Teaching Alone Matters

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Q: All this I grasp verbally, but it does not become a part of myself. It remains as a picture in my mind to be looked at. Is it not the task of the Guru to give life to the picture?

M: Again, it is the other way round. The picture is alive; dead is the mind. As the mind is made of words and images, so is every reflection in the mind. It convers up reality with verbalization and then complains. You say a Guru is needed to do miracles with you. You are playing with words only. The Guru and the disciple are one single thing, like the candle and its flame. Unless the disciple is earnest, he cannot be called a disciple. Unless a Guru is all love and self-giving, he cannot be called a Guru. Only reality begets reality, not the false.

Q: I can see that I am false. Who will make me true?

M: The very words you said will do it. The sentence 'I can see that I am false' contains all you need for liberation. Ponder over it, go into it deeply, go to the root of it; it will operate. The power is in the word, not in the person.

Q: I do not grasp you fully. On one hand you say a Guru is needed; on the other -- the Guru can only give advice, bit the effort is mine. Please state clearly -- can one realize the Self without a Guru, or is the finding of a true Guru essential?

M: More essential is the finding of a true disciple. Believe me, a true disciple is very rare, for in no time he goes beyond the need for a Guru,, by finding his own self. Don't waste your time on trying to make out whether the advice you get flows from knowledge only, or from valid experience! Just follow it faithfully. Life will bring you another Guru, if another one is needed. Or deprive you of all outer guidance and leave you to your own lights. It is very important to understand that it is the teaching that matters, not the person or the Guru. You get a letter that makes you laugh or cry. It is not the postman who does it. The Guru only tells you the good news about your real Self and shows your the way back to it. In a way the Guru is its messenger. There will be many messengers, but the message is one - be what you are. Or, you can put is differently: until you realize yourself you cannot know who is your real Guru. When you realize, you find that all the Gurus you had have contributed to your awakening. Your realization is the proof that your Guru was real. Therefore, take him as he is, do what he tells you to, with earnestness and zeal and trust your heart to warn you if anything goes wrong. If doubt sets in, don't fight it. Cling to what is doubtless and leave the doubtful alone.