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Qualification of a spiritual master
from ISKCON DC
Submitted by Hardik
Identifying a spiritual master
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The most daunting task for a seriously aspiring spiritualist is the step of taking shelter of a guru or spiritual master. Having been convinced of the absolute necessity of accepting a spiritual master, one is confronted with the perplexing question, 'who is a bona-fide spiritual master?' The bewildering array of gurus with varying philosophies and contradictory teachings only serves to magnify this issue that is inherently considerably complex.
While a person can and indeed will have several instructing gurus who guide him in various ways, a person will have one and only guru who has formally accepted him as a disciple through the process of initiation or diksha. The sacrosanct relationship between the diksha-guru or spiritual master and a disciple is unique and must be established with great care and due diligence.
Although we have to accept spiritual authority, we should do so only after due testing, otherwise we may be cheated. For example, a person who accepts medicine from a quack is unintelligent and is inviting trouble and suffering. Similarly for people looking for an 'easy-way-out spirituality', there are fake gurus offering them mystic mantras, false hope and conjured scriptural references to perform abominable activities. In the end the biggest loser is the person who in allowing himself to be cheated ends up performing so many sinful activities out of ignorance and thus wastes his precious human form of life.
Role of a spiritual master
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The spiritual master imparts spiritual knowledge, not mundane knowledge. The spiritual master is not meant to teach his students exercises for better health, meditations to sooth the mind, calisthenics to levitate in the air or any mystic siddhis. Sound health, peaceful mind and material opulence's are helpful in making spiritual advancement, but they are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. There is no harm in a person learning yoga, meditation or even mystic sciences, as long as they are understood in the proper perspective - as material sciences and not mistaken for spiritual advancement.
The one and only purpose of a spiritual master is to guide his disciple spiritually. This will immediately eliminate so many self-professed so-called gurus who mesmerize people by their charisma, cheap parlor tricks or promises of improved health, sexual potency or career advancement. A genuine spiritual master will concern himself with the spiritual health of his disciple and will only instruct him in matters related to spirituality. A spiritual master may chose to instruct his disciples in other sciences or aspects, but only to support his main discipline, the science of God consciousness.
Basic qualifications
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One cannot test the genuineness of a spiritual authority by the language he speaks, by his physical appearance or by his nationality. Fortunately, this is where the scriptures come to our aid. Realizing the paramount importance of surrendering to a bona fide spiritual master, the scriptures are replete with very specific instructions in this respect. However it is the responsibility of the prospective disciple to inquire, understand and apply these instructions.
The Srimad Bhagavatam (11.3.21) explains the basic qualifications of a spiritual master:
tasmad gurum prapadyeta
jignasuh shreya uttamam
shabde pare ca nishnatam
brahmany upasamashrayam
Translation
Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.
The foremost quality of a spiritual master is that he must be a devotee of the Lord. He must have realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation. He must be fixed in devotional service to the Supreme because he has heard, understood, practiced, and realized the Absolute Truth. He should be able to confirm the authenticity of the message he is presenting by the support of the scriptures and the teachings of the great seers of truth of the present and the past.
The spiritual master should be engaged all the time in the service of Krishna. He should not waste a single moment doing anything, which is not connected with Krishna. The Bhagavad-gita (9.14) confirms this "statam kirtayanto mam". The pure devotee is constantly engaged in glorifying the Supreme Lord.
Bona-fide disciplic succession
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The Vedic knowledge is not subject to speculation or interpretations, and never visible by mundane vision. Not even the greatest scholar can hope to read the scriptures and claim to become a spiritual master It emanates from the perfect source, Sri Krishna, and descends through the transparent medium of the disciplic succession. So important is disciplic succession that in Bhagavad-gita (4.1) Krishna confirms that He has personally descended to re-establish the disciplic succession that was broken over time.
The deep realizations hidden in the scriptures are only accessible by one who has personally realized them. It is therefore important that the spiritual master must have received knowledge by the process of accepting a bona-fide spiritual master himself. Thus, the spiritual master must belong to a bona-fide parampara or disciplic succession. The primary qualification is not the scholarship, expertise in Sanskrit or even the knowledge of the scriptures. The primary qualification is that the spiritual master should have realized the essence of the scriptures.
Beyond the material platform
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We should not judge a guru based on his caste, creed, nationality etc. The scriptures actually label this behavior as extremely offensive. When we employ an engineer for constructing the house or go to a doctor we don't ask his caste, a family lineage. We just see whether he is a qualified engineer or doctor. Similarly "yei Krishna-ttava-vetta sei guru haya." One who knows the science of Krishna should be accepted as a guru" (Cc Madhya 8.128). Instruction has to be taken from one who is in knowledge. It does not matter what his material position is, whether he is a sudra, a brahman, a sannyasi, or a
grhastha. The spiritual master should also not dwell on the material platform. He should never demand wealth, women, followers, fame, prestige or worship in exchange of his teachings.
Preach by example
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The spiritual master should preach (pracara) by example (acara). He should not only be teaching perfect knowledge but he should also be an acarya, that is, one who teaches by personal example. One who smokes cigarette has no right to preach to others to avoid cigarettes. The guru should be a walking scripture and should exemplify all the teachings of the scripture in his life. And he should thus inspire everyone to follow them by his personal example.
Dhira
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The spiritual master must be sense-controlled or a dhira. If a guru's senses are not controlled and he does not teach his disciples to control their senses, then he is not a qualified spiritual master. The scriptures list six symptoms of guru: "A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's demands, the actions of anger, and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world." (Upadeshamrita 1).
The spiritual master should be a sadhu, one who is decorated with all saintly qualities. The Srimad Bhagavatam (3.25.21) explains:
titshavah karunikah suhrudah sarva-dehinam
ajata-shtravah shantah sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah
"The symptoms of a sadhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures and all his characteristics are sublime."
A spiritual master must also posses all these qualities to be able to function at the platform where he can guide his disciples back to Godhead.
Conclusion
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There is sufficient guidance from the scriptures and from peers to undertake this seeming daunting task for identifying a spiritual master. The search for the spiritual master should be done with the heart and the mind. In our heart we should sincerely pray to Krishna to reveal to us our eternal spiritual master. With our mind we should carefully evaluate the qualities of a prospective spiritual master against the guidelines given in the scriptures. We should do this in a humble and prayful mood, careful not to commit any offenses against these elevated devotees of the Lord, but at the same time careful to protect our spiritual life.
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