Welcome to Day 4 of our 40 Day Retreat, 2008.

These days are special days, and by special days I mean days filled with Grace. Because wherever there is genuine seeking, Grace flows. This is my belief, this is my experience.

The Principle that Removes Darkness
During these days we’ve been exploring that principle that can take us out of darkness and that can lead us to freedom. By freedom I mean going back to that place inside of us, where we become more aware of our true Self. These have been exciting days, because any exploration of true Self, any pursuit towards freedom is a noble one and an extremely important one.

I have chosen a very dear book of wisdom that I discovered on my first visit to India in 1975. It is a book that speaks about this liberating principle that is called ‘Guru’. It comes from the Skanda Purana, and it is an elaborate text on the Guiding Principle. It is a book that inspired me, inspired my practice and allowed me to understand the path that I was involved in. This year I’ve decided to take verses of this book of wisdom, that is called ‘Song of the Guide’…Guru Gita. So I can inspire you into understanding this Principle more and allowing it to inspire you on your journey.

Two aspects of the Universe
I have been saying to you that 2 aspects of the Universe have been important for us to look into.

- Concealment
One is the idea of concealment, that somewhere deep inside of us is hidden our greatness, that we have become disempowered by coming into a human form. You’ll notice that I’m saying that we have come into a human form, which means I am indicating or implying that we are not the human vessel. I rather like describing this body as a garment we wear….this human garment that we wear, that we shed at the end of a lifetime.

Somewhere deep inside of us that ‘greatness’ has been hidden, and if it is hidden then we want to find it, that’s always the adventure of any Seeker. If this exists, then I want to find it. And if there is some greatness inside of me, some great power inside of me that I can tap into, or I can experience, then I want to get it, I want to feel it, I want to know it.

- Grace
The other Cosmic process, or Universal process that allows us to go there, to find it, to experience it, is called Grace. In the language of Sanskrit, it is called Anugraha.

This is extremely important for me…the fact that our Universe wants to liberate us…then the adventure becomes even more exciting. If you have some being that wants to help you to find what you’re looking for as a seeker, then it becomes more exciting…How can I work with this unseen Power? And that makes the whole thing an adventure, an adventure of seeking. That is the adventure that I had.

Experiencing Guidance
Of course when you’re seeking and you don’t understand the help, then it becomes misery, because you’re seeking and nothing seems to be happening. I think for all of us in seeking, this happens. But when something begins to happen, when you begin to see some light at the end of the tunnel, or you actually begin to see some Guide, or guidance from the Universe, then there is excitement… “Oh I want to know more, I want to understand more, I want to experience more, I want to feel more”. This is the experience…it becomes exciting. This is what happened to me during my first visit to India. I started to experience some kind of guidance from the Universe; one would call it ‘Grace’. I became extremely excited.

This book that is called “Guru Gita” fascinated me. First, it fascinated me by the language…which is the language of Sanskrit…and it is a very beautiful, powerful language. And then secondly, not just the power of the language (and it has incredible power in chanting)…but the meaning of the words…and these words are called mantras (mantras are words of power). Mantras are not just words of power…sound wise, but words of power…contemplative wise. That you can contemplate these words and they expand your thinking, they expand your view. So the grace comes in the contemplation and the grace also comes in the power of chanting…in repeating the words, in singing the words. So this has an excitement of its own.

The Power of the Word
Today, my topic really is “The Power of the Word”. This text that we are studying, this book of wisdom, is called “Guru Gita”. “Guru” becomes the essential word.

How important is a word? I would say extremely important. Words are tools of communication. And words carry power…the power to communicate, the power to contemplate, to understand. When a word has expansive meaning, a very profound and deep meaning, then it gives us a chance to contemplate and explore its vast meaning…and then a word becomes very powerful.

Do you know the power of a word? I am sure you can resonate with that. If someone tells you you’re brilliant, if someone tells you you’re powerful, if someone tells you you’re beautiful…what happens to you? You see the power of a word, it affects you deeply.

Do you know that when you begin to think of a word or contemplate it, you store it in your memory? You have a field where you store information within you, so you store it in your memory. And when you store something in your memory, you have the power of recall. So that’s when a word becomes very powerful. You can go back and contemplate it, and exactly how you understood it…it’s going to come back to you. And this allows you the opportunity to contemplate the word again.

Words have a Powerful Affect on us
Words do not leave you after you hear them or you think about them, they go within you and are stored within you. So if someone tells you you’re a fool or you’re an idiot,  it effects you emotionally, mentally, creating lots of thoughts in you, then this goes inside of you, and being inside of you, it begins to take your energy away, it begins to disempower you. If someone tells you something powerful, that is stored within you and that makes you stronger. So words are very powerful.

The words we use to refer to the Infinite become very special words. Even in the prayer of Jesus…’Hallowed be thy name’…in referring to God, he is saying ‘your name is so sacred’…’Hallowed be thy name’.

In the ancient system of India, these special words, with great meaning and powerful sounds, they are called mantras. They are words of power. And one of the meaning of mantra is ‘that which protects you’, ‘that which liberates you’…mantra. See how powerful words are.

The word “Guru” as the King of Mantras
The word “Guru”, was invested, or has been invested with so much meaning; it allows great latitude for contemplation. You can find deep meaning in the word “Guru”. And so in this book of wisdom, it says that this word is a very special word. It has the power of sound, and it has the power of contemplation. This book of wisdom it is called “The King of Mantras”…Mantra Raj.

There are some verses in this book of  wisdom…“Guru Gita”…that explores the phenomenal meaning, the wide meaning of this word…”Guru”. When you hear this word, it should expand your thinking, it should make you look into the Universe in a broader way.

Different meanings of “Guru”
We know that when people hear “Guru”, people have all kinds of ideas…tricksters, those who take your money away, those who deceive you, those who try to make you servants, and those who lift you. So the word has different kinds of meaning in our world. It has become such a word now, across the world, that it is used in the western world casually as well…”he’s a Guru of this”, “he’s a Guru of that”.

In the ancient system of  India, this word has great meaning. It is a highly respectful word, so much so, that the Teacher who helps us to come out of the darkness the Guru, we put words next to it, Guruji or Gurudev  that makes it affectionate, or makes it very respectful. So the word “Guru” is a very very powerful word in the ancient teachings of India.

Finding our Greatness
Today and the next day, I’m going to explore the power of this word. But today, I want to read for you, one verse from this book of wisdom and to explore its meaning. When you begin to understand the greatness of this word…what it means. Then you begin to see the contemplative power you have. Just to think of the word “Guru” begins to expand the mind more, into understanding more.

This word can lead us on a Supreme Path, to Liberation. This word can tell us who are the instruments of Grace, or what are the instruments of Grace in this Universe, where Grace flows. This word can lead us to that place where we can rediscover our greatness. So it is such a powerful word. And the word indicates, not a person as we sometimes misunderstand it, the word implies a Power, a Consciousness that manifests our Universe. The entire Universe can be seen as Guru, a person or even a book, can be seen as that instrument through which “Guru” flows.

Let me read this verse for you…

Gukaarash Chaandhakaaro Hi
Rukaaras Teja Uchyate
Agyaana Graasakam Brahma
Gurureva Na Samshayah

Gukaarash Chaandhakaaro…It says the letter ‘Gu’ denotes darkness, and the letter ‘ru’ is said to be light. Rukaaras Teja Uchyate it says the letter ‘ru’ refers to light, that principle that can take away darkness.

Agyaana Graasakam Brahma, Gurureva Na Samshayah… it says that there is no doubt what so ever that the Supreme Principle that takes away darkness, that swallows up the darkness…grasakam  means ‘swallows up’, is called ‘Guru’. The Supreme Principle is referred to as Brahma that Supreme Principle that takes away darkness is referred to as “Guru”. And Agjnaana, means ignorance…Agjnaana-Grassakam Brahma, Gurureva Na Samshayah.

If we take a moment to really contemplate what this says…of course the verse is also what is called a “mantra”. If you chant the verse it also has great power.

The Removal of Darkness
Now if you look within the human being, you are going to see that some of us are caught up in darkness. The darkness of fear, the darkness of loneliness, the darkness of unhappiness, the darkness of misery, and the darkness of ignorance…not knowing, And if you look at the eyes of such a person, you can actually see darkness within the person, you can see that fear, you can see that loneliness, you can see that depression, you can see that misery…you can see it.

If you see light in a person, you see happiness, you see understanding, you see strength, you see kindness and compassion, and you see optimism and the eyes look different.

This mantra is saying, that when you think of the word “Guru”, and you think of ‘gu’…think of the darkness, and when you think  of ‘ru’…think of light, that which removes darkness. It says that, that Principle or that Supreme Knowledge that takes away darkness from inside of you…the darkness of fear, the darkness of misery, the darkness of ignorance…that liberating principle…that is “Guru”. So “Guru” is the removal of darkness.

Of course the excitement is that it gives other ways of looking at Guru (which I will also speak about tomorrow). But this mantra says ‘Gu’ denotes darkness, and ‘ru’…light. So even if you repeat the word Guru, you’re actually asking light to enter you and take away darkness, that is what you are doing. Guru, Guru, Guru, Guru, Guru, Guru…you’re actually saying to the Light…”Please enter me, take me away from the darkness inside of me”. So even to utter the word “Guru”, even to say “Guru”, has the power to guide you into a new space, to lead you into a new space.

Of course I’m excited to tell you about the other dimensions of the word, but I’ll have to leave that excitement for another day. But suffice it is to say, that words carry power. This book of wisdom speaks highly of this word and explores different ways of looking at this word. This word can become a powerful word in your consciousness. So that when you contemplate it or when you repeat it, it has great power.

Who do we refer to as Guru?
And just to say…that even when you consider someone to be a human Guru, or an instrument of that Power, that Guiding Power, when you refer to that person, that person needs to have these qualities of the light that can take away darkness. You don’t refer to the person as “Guru”  unless they can take the darkness away from you, unless they can lift you out of the darkness. That word is reserved for those who can take you another step.

In the ancient wisdom of India, the ones who can take you to enlightenment, not just enlighten you in normal ways of the world, or with normal knowledge, the one who can take you on that step towards liberation, that one is called Sadguru.

Let us take a few moments to go inside to mediation, to seek the light that can take away the darkness.

 Post Meditation

- Guru’s wish for us

I wish you a blissful today. A day of higher awareness, understanding, and a day where all your actions become a blessing to our world. Wishes are very powerful; when you make a wish for each other it has power. This is the wish I make for you. May you become more aware of that light within you. That is what “Guru” is all about…finding that light within you and experiencing that light within you as you follow the guidance of our benevolent Universe.