(Edited version of the writing for the celebration of the 60th Birhtday of Rev.Fr.Dr.K.M.George. Principal, Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam) by Vinaya Chaitanya, Dean. East-West university of Unitive Understanding (Narayana Gurukula).
Here our intention is to find points of agreement where all of humanity can look at all the many traditions, mystical, religious, philosophical, socio-political, cultural, linguistic etc. as belonging to their own common heritage and thus feel some sort of kinship with all expressions of human aspiration for a better life, here as well as hereafter. Better life, where the person can be guided to appreciate the collective wisdom of humanity, regardless of time or clime.Wisdom means certitude - about our knowledge, emotions, all aspects of our being, the certitude we can have of what we know for sure. What we have to make sure is that, we live. Life is to be lived and living life to the fullest in the sense that, man is constantly aspiring to overcome him/herself and to reach to what in theological terms is called the ‘divine’. In Biblical terms you are asked to become as perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. So the Father as a fullness of perfection, not as a bearded old man sitting somewhere up in the sky, keeping accounts of your good and bad doings, which is the old, static, anthropomorphic understanding of God; from that to a God of Love, God of Mercy, God of Kindness and the kingdom of God which is within and then without as well. But first, within.
Nataraja Guru defines God as that which is right when you are wrong. It is very important to understand this because one of the most misunderstood, misused words in any dictionary of any language is God or its equivalent. Another word is love, which Jesus equates with God. Every religion, any religion, is an attempt to actualize this perfection, to come close to this in every realm of life. Every person has to do this, every person is doing this. In that sense every person is religious, whether he admits it or not. And this also necessarily has a transactional or horizontal side- while this aspiration and actualization of fullness or perfection is a vertical dimension, its horizontal aspect is what binds you to your fellow person, fellow human being, your neighbor, to use the words of Christ. Hence, to love God with all one’s heart, might and soul and to love one’s neighbor as oneself - that is the transactional. If God is the common father, then all humanity belongs to one brotherhood. This is basic. And this is how God is love is to be understood in both its vertico-horizontal implications.
We have had model exemplars, teachers, Gurus who have personified in their own life this aspiration and realization of perfection, showing us the way how. Humanity has been very fortunate that such teachers have lived and taught such ways all over the earth in every time and even now. In India we call them Gurus. Words exist in all languages referring to this principle of a human exemplar personifying degrees of perfection possible. So we have divine humans or human Gods or Goddesses.
It is in this context that the principle of Guruhood has to be understood along with its dialectical counterpart, which is discipleship. We also feel that understanding this would help bridge the seemingly impossible gulf between the Christian insistence of Jesus being the son of God come down to the earth; and the understanding of people of other faiths. Looked at in the light of the principle of Guruhood and to see Jesus Christ, as a Guru of humanity would help to open up the understanding not only of Guruhood but also of Christianity itself. His disciples addressed Jesus himself as Rabbi in Aramaic, meaning Guru. Jesus goes to John the Baptist so that this principle of Guruhood handed down in vertical succession from Guru to disciple is acknowledged. And again at the last supper, Jesus Christ washes the feet of his disciples. It looks puzzling, the Guru washing the feet of the disciples. The Guru actually is purifying the disciples’ path; so that s/he is reborn to the pure ways of wisdom. Traditionally, disciples wash the Guru’s feet.
Gurus are revaluators. They constantly restate the eternal truth to meet the requirements of the particular situation. Also the disciple is greater than the Guru because he receives what is Guru’s, and builds on it. He is the empty vessel that’s filled. It is the disciple alone who has the Guru, who can understand the Guru. Thus s/he is greater than the Guru.
Wisdom is commonsense. It is the certitude we gain from life, if you live it honestly, if you are true to your self. To be true oneself is really the effort that the religious person makes. S/He has to be true to her/himself; and also has to respect the other persons who is also like herself trying to be true to themselves. So you require effort to come to the common truth. Private truths are also to be seen as the greatest enemy to world peace. And that effort required is what Jesus called your cross.
‘…take up your cross and follow me’. Unfortunately people seem to think that Jesus asked you to take up his cross. No, take up your cross he says. So what is your cross? The cross is the constant effort you make to live the highest value that religions call ‘God’ as your norm, and to actualize it; in and through your daily life. So religion is no longer a weekend or a private affair.Jesus is constantly trying to bring his Father’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. So in heaven the kingdom already exists. You must think of all the references he makes to heaven; about children he says, ‘of such is the kingdom’. You get a better understanding of how God is love; how do children love. Why can’t adults love like children?
So Jesus was always trying to bring the kingdom upon the earth and for that you have to find it within yourself first. And immediately, once you find this kingdom, you are a citizen of the city of God. No longer of a spatially limited place, it cut through all that is transient.
Narayana Guru also in his Daiva Dasakam compares God to the depth of the ocean. What actually is depth? Where is depth, and how is it related to height? Depth is in the water. There is only water. If you look for depth you will find only water. There is not an actual thing as depth. We have to abstract the world, and then you get God. Abstract water you get depth. Water is deep only if you go down into the water. Then there is depth. If you look above from the surface, it’s all water, no depth. Understanding the depth is to find the kingdom within, to find the perfection that is God, not by adding on but by going back to the state of children. This is called the negative way of contemplation.
The word ‘Guru’ is made up of two sounds gu and ru. Gu stands for darkness. Ru is the elimination of darkness. The very word implies the negative process. It is not talking about putting on any light but of removing darkness, which overcovers the light within, in the depth.
Western ideas of ‘democracy’ came in the way of understanding the principle of Guruhood for the Europeans, as they associate it with abject kow-towing, and exploitation. So the Guru becomes a dictator instead of being somebody who gives you freedom and is an example in his life of that freedom. Now the Guru becomes your prisoner. This is not what’s meant. Like the child saying ‘no that is not a parrot, parrots have a cage around them’. Because the child has never seen a parrot without a cage. Sometimes he has to see the Guru without the person, sometime at least.
Tradition gives qualifications for Guru. S/He should be srotriya and brahma nishtha. Srotriya means one who has heard well from his/er own Guru. S/He should be well versed in sruti, the wisdom texts, also the spoken word of the Guru. Brahma Nishtha means firmly established or constant in the Absolute. So every time his/her constant reference will be the Absolute, which is the absolute Self of the human Kind.
The qualities of the disciple are also very clearly stated in all traditions. A beautiful one in the Christian context is the ‘Imitation of Christ’ by Thomas a Kempis, probably in 14th century. His instructions to the students or seminary disciples, but written as though Jesus Christ was speaking to the disciples.
Disciple should have four fold qualities or effort, Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampanna. Viveka ,Vairagya, shamadi shatka sampathi and Mumukshutvam. Viveka is the power to discriminate between lasting and non-lasting values. What is of permanent value; and what is only of significance to the particular time, and then it will go. Vairagya is dispassion and non–attachment; seeing the limitations of being entangled with the objects outside oneself, wanting them or avoiding them; having and enjoying them while at the same time afraid of losing; not having yet wanting or having and not wanting. So saying- no, I am not interested in all these; because all these things are passing ones. So Viveka helps you to have vairagya, dispassion. Becoming free from desiring-hating duality, that is vairagya.
Shamadi shatka sampathi, attaining of six qualities starting with shama; Shama is calmness within, control. Dama is controlling outer interferences with the inner calmness. Shama is restraining the inner from dissipating, state of not going out. Dama is letting it be without it coming in. Uparati generally translated as withdrawal, literally means- rati is enjoyment, upa means nearby. Finding enjoyment within so that seeking enjoyment outside is lessened. So proportionate to finding joy within, seeking of enjoyment outside diminishes. That is uparati. Titiksha means bearing with all pains in the path of wisdom search, without thinking of redressing them; apratikara poorvakam Chintha Vilapa rahitam. Chintha is anxiety, prospective worrying about the future, vilapa is regret about the past. So not worrying about what will happen tomorrow not worried about yesterday. Bearing up with whatever is happening. Bearing all sorrow without thought of redressing. Sraddha is the faith that the truth can be grasped and that one can have an understanding of truth through the words of the scripture (sastra) and from the word of the Guru. Scripture is the recorded words of Gurus.
Samadhana is equanimity. Sama adhana - sitting equally, not favoring any, neutrally. The word mumukshutva, the keen desire for liberation here own earth, Muktikaamo bhuvihi, liberation here on earth; not in some after life. These are the six traditional qualifications for the disciple.
Amen.
