Guru poornima or Buddha poornima

…contd….

Significance of this day : 

‘Guru’ is a compound word. In Sanskrit language, ‘Gu’ means ‘darkness’ and ‘ru’ means ‘dispeller’ and put together it means ‘a person who is dispeller of darkness’. ‘Guru’ is thus a person who removes ‘darkness’ called ignorance from us and leads us from ‘darkness’ to ‘light’ i.e., ignorance to Truth. 

Guru is one who imparts the knowledge that he has earned through his ‘sadhan’ or ‘penance’ to his student/s which is expression of ‘ultimate expression of selfless love’ in the world and hence the ‘love of guru is considered the ultimate ‘possession’ or ‘earnings’ of one’s life. He guides the student through the maze of karma, karmic imprints called ‘samskaras’, quagmire of desires and pushes him ever into the world of ‘Light’ or ‘Realization of Self’.

This day is a day of remembrance of all his deeds and love for his students and a day of gratitude in the life of his students. It’s a day a student reiterates his ‘receiving’ from his Guru and pays his ‘gratitude’ to his Guru in various forms.

It is not Guru’s ‘Happy Birthday’ that you wish him ‘happy guru poornima’.  Thanks to western influence and degeneration of right values, saying ‘hi’ to elders and Guru may be considered ‘cool’ thing but that shows one’s values and his understanding of this day and the role of Guru.

Where is respect in this ‘happy guru poornima day’ wish? It’s not about me being of old school. It reflects ones character.

And please don’t send ‘I am sorry’ words………it’s not about saying those words…it’s about understanding what we are doing and for what reason….not just blindly doing things assuming we are right (and funnily we expect even positive results for these mundane illogical acts since we assumed that we have shown our gratitude so we should get results in the form of blessings et all! How funny!)

 Gratitude doesn’t show in this ‘western hallow way of uttering words’. It is shown in action. One reaches Guru’s place with due respect and heart full of gratitude and some flowers, incense sticks and such dakshina. No real Guru doesn’t look forward for it and many times doesn’t even accept it. But it is not about the Guru. It is an excuse to show your gratitude. Many therefore go and do ‘seva’ at Guru’s place. Many even partake of ‘theertham’ – water used to wash guru’s feet and take it as ‘prasada’. They massage the feet of their Guru and ‘cry tears of pain’ when they see their Guru in pain while they are massaging the feet. Physically, these are just few ways “gratitude” is expressed towards one’s Guru.

As a Reiki channel, one can send reiki for the financial well-being, for the Guru’s family members to be healthy, wealthy and peaceful for atleast ½ an hour today. One can chant ‘Mrutyunjaya Mantram’ atleast 11 malas for his Guru’s well being.

‘jahan chah hai wahan raah hai’

Where there is love, love will find its way to express itself…..

But, ofcourse, the main criteria is ‘love’ and ‘gratitude’. Is it really there? That is the question that one needs to answer honestly to self.  If it’s only outwardly and a show of hand then yes, whatever you do counts as respect and gratitude….no questions asked there……

….contd……

Guru poornima or Buddha poornima

On Guru Pournami

This is a very special day for people following Vedic culture, Buddhism and Jainism and hence this special day is celebrated both in India and Nepal in a very special way – called as ‘Guru Poornima’.

When it is celebrated : The festival is celebrated on the full moon day (Purnima) in the Hindu month of Ashadha (June–July) of the Shaka Samvat, as it is known in the Hindu calendar of India and Nepal. This day marks the first peak of the lunar cycle after the peak of the solar cycle. And this year it falls today!

Significance : This was the day when Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa – author of the Mahabharata – was born to sage Parashara and a fisherman's daughter Satyavati; thus this day is also celebrated as Vyasa Purnima. Veda Vyasa did yeoman service to the cause of Vedic studies by gathering all the Vedic hymns extant during his times, dividing them into four parts based on their use in the sacrificial rites, and teaching them to his four chief disciples – Paila, Vaisampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu. It was this dividing and editing that earned him the honorific "Vyasa" (vyas = to edit, to divide). "He divided the Holy Veda into four, namely Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. The histories and the Puranas are said to be the fifth Veda." The seat of Guru is hence called as ‘Vyasa Peetam’ meaning ‘the seat of Vyasa’. It is believed that the ‘Guru’ is in the same lineage as ‘Guru Vyasa’ when he takes the seat of the Guru.

As per Hindu Mythology :

This is the day when Lord Shiva shared his knowledge with the ‘Saptarishis’ the Seven Rishis (Seers) and thus became the ‘Adiguru’ or the ‘First Guru’. This happened on the banks of the lake Kantisarovar, which stands a few kilometers above the Kedarnath Temple in the Himalayas. These Rishis then took the mantle of spreading the knowledge in the entire world.

As per Buddhism and Jainism : 

This is the day when in Sarnath, the great Gautama Buddha first gave his discourse to his ‘first five disciples’ after his enlightenment. 

And this is the day when Mahavira after attaining Kaivalya, made Indrabhuti Gautam, later known as Gautam Swami, a Ganadhara, his first disciple, thus becoming a Guru himself.

Thus, as per any culture or folklore, it is observed that this is the day when the ‘Guru’ initiated his ‘first students’ into his fold of knowledge.

...contd...... 

Beautiful song from the classic film 'Baiju bawra' hero Pradeep kumar's one of the classic movies....expresses beautifully the role of guru and his love for his student.........

on Guru poornima....

on Guru poornima....

Tomorrow being Guru poornima, those of you who have a Guru - whosoever it may be - say Paramacharya (the walking saint), Shankaracharya, Raghavendra Swamy, Ramana Maharshi, sai baba or our Reiki Guru Mikao Usui......

Sit in meditation for atleast one hour chanting "OM GURUBHYO NAMAHA".

You can have your Guru's photo in front of you.

Light a candle, lamp and also incense stick.

Ofcourse, you should have cleaned the place in the first place.

Sit on a soft cloth preferably white (just an option not compulsion) facing either East or North.

If you don't have your Guru's photo to place separately in front of you, then imagine your Guru's feet and then start chanting.

Put your phone on silent mode.

If you can sit longer in meditation, very good....

Don't do if you are expecting anything in return.

suggested reads on Guru : 

https://kantipadam.blogspot.com/search?q=aruni

https://kantipadam.blogspot.com/search?q=shankaracharya

https://kantipadam.blogspot.com/search?q=judas

There are many more such topics, please feel free to read all the related topics and posts.......

Guru poornima

…contd…..

Role of teachers and what we owe to them: Sandipani, which means “Sage of Gods”, was a guru of Lord Krishna and Balarama. The Sandipani Muni ashram is located 5 km from Ujjain railway station (Madhya Pradesh). The area near the ashram, known as Ankapata, is popularly believed to have been the place used by Lord Krishna for washing his writing tablets. The numerals 1 to 100 found inscribed on a stone are believed to have been engraved by Guru Sandipani. Near the ashram is the Gomti Kund, a staircased water tank where Krishna supposedly summoned all the holy waters from various centres so that his old Guru, Sandipani Muni would not have to travel other holy places.

After completion of education, once Krishna and Balarama came to meet their Guru and finding him very sad and with drawn seek to know the reason. They get to know that their Guru’s only son has been taken by a Rakshasa by name Shankasur owning a conch named ‘Panchajanya’ to a place called Prabhasa Thirtha.  Knowing this, Krishna and Balarama go in search of Shankasur and kill him after a terrible fight and bring back their Guru’s son.

Some scriptures say that their Guru asked this favour as Guru Dakshina immediately after the completion of their education. Well, these things don’t matter to us. What is important is that Krishna pays his ‘Guru Dakshina’ even at the cost of his life. Even Krishna who is considered the Lord of the world pays his due to his Guru as ‘Dakshina. 

Jesus Christ before going around giving his sermons, goes to John the Baptist for getting ‘baptized’. At that time John the Baptist recognizes Jesus as the Saviour and says ‘You have come to resurrect us. I am baptizing everyone in your name and proclaiming your arrival. How can I baptize you?’. Jesus smiles and replies ‘Don’t we both know that you were my master (meaning Guru) in my previous life and in that right you can baptize me even now’. Even when a ‘shishya’ surpasses his Guru, he remains the ‘student’ to his Guru.

Guru Dakshina is thus just not the fees that you pay to your Guru. When you know that your Guru is in pain, trouble, need, to do everything in your power to deal with it, do away with it and to get your Guru out of it is also ‘your duty’ and should be paid as ‘Guru Dakshina’ and not as a ‘help’ or ‘favour’.

When I am preparing tea or arranging for lunch, students come and ask ‘can I help you?’. You can’t ‘help a teacher. That person is teaching you. You ‘serve’ that person. Moreover, here the lunch or tea is for them so they actually are serving (i.coi taking) for themselves, so where is the question of helping me or serving me? It is a very small thing but very important as it forms the basis of our definition of ‘who we are’. Listen to your words and know their meaning and see if they make any sense. In short, ‘know thyself’! Because, all this is your karma and that decides your destiny. Looks farfetched? But it’s true. Trust me, I am not exaggerating….

…contd….

Guru Pournami

 

Guru Pournami

Today being Guru Pournami, let's come together to thank our Gurus for all that we received both by way of material benefits and for all the experiences and understanding that we have had in our life. This journey of self-awareness had been very rewarding. It has enriched us with better clarity of thought, better understanding of ourselves and our life. We have come to appreciate the beauty and grandeur of our life and relationships. All thanks to our Gurus. Their words and guidance has been the torch bearers of our path since the beginning and for all the years to come. 

Let us sit together once more to thank them for all that we are, we have received and for what they are!

Let us for next five days starting today sit to chant -

Hanuman chalisa 21 times per day and on the last day 24 times thereby completing 108 times in 5 days....(this way your routine wouldn't be disturbed a lot...) You can chant 24 times on any day convenient to you....By the fifth day we would have completed 108 times of chanting HC...

Some of you don't know HC, nothing to worry just chant MM. You can do this japam say 5 malas per day or any number convenient to you.....

If any of you are too busy with your routine then take the entire next week and complete the set chanting by next sunday - no issues.....

it is not about the time and no. of times you chant but the intention and the realization of what we have received and how much Gurus are doing for us.......

read related post on this subject : https://kantipadam.blogspot.com/search?q=guru+poornima 

# on guru, guru pournima, guru's role, discipleship, 

This week sit in meditation with following questions:

• Who is my Guru?
• What does Guru mean to me?
• What is the role of Guru in my life?
• What are my expectation I have from my Guru?
• What do I seek from a Guru?
• What did I receive from him?
• What did I give him?
• If I don't have a Guru, then which quality of mine is stopping me from receiving him in my life? Why do I still have it? How is it beneficial to me? Why am I still holding on to it?
• If i had a Guru and let him go, why did I do that? What was the reason behind my words and actions? 
• Do I need a Guru? Why do I need a Guru for?

Ask all the questions and atleast few of them and sit in meditation. Find the answers. Jot it down in your journal. 

The sun shines again! wow moment!

However long may be the rain, sun always comes up! Remember that ALWAYS!

Guru poornima

…contd…

So, at the price of being repetitive “It’s better to be without a Guru than have a ‘wrong’ person as your Guru". Wait till you are totally sure about the person before making him your Guru.

You can’t serve both the ‘mammoth’ and the ‘mahout’. So, by your decision to take a ‘wrong’ person you automatically stop being student of the Guru with the ‘good’ intentions. So, be very slow in selecting a Guru and much slower in changing to someone else. You may with one step lose the ‘right’ Guru for all ‘wrong’ reasons just like that. And then you also get angry at the ‘right’ Guru for forsaking you.

Even Gurus (the right ones) are bound by some ‘Divine Universal Law’. If you go to a person who believes in manipulating to fulfill his desire, how can you still follow a person who talks about ‘Dharma’, sacrifice, love and forgiveness? No, unfortunately in kaligyuga, the wrong ones are so experts in using and quoting scriptures so well and aptly that people can hardly see through their actions and words at their intent. But what happens to such Gurus happens. But student is not let loose, pleading ignorance.

So, I repeat “beware and take care while calling someone as your Guru”.

In some cases, the ‘right’ Guru is also misunderstood or maligned by his ignorant students. Don’t do that too!

In the case of one Guru, he remained unmarried as he wanted to walk the path of spirituality. But as he crossed his 50’s he found none of his students even 10% to his expectation level, I mean with regards to learning. He was totally disheartened and was worried that his knowledge would end with him and so decided to get married and raise children with his principles and knowledge.

Most of his students left him calling him names. It was so stupid. They married, raised children and then it was right. When their Guru did the same, he became ‘bad’. That only shows their narrow-mindedness. That reflects their character. And their act of ‘Guru-ninda’ brought lots of trouble in their life, but stupid and blind as they were they couldn’t relate and seek his forgiveness. The loss was entirely ‘theirs’.

If for some reason, real or personal, you want to disown your Guru, you are free to do it – by all means. Just don’t talk ill of him. That’s all! Otherwise everyone is allowed to part way with ‘wrong’ Guru when you realize your mistake.

Just ‘don’t bad-mouth’ your previous or wrong Guru.

Are two reiki-masters same? Can I go from one to other?

I’ve found doctors who’ve prescribed antibiotics and costly medicines not curing what one doctor cures with a simple crocin or a multi-vitamin tablet. No, two doctors are same. Their degree is same. No questions asked there. But no two doctors are same.

Like-wise no two yoga masters are same. Similarly, no two reiki masters are same. And especially in reiki, you automatically stop being student of first master if you go to the second master. That’s the rule. So think before you act. Know who you are leaving for whom. Are you trading right?

If for any reason you want to change your master (be it any stream) then take the permission of your master first and then make the change. Like wise, it is the duty of the Reiki or any master for that matter to ask the student to seek the permission of his previous master before taking him as his. This can avoid any ill feeling that can arise at a later stage.

....contd....