Who is a Guru and How to Find Him ?

Having a teacher to guide us in any field is invaluable. This is true in Spirituality as well. Since Spirituality is subtle or intangible in nature, it is difficult to identify with certainty who is a spiritually evolved guide or Guru. A Guru is very different from a teacher or a preacher. He is a beacon of spiritual light in our world, and teaches us the universal spiritual principles that underlie all religions and cultures. This article expands on His characteristics and salient features.

1. Introduction

What if children were told to educate themselves in modern sciences without any teacher or any access to prior knowledge gained over centuries ? What if we had to reinvent the wheel in every walk of life, without having access to knowledge that was already available from authorities in the field? If this were the case, we would spend a lifetime trying to educate ourselves without making much headway or perhaps even going down a wrong path.

In the same way, a guide is required in our spiritual journey too. It stands to reason that a guide in any field needs to be an authority in that particular field. According to Spiritual science, a person who is an authority in the field of Spirituality is known as a Guru.

There is a proverb – In the kingdom of the blind, the seeing man is a king. With a highly activated sixth sense, the Guru is the totally ‘seeing’ person in the kingdom of the spiritually blind and ignorant. He is someone who has already walked the spiritual road under the guidance of his Spiritual Guide, and has access to the Universal Mind and Intellect. Here, we will explain who can be considered a Spiritual Guide or a Guru and His characteristics.

2. Definition of a Guru or an evolved spiritual guide

There are various aspects to the Supreme God Principle. These aspects perform specific functions in the Universe. This is like the Government of a country which has various Departments to facilitate the smooth governing and functioning of the country.

Just as we have a department for education in a Government, which facilitates teaching of modern sciences, the aspect of God that looks after spiritual teaching and spiritual growth in the Universe is known as the Guru. This is known as the unseen or unmanifest Guru or the Teaching Principle of God. The unmanifest Guru pervades the entire Universe and is with us at all times during our life, even after we die.

The salient feature is that the unmanifest Guru stands by us throughout our life and slowly lifts us from our worldly life into a spiritual way of life. The Guru guides us according to our spiritual level, our capacity to imbibe knowledge whether we know it or not, helping us develop skills such as perseverance, dedication, attention to detail, tenacity, compassion, etc. All these are intrinsic to being a good seeker and are vital in sustaining our spiritual journey. For those who are proactively seeking spiritual growth, the Guru is more active, guiding them in an unseen form according to what is needed for them.

Very few people take up spiritual practice that is universal and beyond the confines of formal, organised religion. Among these, through their spiritual practice very few attain the spiritual level of 70%. The unmanifest Guru then works completely through some of these evolved individuals who are then known as the manifest Guru or the Guru in the human form. In other words, an individual has to be at least at 70% spiritual level to qualify as a spiritual guide or a Guru. The Guru in human form acts as a beacon of spiritual knowledge for humanity and is in total alignment with the Universal Mind and Intellect of God.

Literal meaning of ‘Guru’ : The word ‘Guru’ is derived from Sanskrut and has a deep spiritual meaning.

Its two syllables ‘Gu’ and ‘Ru’ stand for the following : ‘Gu’ denotes the spiritual ignorance that most of mankind is in. ‘Ru’ represents the radiance of spiritual knowledge that dispels the spiritual ignorance.

In short, the Guru is the One who dispels the darkness of spiritual ignorance in humanity and bestows spiritual experiences and spiritual knowledge. There is a vast difference between an individual preaching spiritual sciences or religious study when compared to a Guru.

Most preachers in today’s world are at the spiritual level of 30%, and as a result, they are neither able to understand the true meaning of the Scriptures they quote from, nor have they experienced first-hand everything that has been written. Thus, the possibility of leading the audience astray is high.

3. The importance of a Guru in the human form

Each of us seeks guidance from teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc. in respective fields. If a guide is needed even in these comparatively simple fields, then imagine the importance of the Guru, who releases us from the bondage of life and death.

Importance of the Guru from a psychological perspective : There are many psychological benefits for a student to have a spiritual guide in the human form.

Unlike God and Deities who do not display their existence and abilities, the Guru displays His form through the human Guru. This way the student of Spirituality has a tangible guide to take care of him on his spiritual journey.

The Guru in human form is Omniscient just as the unmanifest Guru and is able to perceive everything about His disciple. He knows through His access to the Universal Mind and Intellect whether the student is sincere or not and where he is making mistakes.

As a result, the student is aware of this ability of the Guru, and often refrains from performing bad deeds.

The Guru does not allow the disciple to develop inferiority complex from the fact that he is any less than the Guru. He eradicates the complex in a deserving disciple and bestows on him the all-pervading nature of the Guru.

4. Some salient features of a Guru in the human form

A Guru is beyond organised religion and He looks upon all of mankind as the same. He does not discriminate on the basis of culture, nationality or gender. He only seeks the student who intensely desires spiritual growth.

A Guru will never ask one to convert from his religion. He will lift the student to comprehend universal spiritual principles that underlie all religions.

Whichever spiritual path or religion one follows, they all finally lead to the path of grace of the Guru.

5. Finding a Guru – How do we recognise and get an evolved spiritual guide ?

It is difficult for a student of spiritual science to judge the ability of a Guru. This would be like the student testing the teacher. To test someone, one has to be of a higher calibre than that person. The student cannot be that person to test the Guru. More importantly, the ability of the Guru is mostly in the subtle dimension – beyond the understanding of the five senses, mind and intellect. It can be gauged only through a highly activated sixth sense.

This leaves the average person in a predicament on who to follow.

We recommend that one should not go searching for a Guru. In almost all cases, one will not have the spiritual maturity to be to discern who to select as a spiritual guide.

To increase the ability to discern, one needs to perform regular spiritual practice according to the 8 basic principles of spiritual practice. This will ensure spiritual growth and development of a sattvik (Spiritually pure) intellect. The all-pervading unmanifest Guru keeps a constant watch on all of us. When one reaches a spiritual level of around 55%, a Guru in the human form comes into one’s life. (The spiritual level of present day people is 20%).

6. In summary

A Guru is a spiritual guide who is above the spiritual level of 70%.

• Do not go searching for a Guru.
• Instead, perform spiritual practice and ensure that it is aligned with the 8 basic laws of spiritual practice. This will help one grow to a point wherein one has the spiritual maturity to not be fooled by a fake Guru.
• One cannot reach Sainthood (spiritual level of 70%) without the Guru’s grace.

The Guru is a beacon of spiritual light in our world, and teaches us universal spiritual principles !

The Guru is beyond organised religion. He does not discriminate on the basis of culture, nationality or gender !