<1>As the body becomes soiled from the external
particles, also the spirit
of the human becomes dirty because of the influence of the external
world and the power of
Maya.
<2>We have to wash our bodies to be cleansed
from dirt, and if we do not clean ourselves we will be inflicted
with many diseases. This is also true about our
spirit. As man directs his attention toward the external world,
and lets the mundane things affect him and bring him to his lower
nature, so his spirit
becomes dirty and he goes to his lower nature.
<3>To direct the attention from the mundane to
higher self, the
spirit
should be cleansed. This can be done through spiritual gatherings
and sharing of the spiritual truths with others. <4>This kind
of gathering and talking about
God and the truths behind
this universe is called "Satsang."
<5>As water cleans the flesh, the
Satsang cleanses the
spirit. It is the shower
for the
spirit. <6>Our
body, in normal situations, becomes soiled in a day or two. Our
spirit
becomes dirty even faster than that. As we should take a shower
often, so we should clean our
spirit even more often.
Meditation, singing
the kirtan, remembrance of the
mantras, offering the food to the Lord, and all the techniques
used in spiritual progress are for cleansing the
spirit. <7>One of
the most important ones is
Satsang: Faith comes by hearing the words of
God.
<8>In
Satsang, the aspirants
should not talk about themselves, but about the invisible Lord and
His universe. <9>Satsang
should be given by spiritually advanced people, and usually true
Satsang happens
spontaneously with no previous preparation. <10>Satsang
should be performed as many times as possible. But formal spiritual
gatherings should be done every evening.
<11>We should clearly recognize the difference
between
Satsang and idle talk.
Idle talk will make man go more to
Maya (illusion), and
Satsang takes him
toward the Lord (higher consciousness).
<12>Although
God in Its highest is
Formless, Invisible, Nameless, and Eternal (FINE),
however we see many people need some kind of mediator (manifested or
un-manifested) between themselves and
God. <13>Such
realized mediators (being One with
God) can be called
spiritual teachers,
Gurus, or Masters, etc.
<14>The
spiritual teacher
is the one who is able to impart the knowledge of higher
consciousness or
God to others. <15>It
does not matter what he wears or looks like. He will be the source
of bliss and suffering for his disciples, and by this process the
growth of the disciples occur. <16>The disciple might not
understand the actions of his teacher but there is a link between
the two that cannot be broken. This link is what helps the disciple
to stay and go through this process of reaching higher
consciousness.
<17>Only those who are in tune with the
spiritual world will be able to take on this elaborate task of
guiding others to higher consciousness.
<18>They will become like
lights in the path of the disciple. It is true that the
disciple is in the depth of the jungle of
ignorance but the
spiritual teacher
is standing as a
light out of that jungle.
The disciple is in
darkness, but if he
keeps his eyes fixed on the
spiritual teacher,
his escape from that dark jungle is assured.
<19>However, without utmost respect and love for
the
spiritual teacher,
it is impossible to see that
light. <20>When a disciple realizes that Divinity within
his
spiritual teacher,
he should never forget that and never judge his teacher by the
appearance of his actions. Only then can the disciple fix his eyes
to the Divinity he has realized in his teacher and become it.
<21>The
spiritual teacher
and his teachings are the ideal of the disciple. Whoever betrays
that ideal is one like Judas who betrayed
Christ.
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