Its some time now since I moved away from Baba Life but thoughts of those years are always with me. They were the toughest and most tender times of my adult years. The times I followed my guru ji through snake infested jungles, across flooded rivers and many other places that most sane people wouldn’t dare to step foot are now softened by fond memory and I have to remind myself how I moaned and cursed and cried too sometimes because it was all just too tough. But that is the point of having a Guru; the literal translation of which is Gu meaning darkness and Ru meaning light. So your Guru is one who leads you from darkness into light.
According to tradition, a “seeker must be willing to fully trust and follow any advise of his Guru. At the same time he is still required to use common sense and good judgment. He must learn to follow his guru’s advice while learning at the same time to become free of any attachment and make wise use of his intuition and mind. The path to God may be long and “rocky” as it may appear sometimes to be hard work to dissolve all the ego of a new spiritual disciple. It usually is much easier to gain a victory over another country than it is to be victorious over his own ego. A Guru will know and realize all your problems and tricky behaviors you may have and help you to overcome your own ego on the most loving and most peaceful path suitable for you.”
I laugh to read those words now, my relationship with my Guru was the most tempestuous relationship I have had in my entire life. The more I struggled against him, the more I came to love him. One editor who worked with me on my book Chasing Shiva assumed that the book was about a dysfunctional relationship! No one can really understand what comes between a Guru and his student, tradition says that Guru and Cheli (student) are linked karmically through many lifetimes. What I know now is that never a day passes when I dont pray for my Guru or learn another lesson from our years spent in the jungles of Omkareshwar.
This week my book Chasing Shiva is heavily discounted for the Read an Ebook week, you will also have a chance to win an Ereader to read it on! Can’t say better than than except please do take the opportunity to read about spiritual tourism unplugged!!