40-Day Meditation Retreat

Welcome to Day 17 of our 40-Day Retreat 2008.

In the last days I have been on the subject:

The supreme form of Guru
The expansive nature of Guru
The whole Universe is situated in Guru
Guru is in the midst of the Universe
Everywhere there is Guru.

      I want to continue with that today. I think it is an extremely important theme. It invites us into practice. I do not share this with you, so it becomes an interesting philosophy to speak about. I share it with you so that you can begin to see a practice out of it. We may not yet see fully with the eyes of the wise, but we can begin to appreciate how the wise see the Universe. We can begin to align ourselves to that wisdom that helps us on the journey.

Nothing exists that is not Guru
I am going to read to you, once again, another verse from Guru Gita that relates to this cosmic aspect of Guru. It invites us in a very powerful way to see the Guru everywhere. Not just in a single person who is manifesting Guru Tattwa, but in the whole Universe. This verse says:

Guruh Shivo Gurur Devo
Gurur bandhu Gurur sharirinaam
Gurur atma Gurur jivo
Gurur anyanna vidyate

Guru is Shiva, Guru is God
Guru is relative of all embodied beings
Guru is the Atma (Self), Guru is Jiva (sentient being)
There is nothing other than Guru

Guruh Shivo: He is saying that Guru is Shiva. And remember the one who is telling story is Shiva. Shiva is also the cosmic aspect of the Universe that takes away darkness of ignorance and impurity and that eventually absorbs the Universe in its Being. That cosmic aspect of the Universe to reabsorb or dissolve things created is also called Shiva. Shiva is also called the Great God, Maheshwar. He dissolves everything. Of course “He” means a Cosmic Power.

Gurur Devo: All the cosmic powers that we deem divine like the Sustainer of the Universe, the Creator of the Universe, He says they also are Guru.

Gurur bandhu Gurur sharirinaam: Guru is a relative of all embodied beings. All relatives are Guru as well.

Gurur atma: That inner Self is also Guru

Gurur jivo: All living forms, sentient beings are also Guru

Gurur anyanna vidyate: Nothing exists that is not Guru.

Practice is Imperative
That is powerful food for thought. It invites us to see Guru in everything. Let this not be a philosophy only. How do we put this into practice? For me, the most important thing when you get knowledge is to be able to apply it. If you don’t apply knowledge then it is like unused furniture. It is like unused tools or appliances. What is the use of it?

Intelligent Universe ever responds
So how can we bring this into practice? This verse invites us to see that everything around us, every living being is also governed by the Guru Principle. If you think about it carefully, when you act in the Universe, you say something, you do something in relationship with someone, you think something, the Universe responds. Someone may come to you, call you or give you something and you can see how that response is related to your actions, thoughts or desires.

If you are more aware you can see how every desire, thought, feeling impacts the Universe in a certain way, and the Universe responds. So it may respond to a person who may not even know that they are responding to your actions or desire. For example, you may desire something material- to eat, wear or to use and you have a strong thought about this in my mind or heart, then someone brings it to you. Whom are you going to thank, just the person, saying, “Oh, how nice of you! You have been so thoughtful that you brought this for me today.” Or are you going to thank the Universe that used the person as an instrument and say, “Thank you, my Universe, for using this person as an instrument to bring it to me.” Think about this carefully. Are you going to think, “Oh, what a thoughtful act of this person!” thinking that the person would have acted out of random thinking. If you think carefully, that person just responded to the response of the Universe to you. The person became an instrument. This invites us to see that everything in the Universe - every living being that can respond and all the Cosmic Powers that can respond, do so in response to your actions in every situation.

Practise now, not Tomorrow
This invites us into a practice that is now and immediate! But when you say, “Oh, what a nice teaching, I will contemplate this tomorrow, and perhaps next week I will work with a group and we will discuss how to put this into practice. It is a very nice teaching, and he is a very good teacher”, and you go away with that.   You go with the idea, “We will practise next week after discussing with the group and seeing what the group thinks. Then we will discuss how to practise this. Let me listen first to what everybody has to say, then we will discuss how to practise, the methodology.

For me, there is an intensity of learning. I want to be the best student of life. When I get a teaching, I want to practise it now, not tomorrow. It begins now! Now is the moment. And when I get a teaching, I want to work with my Universe which is that resource inside of me, that resource immediately around me- books, people. And I want to know the methodology of practice now. Even if I don’t have all the steps, but I want to know how to put that into practise now. The practice must become immediate. That is how I am, as a seeker.

Universe is constantly teaching…
I want to say that I am constantly learning from the Universe everyday. The Universe is my Guru and you become part of that too. I can see my Universe teaching me things through you – each one of you. You may have an area of expertise that you can teach me something; you can enlighten me in some way. So the whole Universe becomes my Guru and I learn everyday.

The most beautiful part of it is that I cannot claim that I know anything, because I can feel in every situation that I am involved in, that it is my beautiful Universe using me as an instrument to share, teach or guide. I cannot claim anything! This physical being is not the teacher! The Guru Tattwa comes from the Universe. So I see the Universe constantly in teaching. And I am always open to learn thinking, “What can I learn new from this person? What can I learn from this situation?” That is where humility is beautiful, where humility is powerful, where it is natural and not a practice.

…through anyone, anywhere
When you begin to see that Cosmic Power working in and through you, and through everyone, they may be aware or unaware of it, I don’t judge the Universe. Even when people say, “Why are you listening to this person? That person does not know anything. That person does not practise anything.” But that person can come and give me a message that comes from my Universe in a very valid way. So I listen. I listen to every voice! It does not matter who it is. It is my Universe speaking to me. Even when people are abusive or negative, I look for what the message is; there must be a message in there. And it’s simply beautiful. The whole Universe is Guru.

Of course it is wonderful when we can meet those people who can manifest Guru Tattwa. They are so sattvic, peaceful, so beautiful and nice. They can sing very nicely, tell nice stories and inspire you. But they are only one of the instruments of the Universe. I love being in that energy, but I love looking at all energies in the Universe and seeing how the Cosmic Guru can teach us through any person, anywhere!

The whole Universe is Guru
So in my daily interactions with the Universe I listen to everyone very carefully, looking for what my Universe is telling me today. I don’t have to look for my assignments everywhere because I say the Universe is my Boss. And everyday my assignments come from what is around me. My Universe commands me from everything that is around me, and I humbly offer my salutations to that Universe: “Teach me; guide me. Let me do exactly what you want me to do in every situation.” And it’s simply marvellous!

The Guru Principle is everywhere. Even Shiva in the story is saying: Guru is Shiva, Gurur Shivo. Guru is God, Gurur Devo. Guru is the relative, Gurur bandhu. Guru is the Self, Gurur Atma. Guru is the sentient being, Gurur Jivo, Guru is all living beings, Gurur Sharirinaam. And there is nothing in the Universe that is not Guru, Gurur anyanna vidyate.

Be humble; Be wise
I hope that this can inspire you in your own life, in this moment. In this NOW, to open your eyes to see the Guru is everywhere. You don’t have to wait to go to the Himalayan caves to learn from Guru. Do so right where you are: in your offices, in the busy cities, in the buses, in the streets. Even one who may refer to as a vagrant in the street may have a message for you from Guru Principle. Be humble. Be wise. See how everywhere this Principle is manifesting.