O Lord, grant our respected gurus spiritual strength and purity that they may be guided by Thy Light and inspired to dedicate their life to the service of humanity. —Rig Veda
In religion, in the arts, in science, as in many fields of human relations and vocations, representatives as pinnacles of achievement emerge to help us and to teach us. We continually turn to those whose examples we need and respect for their experiences to inspire and nourish our development. In their presence and with their encouragement and guidance, we find ourselves ennobled and enriched.
However great the legacy, its future depends on us, on our pure efforts. Great masters have come as examples, to awaken and to lead us on the path of self-realization. The precepts they lay down are broad principles to be developed and lived by their followers. Great teachers will come again and again. They provide the ground-work with teachings that, like spring rains, will wash over and nourish newly-awakened life. They plant seeds which, when cultivated, will bear fruit later.
It is for each person to step from legacy into a creative future. Truth asks us to be bold and creative, fresh with our own God-given energies and discoveries as the future opens within us. Quantum knowledge in physics did not end with Newton’s law. Was it left for his followers to sit and watch apples falling? No! Along came Einstein to open new thought and new areas, to loyally fulfill the known and then to build. Others have followed him into new frontiers.
The precepts of self-knowledge and self-realization are imparted to us according to a tradition known as “guru-shishya parampara,” ( i.e., personally, “from guru to disciple”). I emphasize the word “personally” to indicate the mutual kinship of responsibility, devotion and respect. Mature masters lay down broad principles, not only specific information or methods. Theirs is the groundwork for experiences by which others may delve into and grasp even greater truths and experiences. Wisdom will always bear fruit in due course when rightly followed.
Good teachers and good students know that higher proficiency in any field does not come immediately or automatically, as if accelerating by a “fast-forward” mode. Focused practice, knowledge and patience must infuse every effort. We can feel comforted with the recognition that we always exist as participants in the ocean’s vastness even as we begin to swim on its shallow shores.
Methodically we take the hand of the guru-ideal at the base of the spiritual tower. There can be no impatience or rushing to reach any higher level or vision. We must learn to enjoy our life’s attainment fully at each level. Not to worry; greater attainments will await us! From wherever we are, we learn to proceed with confidence and patience. Then only will we progress to greater understanding and proficiency.
In my life I have been blessed to learn from, live and work with great masters, the foremost, of course, being my spiritual guru, Swami Premananda. In addition, I have been drawn to respected mentors in other fields. Your interests will draw you to mentors. Be high-minded and focused to find the best, and then put yourself into their chosen realm with trust and faith in them and in yourself to learn from them. There is no gain without trust and practice.
Swami Kamalananda, The Breath of God and Pranayam