Satguru
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Satguru or Sadguru means true guru. (Sanskrit सदगुरू sat=true), literally: true teacher. The title means that his students have faith that the guru can be trusted and will lead them to moksha, enlightenment or inner peace.[citation needed] It is based on a long line of Hindu philosophical understandings of the importance of knowledge and that the teacher, guru, is the sacred conduit to self-realization.
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[edit] Ancient and traditional sources
The Kularnava Tantra (XIV/65) states,
- "It is very rare to find a Satguru who can give Shaktipat and rare to find a disciple worthy of receiving it. One gets such a Guru only as a result of past meritorious actions."
In the Upanishads, five signs of satguru (true guru) are mentioned.
- In the presence of the satguru; Knowledge flourishes (Gyana raksha); Sorrow diminishes (Dukha kshaya); Joy wells up without any reason (Sukha aavirbhava); Abundance dawns (Samriddhi); All talents manifest (Sarva samvardhan).
In one of Kabir's songs the satguru is described as the real Sadhu:
bhâi kôî satguru sant kahâwaî
- Hs is the real Sadhu, who can reveal the form of the Formless to the vision of these eyes;
- Who teaches the simple way of attaining Him, that is other than rites or ceremonies;
- Who does not make you close the doors, and hold the breath, and renounce the world;
- Who makes you perceive the Supreme Spirit wherever the mind attaches itself;
- Who teaches you to be still in the midst of all your activities.
- Ever immersed in bliss, having no fear in his mind, he keeps the spirit of union in the midst of all enjoyments.
- The infinite dwelling of the Infinite Being is everywhere: in earth, water, sky, and air;
- Firm as the thunderbolt, the seat of the seeker is established above the void.
- He who is within is without: I see Him and none else.<ref>Songs of Kabir LVI, I. 68 - Translated by Rabindranath Tagore New York, The Macmillan Company (1915)</ref>
According to Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, a Hindu Satguru is always a sannyasin, an unmarried renunciate.<ref>Subramuniyaswami, Satguru Sivaya. Living with Siva, glossary. Himalayan Academy Publications. ISBN 0-945497-98-9</ref> However, the definition of Satguru elsewhere does not include this stricture<ref>God Speaks, Meher Baba, PUB Dodd Meade, 1955, 2nd Ed. pp. 150,158,196, 291</ref> and there are numerous counter-examples as well, for instance: "Tukaram, a Hindu Sadguru, is known to have had a family. The Qutub Moeinuddin Chisti also had children. The Sadguru Kabir had a son, Kamal, who was very devout." <ref>Meher Prabhu, Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p.92 - Footnote 1</ref>
[edit] Other usages
- In Sikhism, Satguru is one of the many names for God.
- In Surat Shabda Yoga, Satguru is the one who initiates followers into the path.
- In Sant Mat and Advait Mat the living Satguru is considered the path to God-realization<ref>Lewis, James R. Seeking the Light, p.62. Mandeville Press, ISBN 0-914829-42-4</ref>.
[edit] Analogous concepts
- The Sufi concept of the Qutub (literally, pole, tower, lighthouse) could be viewed as analogous to the satguru. The Qutub is the shaykh who provides a focus for spiritual teachings<ref>Ahmed, Nazeer. Islam in Global History: From the Death of Prophet Muhammed to the First World War, Xlibris Corporation, ISBN 0-7388-5966-4</ref>. Other terms include Pir and Sarkar.
- Jacques Vigne, in his book Indian Wisdom, Modern Psychology and Christianity asserts that John the Baptist might be looked upon as someone very much like a satguru. <ref>Vigne, Jacques (1997). Indian Wisdom, Modern Psychology and Christianity, Part II, Ch. 1. B. R. Publishing Corporation. ISBN 81-7018-944-6. Available online</ref>
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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