Yoga Michigan

In India, gurus are often revered as living gods. Some say that it is only by the guru's grace that one is able to reach enlightenment, and that without one, one is doomed. Is it really necessary to have a guru to attain the highest states of yoga?

 

This is one of those questions that most appropriately can be answered, "it depends." 

 

Once there was a woman who was in constant search of her guru. Each time she heard of rumors of a guru coming near her town, she made great efforts to go see him, hoping that this would finally be the One. "I'm going to meet an enlightened master!" she would enthusiastically tell everyone each time she signed up for a workshop. Curious, I attended one such event with her. At one point, the guru sat on stage asking everyone to stare at him as he meditated, then asked what they saw. "I saw complete peace," one of his disciples exclaimed. "I saw an aura of pure love." another added. "Your face turned blue, like Krishna," a third commented. 

 

It clearly smelled of a cult, so for this woman's sake I later searched him on the Internet. It turns out this guru had been banished from his own organization in another State for multiple accusations of sexual assault at his ashram where his wife and children also lived. He also paid himself a six-figure salary while making his diciples work for him without pay. He was also known to publicly humiliate students. That is what happened to the woman who attended the event in search of her guru. Being an otherwise intelligent woman, she made an intellectual comment, and the annoyed guru snapped, "What is this? You don't know what you're talking about!" 

 

In yoga, they teach that "the guru is within you" and that you just need to find it. Great souls like Jesus and the Buddha did not need gurus. That said, for the average person, a guru can be invaluable in ones spiritual quest. S/he can introduce you to useful techniques, point you in the right direction, and give you encouragement as well as make you aware of your mistakes.

 

If you feel you can benefit from a guru, it is important to choose one carefully, taking into consideration that the wrong one may ruin your life. Countless stories have been told of seekers trusting their life to a guru, only to end up abused emotionally or physically, deceived into slavery, have all their money and possessions taken, made to disown their family, then threatened with divine punishment if one were ever to leave or tell their story. 

 

Here are some suggestions which may help you decide whether the person you are about to make your guru is authentic or not:

 

1) Watch how s/he treats people who are in a position below him/her -- wait staff, cleaning people, diciples, children, event organizers, .... If s/he is rude or uncaring to them, chances are, s/he will be that way with you. 

 

2) Watch how s/he adorns himself/herself -- if s/he is wearing an impressive robe or crown, tons of jewelry, an expensive watch, is driven around in an expensive car, sits on a throne, these are all warning signs of material attachment ... something you do not want in your guru.

 

3) Check out his/her web site -- if it is full of photos of him/her helping people and all the good things that s/he does, it may be telling you that this person is an attention-seeker. A true guru is humble about the good that s/he does and does not advertise it. 

 

4) Check out the prices of her/his courses for advanced students -- some will offer free or low-cost courses just to get students in the door, but the prices go up once the student is "hooked." An honest guru wants to share her/his knowledge with as many people as possible and is reasonable with her/his pricing if s/he finds it necessary to charge. 

 

5) "Google" her/him -- if s/he has committed improprieties, chances are, someone has written about it and posted it on-line. Add key words to his name, such as "fraud" "scam" "sex" "convicted."

 

6) Look at his/her name & title -- The name one gives oneself or allows oneself to be called by tells a lot about a person. Titles such as "His/her Holiness" "Sri Sri Bhagavan" "His/Her Excellency" and "Satguru" can be warning signs. If someone has more than 3 names or titles attached to his/her name, let it be a warning sign that s/he may be out to impress. Would a true master feel the need to advertise how important s/he is?

 

Finally, there is an old yogic saying, "when you are ready, your guru will appear." Continue with your practice. If it is meant to be, yours will appear to you in time. That is the Divine Law.