Jai Gurudev! A few days back I bought a new electronic appliance for my home. It was definitely more advanced, and complicated, than the previous model that I had been used to. Needless to say that I was completely lost trying to understand how to operate the system without malfunctioning it. Suddenly I remembered the manual that had come along with it and got started reading. After a few minutes of going through the manual, I was much the wiser and confident that I knew how to operate the appliance. It is amazing how simple day to day happenings can bring to mind the most profound spiritual truths. It is one of the given facts that appliances / products etc are always accompanied by a set of instructions for usage. This can be a small 5 step process written on the cover of the product or even a detailed instruction manual for a complicated electronic gadget. So if that is true for all inventors or creators, then will that not be true for the ultimate Creator of all things? After all as it is above, so it is below. Many years back I had come across a book called the Operator’s Manual for Planet Earth: An Adventure for The Soul by D. Trinidad Hunt. It was a very simply written book that encased a lot of spiritual truth. First, it emphasized that we are Souls who have been given a “body” suit to visit the Planet Earth (assuming we are not from the Planet Earth per se, but are only visiting it for a short duration). This body suit is similar to a space suit that astronauts wear. So the second truth is that the suits or bodies do not define us. It is we the Souls who choose the body that we would be wearing for a particular visit. The most amazing part for me in the book was that each Soul was given a manual that allowed it to function properly during the visit to the Planet Earth. If we think about it, most of the religious texts and scriptures ask us to not identify and limit ourselves to the physical body. We must always remember that we are Souls who have taken on this body for the duration of this lifetime so that we can fulfill our purpose. Based on this presumption, it would be safe to say that the various religious texts and scriptures originally given by the Great Spiritual Teachers are in essence a manual on how to function on this planet. The Bhagavad Geeta (Chapter 2, Verse 22 - Just as a person casts off worn out garments and puts on others that are new, even so, the embodies soul casts off worn out bodies and takes on others that are new). The Bible (Corinthians 5:6-8 - So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord). The Holy Quran (verse 039.042 He is God Who gets back the souls from the human being (naphs in Arabic or nephesh in Hebrew) at death; and those that die not He gets back their souls during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He confines their souls (from returning to life), but the rest He releases them (sends back their souls to their living bodies) for a term appointed; Verily in this are Signs for those who have logic). So if we know what we are, and we have been provided with a set of instructions on how to function, then why is there still so much unrest on the planet? Why do we keep searching for answers to questions we don’t know? The quest for peace will end when we can understand how to decode the technical jargon of the manual. In this instance, we have to consider the simile of the electronic gadget once again. The manual that accompanies the gadget will definitely spell out step by step what needs to be done to operate it properly, and what precautions must be taken to ensure safety. However, if the gadget is technically advanced then the instructions will also be technically specific. To decode the instructions we would require a technician who is knowledgeable about that subject. The technician would then explain the instructions in simple terms such that we can understand. In certain instances, he may also skip the explanation and just tell us what needs to be done in case there is a short circuit etc. The technician who can read the manual to the most complicated object on this planet (man) is called a Guru or a spiritual teacher. The Guru has spent many lifetimes in meditations and spiritual practices, and is fully equipped to decode the manual given by the Creator. There are mainly two ways to look at this. The first is the most obvious one. The Guru is one who has tremendous knowledge and expertise about the different aspects of the religious texts and scriptures. He is in a position to extrapolate the information given in the manual to situations that we face in our daily lives. However, there are many levels to truth. Those who are spiritually inclined believe that the Soul is already equipped with all that needs to be known (“Everything you need is already rooted within your soul – Eleanor Brownn with 2 Ns). Such people seek the guidance of a Guru to connect with their Soul, or their Higher Self. One may wonder why I would need someone to help me connect with my Self. The Soul is pure consciousness that is unburdened by anything except the realization that it is a part of the Supreme God. It is free of troubles and is immersed in endless bliss. There is nothing to hold it down, so it flies. But once the Soul puts on its body suit, slowly the hold of the material world increases. This burden puts an end to the flight of ecstasy that the Soul was used to. Therefore, the Soul sinks into the ocean of life like a bar of iron. With years of misuse, the iron starts rusting and for some unfortunate beings, they even forget their own divine essence. We get caught up in our lives and magnify each situation and problem till our vision is blocked to anything else. We begin identifying with our body and forget that we are the Soul. The Guru is like a piece of wood that allows the iron bar to float when attached to it. The Teacher helps the lost Soul realize its origin and instructs on letting go of the burdens weighing it down. If we liken the Teacher to the wood, we will also see the greater truth in the statement. Not only is the wood able to float on the water without any assistance, it is also a part of the great forest. The forest here is used to suggest that the spiritually advanced Guru is connected and one with the Supreme God. Also, as in any forest, there are different varieties of trees that yield different wood. Similarly, Spiritual teachers follow the different paths of Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Raj Yoga and others to help the aspirants connect with the Supreme Creator. There is a lot of emphasis placed upon the relationship between a Guru and chela (student or spiritual aspirant). Every religious text, spiritual writings and scriptures have urged the chela to seek the guidance of a Guru to improve their chance of uniting with their Selves. However, it is only when the student is actually ready that the Guru appears. It is not the student who chooses the Guru, but the other way around. The Guru has chosen His disciples before they were born, and has taken the responsibility of their Souls till eternity. So when the disciple puts on the body suit, the Guru waits patiently for the student to realize that there is something more to their live than merely existing. And once the student is ready to learn how to float his iron-like body on the ocean of life, the Guru mysteriously arrives and lends a hand that keeps him from drowning. In the end, it is only the truth that will set you free. I am a humble student of MCKS! At the lotus feet always!
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 09:41:08 +0000
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