There is no shortage of religious teachings in the Hindu tradition. We have the Vedas, the Upanishads, Puranas and Bhagvad Geeta, to name a few. There are numerous deities, Gods and Goddess, saints and Mahapurushas in our country.
Some of you already have a Guru who you follow, while some are trying out various paths to see which one suits them. In today’s world, there are many masters, preachers and new age Gurus who have something to offer. But the point is that each of them looks at life from their own viewpoint. The questions we will explore here are that Is there one “true” Guru who can guide you and do you really need a Guru?
The question is: Must you restrict yourself to one Guru? The path that appeals to you may not be the choice of others. Some of you may be seeking enlightenment through Deepak Chopra or Eckhart Tolle and other Holistic speakers while some might find solace in devotion to their Guru, some might be learning through nature, some through puja rituals and mantra meditation and others through various books, CDs or videos.
What I want to say is this is the information age where many teachings are available and open to all what you must do is find the teachings that are in alignment with your beliefs and that appeal to you. You may collect ideas from various sources and then fashion a bouquet out of them as per your liking. See what path draws you most and walk on that. It could be a
A Devotion based path
A Meditation based path
A Mantra based path
A Kriya based path or
A Gyan based path.
Choose what appeals to you. It could even be a combination of some of the above. Know that you may need multiple teachers for a well-balanced life.
Who is a Guru?
The Guru is one who shows the light of wisdom. You will meet various teachers in different phases of your life. They will come in form of parents, siblings, friends and colleagues also. A Guru will not be the one who will take up the responsibility of your life and all your troubles. Finally the learning will be your own and the inner will to walk on the path of light will be your own.
Follow Your Inner Guru
In my life I have learnt a lot through self-introspection because there is no bigger teacher than life. I believe that one can achieve enlightenment through learning a lot from what happens in his own life and of others around him and a combination of reading, listening to talks, meditation and self-introspection. You may take courses or generally follow your intuition and be guided in your quest for knowledge. Trust in your Inner Guru, for He knows everything. Above all, trust life to guide you to whatever it is you need to evolve to your Higher Self because one of your rights is the right to Knowledge.
