The Spiritual Master
Fundamental Elements on the Master-Disciple relationship
Many people have heard stories, which are absolutely true, only about false GURUS or spiritual guides; because such stories are much more frequent than the ones about real, authentic GURUS or spiritual guides, thus people have remained with a deformed impression on the nature of the master-disciple relationship.
The authentic-spiritual link between a spiritual master and a true disciple never has anything to do with the relationship between a master and his slaves and does not imply that the disciples must forever bow and be inert at the feet of their GURU, waiting without making any personal effort for the day when the GURU will have mercy on them and give them spiritual liberation for the simple reason that they served him their whole life.
The connection between master and disciple has nothing in common with the often comical relationship between a super star and his hysterical and adulating fans who obsessively hunt for the smallest gesture or look from the one they adore, a person who is himself/herself so often, very superficial.
Also, the master-disciple relationship is not similar to the relationship between a military commander and his subordinates who are under obligation to blindly execute any orders and are promoted upon their ability to obey without question or hesitation the orders from their superiors.
If we had to pick, as an analogical example, a common human relationship which comes closest to the ideal and profound relationship between a true GURU and a true disciple, the only one would be the relationship between an expert mountain guide and an aspiring climber.
A sincere, devoted and serious spiritual aspirant is just like a climber who wishes to conquer the highest mountain in the world as soon as possible, but currently does not know the best route and does not have enough experience to successfully finish this extraordinary adventure.
If we truly want to conquer the highest mountain top as soon as possible, as beginner climbers we would have several options: we could, for example, make the stupid decision to take on the ascension alone, or we could choose to join a group of more experienced climbers (who are also trying for the first time to get to the top), but in both cases the chances of success would be reduced and the dangers we would face be greater.
Another option could be to use as a guide a book written by a person who already made it to the top but, the book, no matter how well written, would be unable to take into consideration all the factors of success like: our strength, talent, experience as climbers and it would not be able to completely anticipate all the obstacles like: weather changes, modifications that occurred on the landscape, landslides, avalanches, etc.
Finally, the best choice would be to look very carefully and find a real live person who made it to the top and wishes to accompany us and help us if need be all the way. When we search for this expert we should not care for his exterior appearance, the way he dresses, his religion or skin color.
In fact all that matters is if he REALLY REACHED THE TOP of the mountain we are about to climb. He has to know the way and have excellent teaching skills, patience and experience in climbing.
He has to choose a path depending on our qualities: perseverance, vitality, dedication, power, skill, courage etc. but also our defects, a path that best fits our real capacities. He must teach us all that he thinks is necessary to reach our aim quickly and safely.
In spirituality, like in other domains, the presence of an excellent guide who has authentic knowledge and vast experience can greatly help us reduce the time and energy we would waste on useless pursuits.
He could help us eliminate suffering and the possible risk of failure. He would easily lead us to complete success giving us advice on how to utilize our forces most efficiently.
He could even give us a hand when we are in a difficult situation. He would act wisely to help us unlearn our destructive or unhealthy habits which would otherwise hinder us in the future and facilitate the development of those qualities that would help us in our ascension.
All these may seem useless to someone standing at the base of the mountain but they are extremely useful on the way to the top, as the ascension gets more and more difficult.
Many people have heard stories, which are absolutely true, only about false GURUS or spiritual guides; because such stories are much more frequent than the ones about real, authentic GURUS or spiritual guides, thus people have remained with a deformed impression on the nature of the master-disciple relationship.
The authentic-spiritual link between a spiritual master and a true disciple never has anything to do with the relationship between a master and his slaves and does not imply that the disciples must forever bow and be inert at the feet of their GURU, waiting without making any personal effort for the day when the GURU will have mercy on them and give them spiritual liberation for the simple reason that they served him their whole life.
The connection between master and disciple has nothing in common with the often comical relationship between a super star and his hysterical and adulating fans who obsessively hunt for the smallest gesture or look from the one they adore, a person who is himself/herself so often, very superficial.
Also, the master-disciple relationship is not similar to the relationship between a military commander and his subordinates who are under obligation to blindly execute any orders and are promoted upon their ability to obey without question or hesitation the orders from their superiors.
If we had to pick, as an analogical example, a common human relationship which comes closest to the ideal and profound relationship between a true GURU and a true disciple, the only one would be the relationship between an expert mountain guide and an aspiring climber.
A sincere, devoted and serious spiritual aspirant is just like a climber who wishes to conquer the highest mountain in the world as soon as possible, but currently does not know the best route and does not have enough experience to successfully finish this extraordinary adventure.
If we truly want to conquer the highest mountain top as soon as possible, as beginner climbers we would have several options: we could, for example, make the stupid decision to take on the ascension alone, or we could choose to join a group of more experienced climbers (who are also trying for the first time to get to the top), but in both cases the chances of success would be reduced and the dangers we would face be greater.Another option could be to use as a guide a book written by a person who already made it to the top but, the book, no matter how well written, would be unable to take into consideration all the factors of success like: our strength, talent, experience as climbers and it would not be able to completely anticipate all the obstacles like: weather changes, modifications that occurred on the landscape, landslides, avalanches, etc.
Finally, the best choice would be to look very carefully and find a real live person who made it to the top and wishes to accompany us and help us if need be all the way. When we search for this expert we should not care for his exterior appearance, the way he dresses, his religion or skin color.
In fact all that matters is if he REALLY REACHED THE TOP of the mountain we are about to climb. He has to know the way and have excellent teaching skills, patience and experience in climbing.
He has to choose a path depending on our qualities: perseverance, vitality, dedication, power, skill, courage etc. but also our defects, a path that best fits our real capacities. He must teach us all that he thinks is necessary to reach our aim quickly and safely.
In spirituality, like in other domains, the presence of an excellent guide who has authentic knowledge and vast experience can greatly help us reduce the time and energy we would waste on useless pursuits.
He could help us eliminate suffering and the possible risk of failure. He would easily lead us to complete success giving us advice on how to utilize our forces most efficiently.He could even give us a hand when we are in a difficult situation. He would act wisely to help us unlearn our destructive or unhealthy habits which would otherwise hinder us in the future and facilitate the development of those qualities that would help us in our ascension.
All these may seem useless to someone standing at the base of the mountain but they are extremely useful on the way to the top, as the ascension gets more and more difficult.