The 6th of January is celebrated around the world as the twelfth night of Christmas, known as the feast of Epiphany. It is revered as the day the three kings from the East (also known as the three wise men or Magi) found the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, by following the stars, as foretold in earlier testaments about the birth of a savior. Following hundreds of years of traditions, the season of Mardi Gras begins every year on the 6th of January and festivities continue until mid February, after which the 40 days of Lent commence on Ash Wednesday. We must note that Christ who was once opposed by the Romans is now revered especially at Rome where the Pope and Vatican are located! This is the power of time and truth that even a dozen people can change the world.
One of the many reasons we love our Guru is because he stands for a unified truth, a largeness that encompasses Eastern and Western philosophy (covering Siddhas, Buddhas, Allah, Amma and everyone in between!). His simplicity came from a deep understanding of life and the beyond. What he passed on to us is much more than an understanding. We are given a direct experience which makes all further understanding meaningful. The opening of the mind that Doctor created continues as an ongoing expansion of awareness. The Gurus gift is the awakening of the disciple, after which all else becomes possible.
The irony is that I can never prove this experience which I know for a fact is at the center of my life - the awakening by the Guru. All other tangible facts we can prove are really second hand concepts such as information learnt in school classes which we may not have experienced ourselves. Such concepts appear to have proof because it is only about material reality and perception of the external world confirmed by some third party.
Internal matters of the heart and soul are much harder to prove to others, other than by our own state of being and what we radiate as peace and positive energy. It also follows that no spiritual realization is complete without the development of a loving heart and ability to care for the world and all its beings seen as an extension of God and ourselves. While we may not be perfect, the potential for good is infinite within each of us. As plants tend to grow towards light, called photo tropism, human beings tend to grow towards a higher reality which remains dormant in us until activated by a higher power.
I can share innumerable ways in which Doctor helped me outwardly and the many signs that signified his presence, but it is harder to explain what has transformed internally. To recount some of the smaller everyday miracles of Doctor, on one trip last year with my family to Niagara falls, as we drove to the falls area it was pouring rain and the news predicted that there would be heavy rain for the next several days. I could only ask Doctor silently saying if it pleases you, do change these circumstances so the family can enjoy this long awaited trip. Lo and behold the next 3 days were nothing but sunshine. Anytime I looked at the waterfalls I would see brilliant rainbows. During this trip I would have seen rainbows at least a dozen times and I knew who was laughing behind them. Like Haris N mountain in the Himalyas, I have my Niagara rainbows - among the numerous happenings we have seen, which only believers can understand is beyond coincidence.
When I was looking for a house as I moved to Houston in 2007, I was hoping in my heart that I would find a nice home on January 6th as a lucky sign of his presence. Nothing was found until 4 pm on the 6th when through a chance encounter we found ourselves in front of the perfect home, facing the Northeastern direction that we preferred. The family loved this place and everything worked out smoothly. This is where we live now – a home given to us by Doctor on his Birthday. Rather than giving him gifts, we tend to receive gifts on his birthday!
It is not easy to describe the subtle ways of the Guru and the experiences of the disciple as it is unique to the individuals. Nevertheless whatever can be shared could make the journey meaningful to others - even if it is only a partial view of the intricate details that the Guru weaves in each of our lives. In reality Guru, Life and God have all become synonymous as the one living truth in each moment. The Guru is Gods gift to us to help create a spiritual life – a life of unconditional peace, unconditional love, unconditional service, and unconditional joy.
When I first asked Doctor on why we need a guru, he simply said that the eye which sees everything cannot see itself and hence needs a mirror. This is precisely the insight that we begin to feel when our awareness reverses its journey from an outward bound movement to an inward process with the grace of the guru guiding us. The fish that swims in the water is almost unaware of the water just as we are almost unaware of the air we breathe. Similarly the observer in us has lost touch with observing and has identified itself with the objects being observed. Once the third eye has been opened by the guru, the eye of the I, the disciple who has thus far been a self engrossed caterpillar transforms into a beautiful carefree butterfly.
The shifting back to seeing oneself observing the world makes us then capable of shifting our attention consciously to matters that are meaningful instead of being carried away by every impulse and circumstance. If there is a spiritual discipline of thought control and emotion control which is at the heart of the awakening process it is this ability to watch our thoughts rather than become our thoughts. This is possibly among the few areas where our 'Will' exists – simply in what we choose to pay attention to.
Paradoxically, this aloofness from our thoughts actually enables us to think clearly when the need arises, as we become the holder of the beam of light, rather than being an unguided beam swaying here and there. Thus, concentration is possible by being able to absorb the present moment and focus on the matter of relevance, rather than being carried away by thoughts which are nothing more than past memories and imaginations about the future. This is the meaning when Doctor says Moolaiku oivu thandhal,nalaikay veedu in the great song Enna solli thandhan Kannan This is the essence of meditation, of unconditional observing or choiceless awareness as J. Krishnamurti puts it, which is why meditation is the first and main process that Doctor prescribes – eventually a 24 hour activity, not just 20 minutes a day.
What we are thus surrendering is our mind of confusion. We have done this by reversing the process of ordinary consciousness - by moving back from the object being observed, to being one with the observer in us - seeing from the source. At last we are able to perceive and experience the majesty of life fully and directly without the constant shadow of the comparative mind and the echo of its commentary of words and names. What a magical reality it is to observe each moment in each new day unfolding in its own spontaneous way without a struggle. We become experiencers rather than doers as we simply flow in the circumstance we are in. In fact, to paraphrase Sri Aurobindo, whatever we can do with the use of the ordinary mind, we can do even better without it.
You can say that evolution has been a process of growth from unconscious to conscious to higher consciousness. A baby is purely instinctive or unaware of itself – just responding to surroundings. Then the grown man is one who is more aware of himself but is identified with a limited concept of his ego. Finally, the enlightened man is the one who dissolves his limited consciousness in the unlimited through a meditative process. He regains the babys innocence but without losing the intelligence he has uncovered. The enlightened man recognizes that the mind is only made of reflections of the world and transcends it by realizing that the contents of the mind are just fleeting scenes on a mirror that cannot tarnish the mirror. In this ongoing reflective process lies the endless beauty and complexity of the mystery of existence. The main proof for the existence of the soul is in our ability to observe, experience and respond spontaneously moment by moment. As our beloved guide Ms. Shobana Ravi says so clearly, the soul is the witness consciousness which is always the same and is never transformed. It is our mind that undergoes changes until it vanishes, liberating the soul
The Gurus gift is that he encourages us to proceed into the unknown with the confidence that he is by our side. This elimination of fear is among the first seeds that the Guru sows in our spiritual landscape. This is followed by an opening up of our sensitivity to others and looking beyond ourselves. The Gurus light has helped us to see that we are an integral part of the world and not separate form it. So, any pain or fear that is associated with being a separate entity is removed when we see that whatever comes our way is what the world and our life needed from us at that given moment. Doctor has helped me to see this numerous times when I felt I was at a dead end, and things would start working out as soon as we stop over working our own plan and agenda. The bigger plan and agenda ensures that individuals are included collectively in the best manner possible and our job is only to be humble, flexible and happy as we use our intentions and talents for the good of all. He takes care of getting the best results at the right time.
With love best wishes for the New year of 2009 to all our friends in AJ - Mahes
