Who is a disciple?

Question:

Who is a true disciple?

Swamiji Says:

Someone who follows the example set by the Guru.

Following the Example of the Guru

Question:

When following the example set by the Guru, how does the disciple determine what to follow – His/Her specific actions, or the spirit that appears to inform them? How do they know if they are successful?

Swamiji Says:

It depends on the circumstances. There are no hard and fast rules for life. When appropriate, follow the actions. When not applicable, follow the bhava. You will know that you are successful when you become the person you want to be.

Diksha

Question:

How important is Diksha in a spiritual practice?

Swamiji Says:

Definitely diksha is preferred in every spiritual practice. The Guru is the example of the way you want to worship, someone whose behavior you want to emulate, whose attitudes you want to reflect, whose being you want to become.
Diksha is the solemnization, the confirmation, of that relationship. Without an image it is impossible to perform visualization. The activities of the guru become the image that we visualize.There is a lot that can be done to prepare for diksha. First comes siksha, then comes diksha.

First, make yourself ready to become a disciple. Learn as much as you can about the example you wish to follow. What does he or she do to cultivate a relationship with God? Why do they do it? In what tradition is it being done? Who were their examples? Only through knowledge can we honestly devote ourselves to a path and a practice. Then we become a part of that tradition.

Then we become authorized to practice in that tradition. Then we can actually become disciples. I recommend that you read the Guru Gita. It is in the book titled Shree Maa, the Guru and the Goddess.

Physical Proximity and Guru

Question:

Can I consider you and Shree Maa also my Gurus even though I have not met you and have any instruction from (not counting the online classes and your emails)?

Swamiji Says:

Yes, if we present a source of inspiration to you, if you feel motivated to follow the example of our discipline, if you are directed to study our teachings, we can be gurus to you without being in physical proximity to you. Obviously we have met, because I am personally answering your question. But we will want to meet physically when the opportunity presents itself, because that will enhance our relationship. I bow to the pure disciple.

Bad Guru History

Question:

Is the best course of action for those who arrive with “Bad Guru” history: give a better example, and accumulate no bad karma speaking ill of others? Redirecting the mind to God, no matter the past?

Swamiji Says:

Yes.

Guru-Disciple Relationship

Question:

Is the Guru-Disciple relationship cultivated based on disciple doing the sadhana prescribed by the Guru? Can someone do another sadhana that they feel drawn to and consider you as their Guru?

Swamiji Says:

Yes. A guru is an example of a quality or attitude we want to practice and perfect in our lives. That will be our sadhana. It does not need to be the sadhana of the Guru. In most cases it is not. It is the attitude of the Guru. It may be the attitude of discipline. It may be the attitude of compassion or love or any other bhava which the Guru exemplifies. It may be the way She cooks or writes or maybe we can’t explain it.

Question:

What are the kinds of questions that a student can ask a Guru to know if the teacher is the right Guru for them?

Swamiji Says:

There are various intensities that we are searching for in our relationships. The Guru is someone we want to allow inside, we trust to allow ourselves to be completely vulnerable, whose example is one that we respect and want to emulate.

Question:

Can you please let me know how the ideal disciple-Guru relationship should be?

Swamiji Says:

A love affair.

Question:

How does a student know when a certain teacher is the Guru for him/her?

Swamiji Says:

How do you know when you have fallen in love?You just know…

Question:

How do you, or how did your Guru, evaluate progress by aspirants?

Swamiji Says:

By the type of sadhana they are performing, the questions they ask, and by the glow in their faces.

Attachment and Loyalty to the Guru

Question:

Is attachment to the Guru beneficial/not beneficial for one’s spiritual growth.

Swamiji Says:

Necessary. Totally desirable. How can we become a shishya, a perfect reflection of the Guru, without attachment? The shishya says, “I love you so much I want to become like you!” That is a very positive attachment.

Question:

Why do so many Gurus insist on loyalty and either state explicitly or implicitly that without this you cannot progress on the spiritual path.

Swamiji Says:

Loyalty makes a consistent discipline. It allows us to experience unselfish love. It allows us to surrender in the face of obstacles.

Satguru

Question:

What is a Sat Guru? Does the devotee need a Sat Guru?

Swamiji Says:

Sat means True. If someone is guru to you, then they reflect truth. It’s just another epithet to describe our respect.

Question:

Can one have two Satgurus?

Swamiji Says:

Yes.

Swami, Guru, Sadhu

Question:

What is the difference between a Swami and a Guru.

Swamiji Says:

There are many levels of Gurus. Guru can be a title of respect for any teacher. Or a Guru can be an individual’s personal ideal of divinity. There are many relationships in the middle between these two. A Guru can be an example of how to live with God, or a Guru can give information about it.A Swami is ordained. It is a title of respect offered to someone authorized to teach. There are two ordinations: one from above, as when your Guru authorizes you to teach; and one from below, as when your students give respect because they want to learn.

Question:

What is the difference between a sadhu and a swami?

Swamiji Says:

Sadhu – efficient one. Swami – teacher, master.

Guru’s protection

Question:

What does the Guru’s protection mean? Does it mean that the Guru saves us from each and every calamity that can befall us or does the Guru show us by example how to deal/face that calamity?

Swamiji Says:

I like your second alternative better, but I will like to offer another.The Guru gives a new inspiration to pursue new directions, new goals for our lives. When we engage in the new pursuits, the old attachments no longer have the same relevance as they did when they were the sole focus of our lives. Therefore, it is no longer regarded as a calamity when we don’t achieve our frivolous desires.

Guru taking the karma of the disciple

Question:

Can a Guru take the karma of a disciple?

Swamiji Says:

It depends how karma is offered. If we complain that I don’t want this, then the Guru probably won’t want it either. If we are so overjoyed that we want to share it, the Guru will probably be present to share with us.

Meditation on the Guru’s Form

Question:

Like Hanuman with Ram and Sita in his heart, is it appropriate to meditate on Shree Maa and Swamiji in my heart, as living examples of Shiva and Shakti?

Swamiji Says:

If you find that image to be your inspiration, follow your heart.

Question:

I understand that we are to visualize the Guru with two arms, two eyes in the lotus at the top of the head. I have a very close relationship with Maa Devi Durga, how do I integrate these images?

Swamiji Says:

Move from the visualization of Shree Maa with two arms, morphing into Durga with 4, 8, 10 or 18 arms.

Supporting the Guru’s sadhana

Question:

You and Shree Maa define spirituality as giving more than you take. We receive so much from You and Shree Maa. How do we give back to you? In particular, if we are physically away from Devi Mandir, how can we best demonstrate our gratitude?

Swamiji Says:

The only way to participate in spiritual life is to give. There are two ways to give: either we give our actions, or we give the fruit of our actions. Being spiritual we will want to do both. Giving of our actions means sadhana. We want to follow the examples of our gurus. We want to sit as they sit, worship as they worship, as much as possible to follow their bhava in our lives. Giving of the fruits of our actions means supporting their sadhana. The more they are free to pursue their sadhana, the greater is our opportunity to witness and therefore increase in our own disciplines. Dakshina is the wife of Yajna. They never come alone. They never attend anyone’s worship individually. Wherever we give up something for our spiritual growth, there we want to demonstrate our appreciation and respect by giving more, so that we will recognize the privilege to be spiritual in life. The Giver is always greatest! Be spiritual – be a giver! And the greatest gift is to empower and support the spiritual practices of our gurus. That is how we move ahead.

Question:

You state that giving the fruits of our actions means supporting the sadhana of our beloved Gurus. We perform several actions in our daily life and throughout our lives; for some of these we receive fruit. The fruit take a myriad forms: something material, pleasure, pain, a thought, and so on. How does one surrender such fruit and how does this help support the sadhana of our Gurus?

Swamiji Says:

We believe that we receive fruit from every action we perform – the law of karma. If we remember God and work for the advancement of creation, we supporting the sadhana of our Gurus. If we forget God and work for our own selfish interests, we are putting obstacles in the sadhana of our Gurus.

Choosing One’s Guru

Question:

Why is it important for the sadhak to have a Guru who is in the body? Is it OK to choose as one’s Guru someone who has passed on?

Swamiji Says:

Devotion to Guru

Question:

How do we develop devotion to the Guru?

Swamiji Says: