In response to the last post on Guru Kripa, Acharya Gurudasan wrote a beautiful observation.
Prey that has fallen in the tigers mouth has no escape. In the same way, the one who has gotten the grace of the Guru shall never be forsaken. Even if we forget the Guru, the Guru never leaves us. All those who might feel a little left out especially after dissolving the group, they have nothing to fear. They're all firmly on the path and Agathiyar will take care of them and bring them what's needed at various points in their lives for their spiritual evolution.
These are true words for the guru does not forsake or desert the child. A momentary absence shall strengthen the bond further. Time and space might separate the guru but his essence lives in us forever. A guru's love is without condition, boundary, and change writes Sister Preeti at http://yogananda.com.au/c/Preeti_love.html. A guru "will say or do something that causes a certain flip to happen which leads that person to the next stage. The guru is just there doing whatever the dharma of the moment demands", Ram Dass writes in his "Paths to God - Living the Bhagavad Gita". There is no ploy or deceit. Neither a plan. Just plain living in the moment.
"Most of the time gurus use Siddhis to break a person loose at the point where he or she is ripe for a certain change to happen" adds Ram Dass. When a devotee is a freshie, the guru uses his Siddhis to impress him and bring him into the path, as what Supramania Swami, Tavayogi and Agathiyar did. When we are ready and all ripe to be picked, all that is needed is a tap and we fall into their hands. Siddhis are generally used to shake up people and to bring them out of their dream state into Reality. The guru showers his grace on one and all. It's just whether we are receptive to it. The guru comes to activate these receptors in us. Once the receptors are cleansed of the years of dirt that has plugged it, the cosmic energies flow freely. This is possible through the look, thought or touch from the guru.
"Most of the time gurus use Siddhis to break a person loose at the point where he or she is ripe for a certain change to happen" adds Ram Dass. When a devotee is a freshie, the guru uses his Siddhis to impress him and bring him into the path, as what Supramania Swami, Tavayogi and Agathiyar did. When we are ready and all ripe to be picked, all that is needed is a tap and we fall into their hands. Siddhis are generally used to shake up people and to bring them out of their dream state into Reality. The guru showers his grace on one and all. It's just whether we are receptive to it. The guru comes to activate these receptors in us. Once the receptors are cleansed of the years of dirt that has plugged it, the cosmic energies flow freely. This is possible through the look, thought or touch from the guru.
To be touched by a Master’s hand only requires inner attunement, not a physical touch. We want to become attuned so we can be receptive to the Guru’s touch. Read more: http://yogananda.com.au/c/Preeti_love.html
Erai's grace and blessings are then received in leaps and bounds.
Ram Dass in his "Paths to God - Living the Bhagavad Gita", describes this path further, one that he adopts and follows too.
Ram Dass says "The very essence of the relationship between a guru and a devotee is a sense of complete utter trust", something Lord Muruga is insisting now from us. "We trust that whatever the guru does will be for our own good." "The love for a guru is a process of surrendering," says Ram Dass of his love towards Maharajji. "I learned to let go into whatever he thinks best for me. I surrender to his version of my storyline in place of my own." Instead of writing our own script for life let him write out the script of our life. It would definitely be a good read.
Ram Dass in his "Paths to God - Living the Bhagavad Gita", describes this path further, one that he adopts and follows too.
Guru Kripa or the method of the guru is one form of bakti practice. It is the specific form of bhakti that focuses on the guru, and on the guru's grace or the guru's blessings." The relationship with the guru is totally an internal matter with its essence being love. The guru is a being who awakens incredible love in us and then uses our love to awaken us out of the illusion of duality.Quoting Ramana, Ram Dass explains further.
The glance of grace from the master is enough to awaken the devotee from the sleep of ignorance to the knowledge of the real. The guru as a separate entity exists only within the illusion of separateness ... the minute the method of the guru has worked it's awakened you, and it ceases to be anything at all. It has an automatic built-in self destruct mechanism you use it until it opens you in a certain way and then you see through it and let go of it. The guru becomes irrelevant.Tavayogi showed me Agathiyar and stepped aside exactly as to how Ram Dass describes a guru becoming irrelevant. A true guru will know when he should step back and let his student grow. He will never have his student under his shadows forever; rather he would release him having given him all the tools for his survival while traversing the unknown territory that he has taken a step into. Along the way he meets upagurus, Ram Dass adds, "who are like marker stones along the road that say go this way, go that way." "They are teachings rather then teaches," he says, "We can take a teaching here and a teaching there and then go our way, instead of getting hung up on them," he adds. Besides these gurus on the physical plane, "Then there are the astral guides too, beings on all those other planes as well... helping us along in various ways... all wanting to help us get free."
Ram Dass says "The very essence of the relationship between a guru and a devotee is a sense of complete utter trust", something Lord Muruga is insisting now from us. "We trust that whatever the guru does will be for our own good." "The love for a guru is a process of surrendering," says Ram Dass of his love towards Maharajji. "I learned to let go into whatever he thinks best for me. I surrender to his version of my storyline in place of my own." Instead of writing our own script for life let him write out the script of our life. It would definitely be a good read.
As Sister Preeti gives us insights into the heart of a guru and writes, "We have come so far already. We have a practical tool for affirmation. It takes the will and willingness to change", Agathiyar himself came as the Moola Guru and as Sister Preeti wrote, Agathiyar too prescribed two tools namely "dutiful actions and absorbed meditation on God' for a balanced life, that has brought us closer to him. It is in our hands now to reciprocate his love.
The guru does not see himself separate from his disciple. Once the awakening begins you can't help but feel a profound love for all the beings who have helped you along the way. This is what the Satguru does. Ram Dass shares an episode that elaborates on his relationship with his guru that became less and less rooted in dualism as time went on.
The guru does not see himself separate from his disciple. Once the awakening begins you can't help but feel a profound love for all the beings who have helped you along the way. This is what the Satguru does. Ram Dass shares an episode that elaborates on his relationship with his guru that became less and less rooted in dualism as time went on.
Sometime after I had first met Maharajji (Neem Karoli Baba) I was sitting across the courtyard from him, and I thought to myself, what am I doing here? That body sitting over there isn't what its all about. At that moment, Maharajji called an old man over, and said something to him, and the man came running over to me and touched my feet. I asked him why did you do that? He told me Maharajji told me, go touch Ram Dass feet. He and I understand each other perfectly. I used to sit in front of Maharajji... I felt like he had created me out of his mind in order to play with me."
Ram Dass guides us into Guru Kripa: "Coming to the guru, invite him into our hearts, install him in the altar within the heart, offer yourself to him, sing, chant, pray, love him as you love yourself, open up to him, watch and slowly become - Him."
"He is the one who is the doorway," says Ram Dass. Today many have taken Agathiyar has their guru and follow his path at ATM. They too are seeing miracles and changes taking place in them and their surroundings. We are grateful to the lineage of gurus who look over our shoulders 24/7. As Yogananda Paramahansa wrote as the last line in his "Autobiography of a Yogi", “Lord,” I thought gratefully, “Thou hast given this monk a large family!”, I am blessed with a large family of Agathiyar devotees too. I only closed a Whatsapp group but have never shut my heart out to all nor have I shut the door of my home on others. You are always welcome to visit Agathiyar at AVM. I shall be waiting at the door to invite you in.
"He is the one who is the doorway," says Ram Dass. Today many have taken Agathiyar has their guru and follow his path at ATM. They too are seeing miracles and changes taking place in them and their surroundings. We are grateful to the lineage of gurus who look over our shoulders 24/7. As Yogananda Paramahansa wrote as the last line in his "Autobiography of a Yogi", “Lord,” I thought gratefully, “Thou hast given this monk a large family!”, I am blessed with a large family of Agathiyar devotees too. I only closed a Whatsapp group but have never shut my heart out to all nor have I shut the door of my home on others. You are always welcome to visit Agathiyar at AVM. I shall be waiting at the door to invite you in.