Welcome to Day 27 of our 40-Day Retreat 2008.
We have been speaking about the “Parama Guru”. It is beautiful to explore the qualities of such a being and to be aware of who these beings are, so when we are choosing Gurus we go to that highest level, we look for the Parama Guru. I do believe that for each one of us there is a Parama Guru. Furthermore, it is the Parama Guru who is meant to be for us. When we find such a one, we feel that deep connection from inside.
We have been speaking about the Parama Guru as: being established inside, in unshakable mind, blissful being, not being caught up in unnecessary display of siddhis, having risen beyond beliefs, and ignorance being completely destroyed.
Mastery over lower self
Today I want to present another aspect of Parama Guru, and I think this is a very important one. This one applies to mastery over the lower self. This is particularly important in teachers, especially spiritual teachers of the highest order. They need to express complete mastery of the lower self, otherwise how can they teach another if they have not mastered the lower self? Of course, one can have Guru Principle active without these chakras being completely cleansed. Sometimes we see this and we ask how can that be possible? These are teachers who have the power of teaching, yet they are still caught up in the lower self. Mastery of the lower self is, therefore, extremely important. That’s why I am choosing to bring this verse in.
This verse tells us about mastery of the lower self. It does so in a very extreme way, but I think getting the intention of the verses is very important. First I will read the Sanskrit which says:
Swa shareeram shavam pashyam
Tathaa swaat maanam advayam
Yah stree kanak mohaghnah
Sa bhavet paramo guruh
One who looks upon his own body as a corpse and his own Self as non-dual Brahman, and who has ruthlessly killed the infatuation for wealth and women/men, such a person is a Parama Guru.
Extreme view of the Body
The reason why I say “extreme” is because it considers the body to be a corpse; and one who has killed ruthlessly the infatuation for wealth and the opposite sex. What does it mean? How do these Parama Gurus operate? They view the body as a corpse; as a dead body, it says. What it actually means is what they see in the body is a perishable being. If you have followed the way of meditation, you will know that in India some of the yogis go to the burial ground where they sit and meditate seeing all the corpses. It reminds them of where the body will go eventually.
These Parama Gurus are always aware, in every moment, of the fate of the body. So when the verse says that they view the body as a corpse, it is because they can see the perishable nature of the body. They can already see the end of the body.
Established in Spiritual Being
It also says “established in non-dual Brahman” and that is where the secret is. Because they are established in their spiritual being, they do not identify with their body any more as part of their reality. The body is just like a garment they wear. So this is extremely important, the fact that they are so established in the inner consciousness that they see the body for what it really is: a perishable body, a garment that is worn, something not to be attached to or be driven by. This is why it says they view the body as a corpse.
Sacral Chakra under Complete Control
Then the verse says they have “ruthlessly killed”, meaning without mercy, “their attachment to wealth and to the opposite sex”. It means that the second chakra is completely under control, which is important. The Parama Gurus do not suppress desires. If the teacher is not fully developed and their second chakra issues are suppressed, then at some point in time those second-chakra issues are likely to come up again, if the teacher is not making deeper strides into mastering the lower self.
In the Parama Gurus there is complete mastery over the lower self, and more so, not in terms of suppression but in terms of transmutation. They are able to draw the energy of the sacral or sexual area, and take the energy of that chakra and move it up into other finer energies. That is what gives them that incredible power of mastery. So the second chakra must be absolutely controlled.
Presence reveals inner State
When you come in the presence of Parama Gurus you can feel their power of mastery. You can feel the vibration is so disciplined, so strong as they are not caught up in that lower energy. You know when that energy is around; you can feel it. But when people are interested in sexuality, you can feel their energy very strong and gross. However, when you walk into the presence of those beings you feel a different quality. You can feel the mastery over that level.
Attachment to Wealth
The verse further speaks about attachment to wealth. And of course that is also a root chakra that is connected to the world and worldly possessions, and to material things. When you are very identified with the base chakra all possessions become important. You then fight for these things. You are attached to them.
To these beings such material possessions mean nothing. They belong to the world, not to the spiritual domain. So having gone beyond that chakra, whatever is around means nothing to them, absolutely nothing! They have completely “killed” that. They have mastered it.
Choosing a Teacher – Be selective
In the whole spectrum of teachers that we saw, as Guru Gita says in a verse mentioned earlier, we need to examine the teacher, and choose that teacher who is established in the inner Self. One of the verses I read says, ‘just as the bee goes from flower to flower in the garden gathering honey, so too you can go from teacher to teacher until you find that which you need. But of course, the most beautiful and powerful teachers are those who have mastered the lower self, and those who live in the non-dual awareness of Brahman or the Divine’.
As students, we too need to master the lower self. How can we go forward: if we don’t master the lower self; if we are still caught up in lust for pleasure; attachment to the material things of the world? How can we make a step forward? Having your feet still here, how can you move forward? They are chained to this level. How can they move forward when they are chained to the lower chakras? If teachers who are still caught up in these things are followed, how and where will you go? Teachers who are very interested in money say: “You have to pay this amount for a mantra and teaching, then I will give it to you”.
Should the teachings of the Infinite Supreme One really go at a cost? Think about it. Have these teachers bought it so that they can now sell it? Is it based on trading, and is there a profit involvement? Freely we have received and freely we should give. Those are the highest teachers. We are not owners of anything. The Universe owns everything. We are just guardians; we receive and we give. We are keepers only for a time.
Divine qualities of Parama Guru
We therefore need to be very selective when we are choosing teachers. Are they attached to material things? Do they feel happy when they get a lot of things, and when you don’t give them anything they push you away? Do they still crave for power? And pleasure? That is what we need to examine. But the joy is, in the world there is the Parama Guru – the one who has gone past that. In the presence of such a being you feel purity, you feel love beyond measure. You feel the upper chakras and you feel the lower chakras completely controlled – that is mastery.
This is what the verse says about the Parama Guru, it is a beautiful verse that expresses the wondrous nature of these teachers. They have gone beyond the lower level, established in the higher level. And through association with them, we too learn how to master the lower level. So let us be inspired by this verse, and let it guide us in selecting that Teacher who can lead us ultimately to freedom!
Concluding Remark
I just want to leave you with another thought. What I have spoken about today on mastery of the lower self, becomes easier when you begin to experience, (and experience is the key word) your spiritual identity – your identity with the energy being within you. You actually feel that your physical body is different. And you can see the biological drive of the body for survival, for pleasure. You can see it, and when you do, you see yourself as being different from it. Then the way you treat the body is different because you can have compassion for it. When the body is driven by biological drives, you can actually feel compassion for it and you can easily bring it back to a peaceful state. This is because you are beyond the biological drive. And that is the key!
Once the consciousness is switched from the physical identification “I am body” to the spiritual identification “I am the Spirit within, I am the source of energy within, I am the one established in the energy field”, then you are able to manage the biological drives of the body so easily, so skillfully. You can bring the body back into a state of peacefulness and that is absolute beauty.
I hope that you can appreciate this last statement. May the Supreme One bless you.
