Meeting the Eternal

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I am not sure exactly when Guru first entered my life but it feels like he was always there. I have photographs of myself perhaps around the age of 5 or 6, tucked under his arm and cuddling him like my own orange clad teddy bear. I felt completely safe with him and understood by him. I do not recall ever being shooed away, even as he may have been engaging with adults and their important questions and conversations. He seemed to have this capacity to be with us all and offer an attention that was constant and also uniquely tailored to each individual that he was with.

 

I do not remember any first introductions; I just remember him being there sometimes and how much I loved him. This love has remained with me always. A precious ember in my heart. It continues now, as a steady flame even so many years later and years after Guru’s mahasamadhi. I experience the light of this love as the essence of Guru (both the man and “dispeller of darkness”) and my own inner compass which points me back to the unitive values that he taught and embodied.

 

I see that Guru’s presence in my life has been like a thread, always there, like awareness itself. I also see how this presence and his love and friendship, altered and informed the lives of both my parents.

 

As I work my way towards the 100th Verse of Guru’s incredible commentary of Atmopadesa Satakam in one of Nancy’s study groups, I feel like I am getting to know my Self as well as gaining insights and a deepened internal relationship with my long gone parents. Through this study I am also connecting with the distant figures of Narayana Guru and Nataraja Guru. “The Knowledge which brilliantly shines” illuminated the lives of all these people and continues to touch all who come in contact with it.

 

I feel so incredibly blessed that over fifty years ago, my mother attended a talk given by Guru at The Theosophical Society in Sydney. Who knows why she attended, but her decision to do so was pivotal in all of our lives. I look back in wonder and gratitude that my life intersected with Guru and to so many people that were and continue to be connected to him. A garland of blessings.

 

I loved and revered Guru Nitya and I also knew him to be human. The demonstrations of his humanity were somehow just as important as his impressive intellect and wisdom. Every aspect of his daily life was, in some way, a demonstration of something valuable. Every action, gesture, conversation and interaction (even those that contained conflict or difficulty) seemed to be attended to with great presence of mind and alertness. This was an extraordinary thing to witness. To see someone living their life in such a way was a demonstration of our boundless human potential.

 

I know that Guru wrote many books and gave thousands of talks and lectures in his life but he also taught through so many other means. His silences, through the twinkle in his eye, through his slow morning walks, his reveries and poems, in the way he would observe the movements of a tiny insect or the colours of a sunset, through the sweetness of his voice singing the Gayatri mantra, the way that he prepared a meal and by his lyrical hand writing and his letters, always finished with one small word: Nitya. His name means “eternal” and perhaps at the end of each letter as he said goodbye, he was also saying “I am always here.” I know this to be true. Happy Birthday, dearest Guru. I am so glad that 100 years ago you were born.

 

Some things that Guru taught me (in no particular order):

 

To trust the inherent goodness of all beings.

How to eat rice and curry with my hand.

The joy of reading and learning.

The value of dreams and the potential of interpreting them and gaining insights from the messages that they bring.

About the collective unconscious and the power of symbols.

How much can be communicated just with the eyes.

How we can also learn through the heart.

The value of art, literature, music and poetry.

The importance of humour.

That work can be joyous.

How to brush my teeth with charcoal powder.

That compassion can be firm.

What true wisdom is.

That men can cook.

The value of stillness and silence.

Meditation both seated and in action.

How much can be communicated with a voice that is quiet and how it settles and invites people to truly listen and pay attention.

Reverence, awe, love, grace and bhakti.

Appreciation of the natural world.

The importance of paying attention to the smallest of things.

The extraordinary nature and capacities of mind and thought.

That paradox exists and to embrace it.

How to open and fold an aerogram.

How to walk slooooowly.

How to listen attentively.

The act of witnessing and being present with what is witnessed.

What love without attachment looks like.

That work can be done at all hours of the day and night (and that perhaps one needs less sleep than one imagines).