Spiritual Training, Part One-Two
Author: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
Description: When someone leaves the guru and then comes back they have to prove themselves and complete prāyaśchitta. Everyone has a guru. Viśvaguruji Mahā-Mahārāj, the ruler in the world, is unforgiving and exacting in his lessons; pleasure and pain are his methods of instruction. There are two basic mārgas, or stages: enrollment is automatic in the āṇava mārga, the path of the external ego and the jñāna mārga (there in which one knows they need a religious spiritual teacher who has already attained Self Realization to guide them. All gurus are conspirators in the evolution of the soul, and Śrī Śrī Śrī Viśvaguru Mahā-Mahārāj-ji is no exception.
Transcription:
Good Morning everyone. We are continuing with "Merging with Siva" chapter forty-five entitled "Spiritual Training" from "The 1972 Master Course" continuing second half of:
Lesson 310:
"Loyalty to One's Satguru
"Upon hearing of these soul-searching procedures (known as vrātyastoma)...
(So this is referring to when someone leaves the guru and then comes back they have to prove themselves. So this is referring to what they should do when they come back to prove themselves.)
"Upon hearing of these soul-searching procedures (known as vrātyastoma) most will bow out without a word and seek less demanding groups, thus proving their insincerity. These time-proven methods prevent detractors from returning to further disrupt the group from the inside more effectively than they could from the outside. (Now, Gurudeva's having fun.) If the seeker is qualified to be readmitted after completing the prāyaśchitta, he must begin at the beginning study level and be given no special privileges, positions or recognition in respect for his prior association. The protection of the fellowship is of utmost importance for the benefit of each devotee, and for the continuing spiritual unfoldment of the guru or swāmī himself. One should not be so naive to think that disgruntled former devotees would not seek reentrance for the purpose of disrupting the organization, or be sent on a mission from an adversarial group to rejoin in order to disrupt. All this and more has happened to gurus and swāmīs since the turn of the century.
"There are three kinds of gurus that are traditionally available to guide the soul. The first, of course, are the parents. Next is the family guru, or a guru chosen by the children. The third guru, often the most suave, the most attractive, but in reality always the most demanding, is Viśvaguruji Mahā-Mahārāj. He does live up to his name in all ways, for viśva means 'everything and everyone in the world,' and guru, of course, means 'teacher.' Mahārāj is 'great ruler.'
"Viśvaguruji, as I call him, seemingly teaches so patiently, yet accepts no excuses and remains unforgivingly exacting in his lessons. Everyone living on this planet has a guru, whether they know it or not.
"When the world becomes the teacher, the lessons can be rough or enticing, unloving or endearing, unpleasant or full of temptuous, temporary happiness. The world is relentless in its challenges, in the rewards it offers, the scars it leaves and the healing it neglects. The unrelenting Viśvaguruji works surreptitiously through the people you meet, as past-life karmas unfold into this life. He never gives direct advice or guidance, but leaves the lessons from each experience to be discovered or never discovered. His sūtra is 'Learn by your own mistakes.'
"His way of teaching is through unexpected happenings and untimely events, which are timely from his point of view. Unnecessary karmas are created while the old ones that were supposed to be eliminated smolder, waiting patiently for still another birth. Pleasure and pain are among his effective methods of instruction. Viśvagurujī is the teacher of all who turn their backs on parents, elders, teachers, gurus or swāmīs, laws and traditions of all kinds. It is not a lingering wonder why someone who once abandoned a loving guru or swāmī would want to return from the world and go through the vrātyastoma reentrance procedures, no matter what it takes."
Lesson 311:
"The World As Your Guru
"Those on the āṇava mārga, the path of the external ego, often claim to be their own guru. Some untraditional teachers even encourage the attitude. However, being one’s own guru is a false concept. Traditionally, one would be his 'own guru' only if he were initiated as such, and his guru left the physical body.
"Even then, he would be bound by the lineage within the sect of Sanātana Dharma he dedicated his life to, and would still maintain contact with his guruji within the inner world. Therefore, he would not really ever be his own guru at all. Being one’s own guru is a definite part of the āṇava mārga, a very important part. It is raw, eccentric egoism. A teenager doesn’t become his own teacher in school. A medical doctor doesn’t become his own professor and then get a license to practice, signed by himself. Nor does a lawyer, an engineer or even an airline stewardess. So, logic would tell us that those pursuing something as sensitive, as personal and final as the path to perfection cannot on their own gain the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful in the endeavor.
"Well, we are having fun here, aren’t we? (Yes we are, Gurudeva.) But it is also a serious subject. Think about it. In the realm of training and responsiveness, we can say that there are two basic mārgas, or stages: the āṇava mārga and the jñāna mārga. Those on the jñāna mārga know they need someone in their life who has already attained what they are seeking to attain, who can see ahead of their seeing and consciously guide them. This is the traditional path of Hindu Dharma leading to Self Realization.
"Those on the way of external ego have met many teachers, tested them very carefully, and have found them all not meeting up to their standards. They are the devotees of Śrī Śrī Śrī Viśvaguru Mahā-Mahārāj-jī, members of his Bhogabhūmi Āshram, place of pleasure. The regular daily sādhana is stimulating the desire for sex, for money, for food, for clothing.
"Unlike other āśramas, here there are no apparent boundaries or clear-cut guidelines. Followers are free to do as they please. All classes are open to everyone, from the most high-minded studies to the most devious and low-minded. Advanced low-level classes feature how to 'do in' your enemies and remain undetected; how to access pornography on the Internet, one of the great tools of the āśrama, and then participate in the pleasures it recommends.
"There are courses on effective ways to beat the children, abuse the wife or husband, to maximize domestic chaos. Executive education includes how to climb a corporate ladder, the pros and cons of saving face when rightly accused, and downing your accuser as misinformed or as a perpetual liar. One whole department is dedicated to self-indulgence. Advancements in technology provide never-ending novelty. There is experiential training in crime and punishment, in terrorism and being terrorized, revenge, retribution and the quest for forgiveness. Viśvagurujī has licensed assistant teachers all over the globe, in every city and small community in every country. In fact, every facet of our lovely planet participates in his training programs at every moment in time.
"Mid-range subjects include politics, how to lose and still gain in the process. Love and relationships is very popular, with intensives in promiscuity, marriage, infidelity and divorce. How to find your little self and make it big—name and fame—is among the top ten pursuits. There are numerous variations on the acquisition and loss of property. Suicide and threatening suicide to get your own way have many students. Certain subjects are compulsory, including the quest for health and longevity, and the reality of decline, death and dying. The emotional wing is always full, especially the sessions on joy and sorrow. Anger is overcrowded, and jealousy, too. The list goes on and on. How to be totally committed to being noncommitted keeps many from advancing into higher grades. Keeping your children from becoming interested in religion, lest it hamper their education and job possibilities, has lots of apparently intelligent advocates. Making a living is one of the largest branches, with a recent addition on remaining sane while holding three jobs. Understanding your rebellious teenager and other parenting challenges are very big. How to have a family and neglect it at the same time (subtitled 'latch-key kids') is the latest rage. Most ashramites, or bhogīs, are swamped with so many subjects, they struggle twenty-four hours a day and still never catch up.
"This is a very tough school, and the odd thing is, enrollment is automatic; even without applying for a course, you wind up studying it. It’s the default when the guidance of other gurus is rejected. Viśvaguruji has many doors for entering his āśrama and only one for exiting. Gradually, eventually, and it may take many lifetimes, everyone comes to see that he is leading them to an understanding that every freedom has its price, every action its reaction, that the path to perfection is up and up and up.
"So, you can tell your friends, 'I have a guru and you have one, too. Everyone has a guru, whether they know it or not.' All three gurus—parents, family guru and Viśvaguruji—unanimously say, 'It’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. Viśvaguru’s school of hard knocks eventually delivers all errant seekers back to a satguru, shaman, rabbi, priest or minister. In order not to repeat his training, you either learn through the tough reactions of his courses or gentler lessons under the guidance of the two other traditional gurus. All gurus are conspirators in the evolution of the soul, and Śrī Śrī Śrī Viśvaguru Mahā-Mahārāj-ji is no exception.”
So that one's lot's of fun, huh? Everybody has a guru whether they know it or not.
Have a wonderful day.
[End of transcript.]