COL) 2eea Ae PRESS SOW a Master-Disciple Relationship A n internal dialogue that resolves a seeker’s questions about the place of the master in the spiritual life: How should a disciple be, and how should he behave in the master’s presence? Basically, he shouldn't ‘be’ at all. In the presence of the master, the disciple should be absent, as if he is not there at all; only then will true communion happen. Before that, there is only communication, but not communion. The master can only share himself with you when you are no longer in the way. So just get out of the way. One gets in the way when one has strong preferences, expectations, opinions, judgements, and so on. The day the disciple is completely absent, the master and the disciple become one. It can happen in a moment, it can take a thousand lifetimes. It all depends on how long you take to get out of the way. You are the only barrier. Can you talk about judgements, preferences and expectations, and how they get in the way of the master-disciple relationship? When we think of crucifixion, we mostly think of Jesus Christ. But the truth is, every master is crucified on a regular basis by his disciples. When the seeker meets his guru for the first time, he is full of awe and wonder. He immediately senses the divinity, the silence, the wisdom that radiates from the guru’s being. He wants to get closer to the guru. The guru, seeing the disciple’s passion for truth, allows him to come closer, and that is when the dangerous territory starts — because as he comes8 tp ewe 1 CE pO LGD NEES LOG OPTR ES BS closer, his attention starts to focus on the guru’s mechanism, the guru’s ‘personaly Invariably, the disciple will find things that don’t agree with his concepts of what an ‘evolved’ human being should be like. So he will judge, condemn and crucify his master internally, in his own mind. And in doing so, he will become a barrier for his own evolution. He will get in the way. In actuality, the ego uses judgements as a defence mechanism to prevent true love, true surrender from happening. Without judgements, the ego cannot survive — it will drown into the ocean that the masteris, Doesn't this crucifixion affect the master? It definitely does. Most disciples have a tendency to seesaw between the polarities of extreme love and intense hatred for the master. And when the disciple is in a state of ‘focused hate’, the master is bound to become energetically affected. Some masters, who are energetically sensitive, can tell straightaway when some student is generating anger towards them. But many others may simply suffer unknowingly. That is why there are many teachers who choose to keep a distance from their students. They want to protect their own safety and sanity. There are also others who open their arms wide, welcoming all who are drawn towards them, knowing fully well that each new student brings with him a new set of problems, a new set of complications, and the potential of energetic aggression at every step. Even the most evolved masters are sometimes tested by the stupidity and unconsciousness of disciples. It is only their extraordinary compassion that prevents them from leaving this entire mess behind and vanishing into some jungle. Being a master means being compassion itself, being patience itself. How can a disciple avoid crucifying the master? It is quite hard, almost impossible, especially if you are in close contact with your master. If he is dealing with you in a friendly, human way, your focus is bound to fall on his ‘human’ side. Some people see the Awakened One as being divine, as being God, as beingPEGASO: Consciousness itself. While this definition is accurate, it is still incomplete. The Awakened One is a being in whom the human and the divine co-exist in beautiful synchronicity and harmony. The ‘human side’, though minimized and often highly cleaned up, still exists. It is this human side of the master which the disciple’s ego will seek to attack. It could be anything, like a master who loves to read spy novels or likes to watch television or dresses carelessly at times or argues with the milkman about the monthly bill! Just about any excuse will do, and the disciple’s mind will start its job — judging, condemning, crucifying. It is a continuous challenge. It takes an extraordinary amount of intelligence and love to see the human side of the master and not pull him down to your level. But the ego has to pull the master down. That is the only Way it can prevent further growth, and prevent its own inevitable dissolution. The other issue involved here, probably more important than the first, is that the process of awakening in itself is a painful process. Osho said: “It is like peeling your skin off.” Kabir said that the guru is like a potter—he supports the pot from the inside with one hand and beats and molds from the outside with the other hand. The disciple is like a lump of clay in the hands of the master—the beating and molding are inescapable. These are the moments when the ego really resists, really trembles, because the ‘hit’ of the master is no ordinary hit. It invariably strikes bull’s eye, hitting you exactly where it hurts. If the disciple manages to walk through the fire, he will reach a new level and his heart will sing with gratitude. If not, he will simply escape. The master’s job is not easy. He has to tear down the very disciples he loves. The master also has to bear the ‘pain’ of being misunderstood on a regular basis. Though he is motiveless, disciples will project their motives on to him. Though he is selfless, disciples will project their selfishness on to him. Our vision of the master is based solely on the level of our own spiritual evolution. One can only understand the guru when one is totally absent. Until then, errorsENTER DERES jon are bound to happen, which will be followed by doubt, argument, 7 aaa the desire to prove the master wrong. Though this cannot be onesie ee an intelligent and sensitive student will realize his error and Graneor of it. Some others may stay in this space longer, a for years, The ego can sustain this process indefinitely through the use and misuse of logic and justification. In doing so, it succeeds in its primary task of preventing its own dissolution. How important is it to have a living master? In my perception, it is very, very important. The greatest danger on the spiritual path is self-deception. The student can deceive or hypnotize himself into believing anything. | have heard people talking about ‘the oneness of all things’ after reading just one book. They start to believe that they know! It is so hard to tell them that spirituality starts where words end. Spirituality is not about intellectual but energetic transformation. A lot of patience, persistence and grace are required. Even ‘senior’ meditators can fall into this trap of false knowing. They are so eager to finish their journey quickly and become gurus that they fool themselves, That is why a guide or a guru is so important. Only a being who is more evolved can see where the lesser evolved being is stuck. You need the Presence of a person who can see more than you, further than you, more clearly than you. Unfortunately, even though the master sees and shares, it is not certain that his message will be received. The master’s work is subtle and complex. But what makes his impossible work possible is that he is not doing anything! He is no longer the ‘doer’. He is simply a ‘catalytic agent’ in whose Presence miraculous and mysterious events just happen. The guru alone cannot do an truth, his dogged determination, magic happen. All said and done, with him! thing. It is the disciple’s thirst, his passion for and above all his trust in his master that makes the if you are lucky enough to find a living master, stickEROES PS Bulleshah, one of India’s great mystic-poets, compares himself to a dog. He says that no matter how many times the master kicks the dog, and shouts at him to go away, the faithful dog will simply walk around the block and return to the master’s doorstep. It seems it is far better if the disciple maintains some distance between himself and the master. That definitely has its advantages. When you see the master from a distance, divinely dressed, sitting on a podium and giving a talk, the relationship between a master and disciple remains clear. The disciple finds it easier to retain his sense of love and respect. The other way is far more dangerous, almost like walking on a tightrope at all times. The journey gets far more intense, but probably faster as well. When the master offers his physical proximity to you, at some level he has seen you worthy of the challenge. Spending so much time in the presence of the master is a huge blessing. It is like ‘spiritual sunbathing’ — it is an invisible and mysterious process of energy transmission that has the capacity to transform your life. This is because his presence is a powerful healing force, a continuous wake-up call. Here again, the disciple has to be careful. It is quite easy to fall ‘asleep’, and start taking things for granted. The disciple, instead of feeling grateful, starts feeling special and superior, and his ego becomes bigger than Mt Everest! At that time, you can be sure that an existential ‘kick’ is on its way. It is nature’s way of bringing you back to reality, showing you your true place. So in case you get a chance to be physically close to a master, be thankful. Make sure you thank God and the guru for giving you the chance. And pray for the wisdom and the humility to remain worthy of this divine relationship. For at the end of your life, this is probably the one relationship that will have made all the difference. GFMy Beleued Master Revered Baby Maharyy Saturday, May 12, 2001 - 8:00 a.m. ervice is first and foremost about love and surrender to Master's will. The ‘mindset of exercising power and being domineering over others is to be banished. It is harmful and, in the context of our spiritual work, it can only farm whoever fas it. "To love is to serve while stepping aside, i.e., by trying to iron out the egotistic tendencies that can emerge and defeat the targeted purpose. "All our aspirants desire to serve. This is very commendable. We have already expressed ourselves on this issue. Many manifestations of goodwill are recorded at all levels in our Mission; this is what enables it to exist materially. "While growing, our organisation must be structured to operate effectively. Various tasks are performed by abhyasis who do not spare their efforts. We could not progress without this network, being put in place and which makes the whole coherent. ‘At the individual level, the question is: how does each one operate? This depends on one's personal behaviour and undertying spirit as far as service is concerned. Nothing is perfect in this world, but it is advisable to examine oneself carefully and to ensure that this service doesn't do a disservice to the abhyasi as far as the rest of his work is concerned. Vigilance in this aspect is desirable." Babuji QED PASSAT me ReflectionsBelwed Master. uered Baby Wahargy Wednesday, June 5, 2002 - 10:00 a.m. 0 serve one's Master, to serve the Mission — what better thing can happen to the sincere aspirant who is only yearning for that? It is grace being bestowed on him. Many possibilities are proposed to him; it is enough for hiim to express his good intentions and he will be heard. A way like ours, growing rapidly, will need more and more people of goodwill to help in the most varied fields, Each one can find one's place, if he really so wants. The Mission will have to be structured more and more, which entails using competences for the good of all. To belong to a big spiritual family implies some requirements, for oneself and others. Solidarity must be shown; it is not an empty word. It also Finds its place in our way and should not be neglected. The strength of a movement fies in its cohesion, the understanding between the members who leave aside their disagreements to unite in a vast project in terms of building the future. It will be 4s our aspirants of today will actually want to build it, at least, in terms of its form. You are the chosen and blessed architects who have to play this role; it is up to you to see and act." Babuji PEELE LE EBERT ARAMA AE Afovedp wen achat, fewected do Uhsta thdividrels Clho We poe a Keak Thy had no gate oe oR Any Aerite hs compels eit exrgenn.. Thy aed 1 can for ny pzcopyitien, OH Dine & absent, he coud arilE o@& alam Har Gatlshe 7