This year, Guru Purnima was celebrated in Boone, NC. Here are some excerpts from Gurudev’s talks on higher knowledge.
The spiritual journey begins with being grateful, because gratefulness is the juice in life. Then it moves on to not feeling any difference.
See, in life there's always a give and take. When we take and we realize we're taking more, we've nothing more to give, then the spiritual journey begins.
Feeling humbled and uplifted
We have nothing to give in this world. But one step before that is knowing that you've come here only to give. You have nothing to take from here.
That's the material life. Realization in the material life means knowing you can only give and that you have nothing to take back with you. Then, you also feel uplifted.
So when you know you have nothing to give, you feel humble. When you know you're here only to give, you feel uplifted.
Oneness beyond time
All of these oceans of feelings take you to a stillness in which there’s no two, and oneness goes beyond time. All of our restlessness and frustration are connected to time. You want everything now and here, but why should it be now and here?
Let it take its time. Just that one vision of seeing life beyond limited time takes you to quietness, stillness, and fulfillment. Got it?
That’s the tradition, passed down from one to another. But then, it’s only one. So all of the rishis are here. It’s not that they were here some time ago, but no more. The Guru is always there, and all the rishis have said that.
On one level, you see these are all different qualities. But inside, it’s all the same light and spirit that comes through ages and ages. Knowing you’re part of that is itself a celebration.
You’re close to me
This Guru Purnima, you take with you one message. Some of the other things I said have gone above your head. You thought you got what you didn’t get.
Take the simple message. This message is that the Guru is close to you, and you are close to
the Guru
Never doubt that I love you or think I’m not close to you, or that I’m close to somebody else. From your side, you should feel that you’re very close to the Guru and that’s it, period! There’s no question about that. If you raise questions on that, you’ll be miserable.
Do you want to be miserable? No. So you need to think I’m close to you. That’s it. Finished. That’s sealed and no more questions on that.
Don’t say, “Oh, Gurudev looked at that person. He held that person’s hand. He didn’t look at me.” Forget about that.
You may feel, “That person is a little cuckoo, and that’s why Gurudev’s with them. They needed more. He wanted to put them on track, so he’s looking at them. I’m on track.”
An engineer uses the scanner to fix only those screws that are loose. If another screw says, “Oh, the scanner isn’t on me,” that one is OK!
Carrying wisdom
That’s one thing. Second, remember that you’re carrying wisdom within you. The light of wisdom that’s planted in you isn’t going to die or blow away. It’s there.
So you have a purpose. You must spread the light of wisdom.
In this miserable world, you’re the hope and light. You’re carrying the light. This is the second thing.
Now, when you want to do this, you want to do it right away. When you want to spread knowledge and talk to people, they don’t listen to you. This will cause you frustration.
You’ll say, “Oh, I have so much potential, but it isn’t being used. Nobody’s understanding, nobody’s listening to me. Blah blah blah blah.” That’s why I said frustration is because you’re in a hurry.
You get frustrated because you feel your potential isn’t being used. Never mind. Just think that you don’t care. It will be used in another life.
Then, immediately, your frustration dissolves and you become peaceful. The more you become peaceful, automatically, everything starts happening. Isn’t this the case?
When you’re so quiet and centered, automatically things happen. And when you’re agitated, or in a hurry to get things done, they don’t happen.
Patience, dynamism, and presence
Life is a lesson that patience pays off. You have wisdom and patience. Then, what can shake you? Nothing. Have patience. See how your children change, your in-laws change, and your spouse changes. Everything falls in place if you have patience.
Isn’t it your experience that patience has paid off? Raise your hand if you agree that patience has paid off. Yes, it pays. Wisdom brings patience. But when you want to do something good, and it doesn’t happen quickly, time is a factor.
Patience isn’t laziness, complacency, or inactivity. You must be dynamic, but this is the crux of the problem. People who are dynamic are seen as impatient, and people who have a lot of patience are seen as lethargic.
Coming here, this is what you get. You learn to be patient and dynamic. That’s a very rare combination, I tell you. This is what you have to get hold of.
There are four levels of being with a Guru. First, from your side, you should feel close to the Guru. Nobody else can make that happen. You must say, “I’m close to the Guru and that’s it!” You must also feel the presence of the Guru.
One is closeness. The other is feeling the presence. And that brings a lot of miracles in life, not just to you, but to people around you. You can become a blesser when you feel the presence.
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Editor’s note:
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