The Role Of A Guide On The Path Of Knowledge

Neelam Nimare

The Path of Knowledge is the Spiritual path to find my True nature. This path is said to be a direct and an Effortless path, but walking on this path is far from easy. This is where the role of a Guide comes in.

It is impossible to progress not only on PoK but on any spiritual path without the help of a guide. Especially a seeker who is new on the path needs some person to hold his hand and show him a direction. This person is the Guide or Guru or Teacher or mentor. The Guru helps a seeker choose the right path towards whatever his goals are and He also acts as a guide on that path.

### What is the meaning of Guru? 
Guru means The one who takes you from darkness to light .This is the darkness is of ignorance. and A guru is the remover of ignorance .This ignorance is due to the wrong beliefs and assumptions acquired by the seeker without critical thinking. However, the Guru does not simply remove the ignorance,rather he hints at the ignorance. It is the seeker who has to pull himself out of it. The teacher acts as a guiding light. It is just as the seeker is living in a poorly lit room, barely managing his way and unable to access the dark corners.

The Guru is the one who shines a bright light. Now,the seeker is able to see things clearly. He can navigate easily and the accumulated dirt is visible clearly. It is now upto the seeker to clean it up if he intends to. The Guru only facilitates in making the ignorance visible and its removal.

### So how do I find a Guru ? Who is my Guide..

These are the questions that a so many seekers have.Now there is not a fixed formula to find a Guru. Every seeker is in his unique place of understanding and every guru may also have his unique criteria for accepting students.
Here are some guidelines which the seeker may consider ,if he wishes to be under the guidance of a Guru.

Firstly, try to find someone who is on the same spiritual path and has attained the same goals that the seeker has. He should be the one you like very much. Choose the Guru whom you understand easily, trust and know well , admire and respect. If you cannot meet the Guru physically and if The Guru has an Internet presence, just as so many Gurus have now a days, then you can begin by watching his videos ,listening to his talks, reading books or blogs written by him. If you like him, then you can proceed and try to contact him.

Another way is if you know a seeker or friend already on this path, you can take help of him as he can guide you about the teachers on that path. One can also visit the Ashrams to know more about that Guru .Sometimes there are spiritual retreats or workshops, one can also attend those. If none of the ways are feasible, a seeker can just visit a Guru of any path, nearest and most accessible to him. Gurus are often connected and that Guru can guide you to the appropriate guide. Finding a Guru is important but one should not hurry for it. Be patient and Pray. Your prayers and strong intention will lead you to your Guru at the right time.

Some seekers may be intrigued, that when all the knowledge is provided in Books or available Internet, or videos, and Teachings of all ancient Gurus are also easily available, then why seek for a Guru in person ?
Here, it is emphasised that a having Living Guru is best thing for a seeker. There are valid reasons for that. Firstly, a live Guru will know exactly where you are in your journey and can guide from there. That guidance will specifically be for you and this makes a lot of difference. Secondly, a physical Guru can answer your questions directly. There can be an argument that all the FAQs of seekers can be found in books or videos .But the fact to be understood here is that the answers given are specific to the seeker putting forth the question at that moment in front of the Guru .Same answer may not be relevant for another seeker. For one seeker the Guru may give one answer and another seeker may get a totally different or opposite answer. Only the Guru knows where that seeker stands and what answer he needs at that particular time. It is just like, so often, for the same illness, the doctor may prescribe different medicine to different people depending on their age, physiological state or other associated illnesses. Last but not the least reason for having a living Guru nearby, there is the possibility that a worthy seeker receives the showers of Grace, just by being in the Gurus proximity.

As a seeker keeps progressing, he will find that the teachings of the Guru turn out to be true and match with his own experience. If they do not match, then there is either a wrong path chosen or a wrong guide. In such case ,there will be no progress. Also if listening to the Gurus teachings gives you a kind of joy and you feel a natural respect, love and admiration towards him, then you can be certain that you have found your Guru.

Also, always try to find a Guru who can give you time and personal attention. If your Guru is unaccessible, always busy and surrounded by a crowd, then your spiritual progress will be very slow.

A seeker may have a question in mind, that if the Guru only points to ignorance and it he himself who has to do all the efforts then how is it that he gains knowledge through the Guru?

Spiritual path can be full of pitfalls and The Guru proves a guiding light in so many ways. He points to the seekers ignorance, which are all those layers of false beliefs and assumptions that obscure the truth. The Guru does not give the knowledge ,but awakens the knowledge already present in you. Often, it happens that even after getting all the knowledge, the seeker tends to fall back into ignorance. In such case The Guru continuously reminds the seeker to abide in the truth.
If the seeker misinterprets a teaching, the Guru corrects him and ensures he stays on the track. Guru is like the navigator who corrects the course when you drift away.
For a worthy student, the Guru can go to any extent to aid his progress. Out of their compassion, Gurus also have lessened the burden of obstacles when they slow down the growth of the seeker. It is like the loving father who, when sees his child struggling to walk with a heavy load, will take up some of his burden, so that the child can walk faster.

The Guru can also be a facilitator of grace which accelerates the growth of the student.

What and how much can a student recieve from his Guru is subject to his own limitations. The Guru is always ready to give everything ,whatever he has. Such is the love of the Guru. It is unconditional.

Having said so much about the Guru, a seeker may build up a lot of expectations from his teacher. So it should be clear to him what to expect from a Guru on the Path of Knowledge..

If the seeker comes with a belief that the Guru can solve his life problems, help him get money or wealth, acquire powers or do some miracles, then such seekers will be disappointed. The Guru will not provide any of these. Although, Gurus being more advanced may have these capabilities but they will never use or demonstrate them .A true Guru will stay as the most humble and ordinary human being, silently doing his work of removing ignorance of the seeker. A true Guru will not do any gimmicks to attract a crowd of students.

Some seekers may ask should I have only one Teacher or can I have more than one ?
Here, there is no set of rules. It depends on individual seeker. There can be one Guru or many depending on what guidance the seeker requires for his progress. Also in the seekers journey, different teachers may appear at different times in life for him. It is like when you are in kindergarten you get a teacher who guides kindergarten students and if the seeker is in his phD, the PhD level guide will happen.

### How long should the student be with a Guru ?

A Guru student relationship is not defined by time but by purpose. This relation evolves depending on the students spiritual maturity and realisation. It often lasts over several lifetimes .
As the student matures, the Gurus presence shifts from external to internal. The ultimate aim of the Guru is to make the student independent and move on. There is a wise saying about this that.. Guru is like the boat .It helps seeker cross the river. Once crossed, the seeker leaves the boat ,he does not carry it with him wherever he goes.

There is a famous and beautiful verse or Doha by the 15 Th century poet saint Kabir Das which goes like this

गुरु गोविन्द दोउ खड़े, काके लागु पाय ।
बलिहारी गुरू आपने, गोविन्द दियों मिलाये ।।

It translates like this If I ever face The Guru and God at one time, then my first veneration will be for The guru, because it he through whom I could get to God.

This verse also emphasises the important of the role of a guide on a spiritual path in all times. It places the Guru on the highest place. I too find this verse heart touching when ever I read it . But now I see it in another way where The Guru, the Govind and me are One and not separate.