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SHREE CHITRABHANU
L.M.: Right, someone knowledgeable and honest.
S.C.: You have to take time. Then also, you learn what a real diamond is. The Bangkok stone sparkles like a diamond; the Hong Kong diamond, also— it is a sparkling stone, it is not a real diamond. So there are many people who come as the guru. But what is their actual achievement in so many years? You are giving your life to them; you are getting guidance from them. So searching for the right teacher is more important than searching for the right diamond.
When you see the attitude of reverence in a teacher-his approach, his simplicity—and that way of living. Then that teacher guides you, because he is practicing reverence. Some people say: thou shalt not kill. But if, when he takes lunch, he devours animals; that cannot be a good teacher. What he was talking about just now in the pulpit is different from what he is now doing.
son
Do not be in a hurry to take a guru. Take time to find out the right perfor you on your journey. The guru is he or she who removes the darkness of your ignorance. Gu means darkness; ru means remove. He helps you ultimately to find your own inner guru. And the guru gradually disappears--you become your own guru.
L.M.: Does the teacher recognize his students?
S.C.: We are all students. Even the guru sometimes realizes that: I am also a student. He should not go on an ego trip, that I am the guru. The moment he feels that I am completely the guru, he is no longer guru.
L.M.: The guru is always learning too.
S.C.: Yes, yes, he is learning from the higher level. And then, he is imparting that knowledge to the seekers.
L.M.: It is really free and belongs to the universe.
S.C.: To the universe, yes-that guide we need in life. Life is surrounded by so many things. There are so many temptations. There is so much brainwashing. There are so many types of subliminal suggestions, and so many of our conditions, also. We need someone along the journey of life who can give us some glimpse, who can be a role model for us.
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