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reflections
21 November 2008, 05:55 AM
Namaste all,
- Is it necessary to have Guru for spritiual progress?
- Does guru need to be alive person or I can think of someone whom I respect, like sri Rama Krishna or Saint Eknath as my guru and pray for guidance?

Thanks.

Jai Shri Krishna,
Reflections

devotee
21 November 2008, 07:36 AM
- Is it necessary to have Guru for spritiual progress?
- Does guru need to be alive person or I can think of someone whom I respect, like sri Rama Krishna or Saint Eknath as my guru and pray for guidance?


Namaste reflections,

I have gone through this dilemma for many years till a few months back when I found my Guru in Sri Sri Paramhans Yogananda ji (who is not in physical form in this world now). My thinking is :

Spiritual Guru is necessary but it can do more harm than good if you are impatient. First make progress on your spiritual path reading scriptures, refining your discrimination & understanding & also with your devotion to God. There will come a stage where you will feel getting stagnated in your spiritual path in spite of all your efforts, desire & knowledge of scriptures. And at this stage, IMHO, God who is the Guru of all Gurus or He who manifests Himself in the form of the Guru will create favourable conditions for you meeting the right Guru.

Sri Ramkrishna & Sri Eknath are right choice to begin with. But IMO, you need grace & close guidance to proceed after a certain stage which you will find missing in books ... that is because the books written on their teachings are not always sufficient to take you beyond a certain point. Then there is also a need for personal connection between the Guru & the Shishya which cannot be accomplished by books alone.

If you are trying to have Sri Ramkrishna Paramhans as your teacher to guide you, your spiritual vibrations must match with his (which is very high) for this to happen because he is not physically in your realm. If you are lacking in the level of conciousness ( or spiritual vibrations) to attract his guidance & love, you may not get any response. If Guru is present physically or has promised to be present when you need, then the above requirement becomes redundant.

OM

reflections
21 November 2008, 07:53 AM
Devotee,
Thanks a lot for the answer.
I guess my spiritual vibrations are quite low, may have some negative values as well at times :o .
Secondly, I really don't know which school of Hinduism I belong to, or which yoga I should follow. So, it might be a miss-match if I select a Guru who does not have same ideas, rigt?

I feel we are part and parcel of Brahaman. Brahaman can be worshipped in variou forms or without, but for me he is Krishna. I don't disagree with those who follow different understanding than mine. Plus, I don't know I belong to Bhakti Yoga or Karma yoga.

yajvan
21 November 2008, 01:27 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~


Namaste,

The Śiva Sūtras - 6th kārikā, 2nd chapter says:
gururupāyaḥ ||

guru + upāyaš , or the guru ( master) is the means (upāya)

pranams

words and references

upāya-s उपाय that by which one reaches one's aim , a means or expedient
a hint on the types of guru-s: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=623&highlight=types+gurus (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=623&highlight=types+gurus)

amra
22 November 2008, 02:48 AM
Guru can be interpreted as one who makes the secret manifest, or turns dark into light. An interpretation I find pleasing is one who shows you secret things by making you cry or suffer. The devil is the greatest teacher. The Guru is the means, for obtaining siddhi, or obtaining your aim/desire. If you have many aims or desires how can the Guru help you, you are in effect 'aimless'. A Guru is only of use if you know what you want. What is darkness and what is light, discriminate between aims that bind and aims that release, release is light. Needless to say it is the Guru who makes you discriminate correctly. A True Guru makes you go from being 'aimless' to aim-less, but much rubbish must be cleared up first, which involves pain and suffering. The Guru of a person is in accordance with his aim, if his aim is to enjoy women the Guru will provide the means for him to do so, the Guru provides the means, only to teach you to get rid of desire, once you become free of desire you become a Guru, you teach by mere presence.

PRABHU P
06 December 2008, 10:14 AM
Namasthe viewers,

Shri Ramana Bhagavan says that Athma, Bhagavan and Guru are one and the same.

Depending on ones sincerity and craving the appropriate GURU will appear at the right point of time.

Till such time it is Bhagavath Bhakthi that guides us.

How ever I have taken as my Manaseeka Guru as Poojyasri Jayendra Saraswathi Swmigal of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.

With best regards,
PRABHU P