly,
>or on our own? Is God really limited to showing himself through the Guru
>only? If God is truly everywhere, why not seek him in direct experience?
Instead I had to figure that out for myself.
zap
You are right; He is found in direct experience. The key is that few of us
have direct experiences- instead we program ourselves by habit and desire
and repulsion to live the same day all over every day, just like GROUND HOG
DAY.
God is like a color we have never seen, and so have never named. That color is
within our eye's ability to see, but for some reason, most of us do not see it
until someone suddenly points it out. Gee, it's been there all this time.
Once seen, even then it can be forgotten, or passed off as an halucination.
That is where the guru comes in. The guru lives in full awareness of the
color all the time. He, or she, does not forget it or imagine it to be an
hallucianation, ever. They do not get distracted and forget that color. They
can point us in the right direction, but they cannot make us see it. There is
something about us that we alone have to refocus in order to see that color.
We do that work. The guru just checks to make sure we are doing the work that
helps, not hinders our vision. For example, it is not wise to seek visions or
stare at the sun or hang out with bad dudes.
At least, it is not a good idea if you want to see that colour, cuz all those
things muck up the I sight.
Guru comes in flavours. There are gurus who will talk about the colour for
bucks. There are gurus who will talk about it if you serve em. There are even
gurus who talk about it only in the past tense. Heck, there are even gurus who
don't talk at all, yet will show you that colour even if you just love
someone.
The guru points out the color we do not see. The degree of ability with which
it is pointed out depends not only on the guy who shows it to us, the guru,
but also on our ability to pay attention, and how able we are to look
carefully where our attention is directed.
Imagine a colour you have never seen.
Not very helpful is it? Zen is like that. It makes sense only to those who can
see the color. Of course, first we have to learn how to pay real clean
attention. Too often our ideas become filters that block that colour out even
when it is pointed out to us. Every day in this forum one can read about dudes
wearing blue blockers saying BLUE? NO WAY MAN!
That is why Ganesha is invoked. He is a real good cleaner up. Ganesha protects
that part of the intellect that reasons intuitevly. Purity permits us to see
colors we never say before.
So about the guru: there are levels of guru. Some can talk about the colour.
Some can show simile and examples. Some can look at you and zap you see that
color. Wowie zowie God.
Far in.
Doesn't last.
The highest level of Guru is called SATHGURU. It means everything he does is
solely to reveal that color. No matter what he does, or says, or doesn't do or
doesn't say, it is all done just so you can see that color that has no name.
That is because the SATHGURU literally creates an environment for each one of
his, or her, disciples designed exclusively for the ability of that person.
Some of us need glasses, so he makes a situation perfect for spectacles.
Some of us are blind, so he makes a situation where touchyfeelly reveals the
color.
Some of us are devious, so he makes a situation where we get to transform
ourselves into integral loving persons.
There are lots of folks who claim they know guru material, or are themselves
the man to paint your wagon. I have no advice on that, other than that my
guru chooses his disciples personally, by inivitation, and does not ask for
money, period. Now I will shut up. Besides, you already know more than I do.
All best wishes
*+*
