09/14/1998 - 2217

The Qualities of a True Guru

Editorial (VNN) - by anonymous

In this day and age of Kali Yuga, there are many false Guru's.

One of the tricks that they use is to convince the devotee that he does nothave the mental capacity to think about the truth, and that he must alwaysfollow every command of the Guru.

"If I tell you to jump in the swimming pool, you should do it!," a false Gurumay shout.

First, they convince you that they are wonderful, then they convince you thatyou have not the mental capacity to think about what is right and wrong, thenthey tell you that you must follow every command, no matter how improper itmay seem.

This is not the mark of a true Guru.

A true man of knowledge is full of love. A true man of knowledge hates no-one. A true man of knowledge seldom expresses anger. If the anger isexpressed, it is only an anger that is acting, like an actor that acts onstage; the acting is expressed consciously and knowingly, and has a purposebehind it.

There are many saints and sages in India whom you can tell have a great dealof love in their hearts.

Even there, you have to be careful.

Knowledge of Atma (Self-Realization) is not very easily acquired. In theprocess of trying to acquire this knowledge, a person can become very learn-ed. He can impress people. He may even appear to be a sage. If he does nothave a clean heart, he can use this knowledge to get what he wants-fame,money, etc.

In this age, the majority of the saintly personalities do not have Atmaknowledge. That doesn't mean that they are all bad. But if they do not havethe knowledge, then they cannot impart knowledge onto you.

Because most of the saintly persons do not have Atma knowledge, it is ok for aperson to not have a Guru. In fact, it is dangerous to have a Guru today,because most likely, he is not qualified Guru. People may get offended atthis statement, because everyone thinks that his Guru is the true one. Thatis alright. But just be aware of the qualities of a true man of knowledge:love, patience, calmness, peacefulness.

True knowledge is in your heart. First learn to love yourself, learn to loveothers, learn to be kind. You may have all kinds of vices-lust, anger,jealousy, etc. Learn to observe these vices. Do not be worried or ashamed ofyourself for having these vices. Just observe them. Many of today's Guru'shave the same vices as you do, but they are good at hiding them.

Learn to be kind to your family. Do not consider a meat-eating relative to bea demon; love him, also. Then, God will send a true Guru. Do not be in ahurry. Do not worry. God is not going to damn you. You are not going to bea roach in your next life. These are all the politics that religious leadersuse to manipulate people. Do not worry about being an animal in your nextlife. Do not worry. God loves you immensely. God loves you immensely. Godloves you immensely.