Who is the Guru?
I’ve often been asked who my ‘guru’ is, and I’ve had to ponder carefully when answering the question. I don’t have just one guru, I’ve had many. There is a long tradition of being told that we should work with only one guru, who should be able to see us all the way ‘to enlightenment.’ While I think this can be useful for some people, it is not helpful for everyone.
I can think of 12 people, on the spur of this moment, who I would consider ‘gurus’ to me. Some of them are authors like Jed McKenna, some teachers like Adyashanti or Saniel Bonder, some are well-known and some are unknown. Many trace their teachings to figures like Ramana Maharishi, Shri Bhagavan Rajneesh (Osho), Swami Muktananda, or Paramahansa Yogananda. Others have worked in Christian or Jewish traditions.
Currently, I understand that the real Guru is The Absolute Itself, as It manifests Itself in, as and through each one of us. Sometimes, another person can be a terrific guide or teacher to us at a particular stage of growth. Sometimes, we find someone whom we can trust and who can take us all the way to the ‘finish line’ of ‘waking up’ or ‘enlightenment.’
As I write about this now, my experience is that The Absolute Itself is in every human being, every creature, every object, every situation, every moment, and every location. Therefore, All of Life can be our Guru. I would encourage readers to look at every situation as an opportunity to learn from the Guru, in Its many forms. There is often grace to be seen, if only we look.
May all who read this be encouraged on the path of awakening.