“guru satyam guru jnanam guru anandam guru shantih” My teacher is the truth, my teacher is the wisdom, my teacher is the bliss, my teacher is the peace.

Often when a student talks about their guru, they say things like, “It was like they saw right through me. There is nothing I can hide from them; I am transparent in their presence. They remind me of God; I feel more whole when I am with them. They seem to know everything about me, and yet they still love me, unconditionally.” How does this work? What kind of relationship is this? Gu means “ignorance; that which obscures Truth.” Ru means “that which removes.” The guru is the agent-the teacher-who removes ignorance so that the Truth can be revealed.

The relationship between student and teacher is a spiritual one-a relationship focused on identity. The quest for identity is the ultimate quest. To know oneself, to find out, to discover who you are, is the truth that everyone is looking for. The student seeks out a teacher because they want to know who they are. They are looking for help in understanding the confounding complexities and limitations of their own personality. You could say they are having an identity crisis. Usually the search starts with an experience of discontent and a feeling that they may be more than they thought they were, or that life may hold more potential beyond just eating, sleeping, money, sex, marriage, home, job and acquiring more stuff. This is why the spiritual path is not for normal people; it is for people who are looking for something more than success in the realms of the three basic power drives which fuel the three . . . → Read More: Monthly Focus: The Guru as a Mirror