Surrender to the Guru Within

 Guru (Master) is Within

Questioner: Can Sri Bhagavan help us to realize the truth?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Help is always there.

Questioner: Then there is no need to ask questions.  I don't feel the ever present help.

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Surrender and you will find it.

Questioner: I am always at your feet. Will Bhagavan give us some upadesa ( teaching) to follow? Otherwise how can I get help living 600 miles away?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: The sadguru (the guru who is one with being) is within

Questioner: Sadguru is necessary to guide me to understand it.

Sri Ramana Maharshi: The sadguru is within

Questioner: I want a visible guru.

Sri Ramana Maharshi: The visible guru says that he is within

If I had to choose one,  I would have to say Michael A. Singer, in a weird way,  is my external world  guru in this distance learning thing I am doing.  I have always resisted the Indian tradition  of gurus...especially of choosing "one".  I always thought it unwise to exalt another human being to that level of "master"...to give them that power.  Everyone has an ego and I resist the building of other people's egos through that type of devotion, which can easily happen in the unevolved leader. And my mind always wonders, "Is this person sincere and selfless in their mission?   Is this person motivated in their teaching by ego or  higher Self? Does this person  demand that one follows blindly and obediently ( which is often the tradition to teach surrender)? Is it about the message or the messenger( I feel the messenger should just be a shadow in the background of the message and not the star attraction)? And  I ask: is the guru okay mentally? Does he/she/they have a psychiatric illness leading to delusions of Grandeur ?  A certain personality disorder leading to a lack of conscience?  I think of cults and what happens with such blind devotion to unwell, or poorly motivated leaders. So I would not go out and seek a modern day guru. But if I had to pick one...it would be Michael Singer. ( Eckhart Tolle ...a close second  and if Thich Nhat Hanh was alive...he would be number one.)

I am reading the teachings of Meher Baba right now and his message is brilliant.  One can tell that he sincerely lived for the delivery of  his message and to provide selfless service to mankind.   But he did demand devotion and blind obedience from his devotees throughout his years teaching...with the exception of the time he spent as a nomad during the "free life" with his disciples ( very similar to what Jesus did). And he did not just claim to be a guru or a master even...he claimed to be an Avatar...an incarnation of God, often referring to himself as "Me". Maybe he was...who really knows...but my first thought when I heard that from him and felt he truly believed that he was... was..."oh...you are not well.  You are grandiose." What further fueled that thought in me  was his devotion to and his seeking out the "Masts" ...others it seemed who had what would be diagnosed as schizophrenia these days.  He said they were just so filled with divine bliss that they could no longer function in the normal ways.  He believed they had a lot to teach him, Maybe they did...who knows? Maybe that  is true of all schizophrenic patients ...who knows? I certainly don't. The point is...his message was beautiful but because of his proclamations he stood out more than the message did.  That is what I had a hard time with.  Sometimes the guru gets in the way of the message. Sometimes it is more about feeding the guru than it is about getting the message. You know what I mean?

I don't know Michael A. Singer as a person. To me, he is a form and a brilliant mind delivering an amazing message. No offense to him, I don't honor that form or mind more than I honor anyone else on the planet but I do truly honor the message he shares and the way he shares it. He doesn't seem to be feeding his ego with this.  Oh I am sure there is some remaining ego getting stroked by the success of his books and the comments he receives from others...he is human...but I believe  he is sincere in his mission  to get the message out there....to help others change their lives for the better with what he learned.

The other thing about learning and Self -realization to me...is that it is more about going to that wise guru within all of us than it is about finding someone out there to act as guru.  Nothing out there is going to heal us! Nothing out there is going to bring us closer to God. Inside game.  That being said, it is true that wise beings who have already walked the path can point us in the right direction...as Singer has done for me and countless others. 

God is truly the only real guru.  Though I might not surrender easily to someone in human form claiming to be God's messenger (or God Himself)...I will surrender to the message they deliver, if it resonates,  because I wish to surrender to God. I have to go within...not out...to do that.

All is well.