Guru is Always Ready

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Q: Is not the grace of the Guru responsible for the desire and its fulfillment? Is not the Guru's radiant face the bait on which we are caught and pulled out of this mire of sorrow?

M :It is the inner Guru (sadguru) who takes you to the outer Guru, as a mother takes her child to a teacher. Trust and obey your Guru, for he is the messenger of your Real Self.

Q: How do I find a Guru whom I can trust?

M: Your own heart will tell you. There is no difficulty in finding a Guru, because the Guru is in search of you. The Guru is always ready; you are not ready. You have to be ready to learn; or you may meet your Guru and waste your change by sheer inattentiveness and obstinacy. Take my example; thee was nothing in me of much promise, but when I met my Guru, I listened, trusted and obeyed.

Q: Must I not examine the teacher before I put myself entirely into his hands?

M: By all means examine! But what can you find out? Only as he appears to you on your own level.

Q: I shall watch whether he is consistent, whether there is harmony between his life and his teaching.

M: You may find plenty of disharmony - so what? It proves nothing. Only motives matter. How will you know his motives?

Q: I should at least expect him to be a many of self-control who lives a righteous life.

M: Such you will find many - and of no use to you. A Guru can show the way back home, to your real self. What has this to do with the character, or temperament of the person he appears to be? Does he not clearly tell you that he is not the person? The only way you can judge is by the change in yourself when you are in his company. If you feel more at peace and happy, if you understand yourself with more than usual clarity and depth, it means you have met the right man. Take your time, but once you have made up your mind to trust him, trust him absolutely and follow every instruction fully and faithfully. It does not matter much if your do not accept him as your Guru and are satisfied with his company only. Satsang alone can take you to your goal, provided it is is unmixed and undisturbed. But once you accept somebody as your Guru, listen, remember and obey. Half-heartedness is a serious drawback and the cause of much self-created sorrow. The mistake is never the Guru's; it is always the obtuseness and cussedness of the discipline that is at fault.