There Is No Greater Gift than the Master - 5th July 2020

Now we had a small, sweet ceremony a few minutes ago and I was sharing with them that the Master is worthy of our devotion, of our trust and our love because it is only the Master which not just takes us beyond the personal, not just takes us from this locus of the 'me' as I call it, out of this 'me' into something else in the world, but it is only the Master which takes us out of this world to that reality which is forever unchanging. So many times the Guru is referred to as a light, you see, but the Guru is much greater than any light that we can fathom because even the brightest light, in the light of the sun, the manifest comes alive. You can have the brightest light and you will get to see more and more of the manifest, but in the Guru's light you see yourself beyond the manifest. So beautiful is that.

And of course the Guru is not just the form of the Master, but on this day we celebrate the form of the Master, you see, and we use that as a representation to bow down and to give our gratitude to that which seems to appear as a form but takes us to the formless. So in this life there's been no greater gift than the Master, you see. So not only does the Master take us beyond this manifest realm, but also we can surrender the manifest to the Master. And what else can we really need in life? That which shows us that which is beyond the coming and going of this universe, but also we can surrender everything that we think we have in our life to him, to her, whatever the form may be, you see.

So when we say 'Guru Kripa Kevalam,' you're saying that we surrender everything that appears in this life to you at your feet. You are taking care of it now; nothing is there for me to do. So both surrender and self-knowledge are the grace of this Master, and that is why on this auspicious day of Guru Purnima we are all blessed. I was also sharing that it is very rare, you see, because most of us have been sharing about this, that most of us actually want a God-assisted life. We want the Guru or God to help us in our life in some way and we feel like it's another aspect of the manifest creation which is like almost like a cheat code in this manifest world. We enter 'Guru Kripa Kevalam' and everything will go according to what our mind wants, you see.

So we want the assistance of God; we want God or Guru to be an assistant. But the minute we realized that it is not according to what our mind wants, you see, the outcomes or what plays out is according to the supreme intelligence of the Master himself, then there can be some fear that comes. There can be some concern, but this is not what I wanted. These kind of resistances can come, you see. So I wanted to thank the Sangha for their openness because it is not easy in a way to let go of all, especially this aspect that I came into Satsang because the Master was going to help me, you see. But the minute we realized, the instant we realized that actually the Master is taking me beyond 'me,' then the 'me' doesn't like that.

Letting go of the false, we say from darkness to light or ignorance to truths, but what is that? There's only one ignorance: the idea of limitation, the idea of being personal. So even freedom, even enlightenment sounded very good to the person initially, you see—'I could really do with this.' The instant you realize that there's nothing that this 'me' will get, in fact it is a dissolution of this 'me,' many can't take it. It becomes too hot in the kitchen and you feel like you have to run. So I wanted to give my deep gratitude on this day to all of you as well because it is not easy to be open to the dissolution of this 'me,' you see. It is not really easy for most as you meet yourself in this pure unmanifest reality where there is nothing for the 'me' to hold on to.