“No man can reveal to you nothing but that which already lies half-asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.” ~ Khalil Gibran
Questioner: What is the role of a spiritual teacher in one’s life? How does life change in the presence of a spiritual teacher or a Guru?
Acharya Prashant: You already know. And I said that it’s a wonder how you pretend that you are ignorant. You already are fine, perfect, healthy. And you already know everything that even the best of Teachers might teach.
The great wonder is not your ignorance, but the pretense of your ignorance.
All that I have told you, is something you knew even before me, even without me. I just spoke it out. I just spilled the beans.
The entire crowd knew that the king is naked. I am like that petulant child, who shouted out. But the king is naked. I wasn’t the first one who noticed it. Everybody knew! But you have your reasons to keep silent. I have reasons to shout out.
The difference between us is not that you do not know, and I do. The difference between us is that – you act as if you don’t know. And I do not want to act that way.
You have dreamt up some interest in remaining poor, and I am conscious. I do not know what that interest is. That is the difference between you and me.
You know, so many people are scared of coming to me, listening to me. Meeting me face-to-face is an absolute horror to them. Why? They haven’t yet met me, they haven’t yet listened to me, they haven’t yet had a face-to-face with me, why are they scared in advance?
Their fears are well-justified.
They are afraid because they already know what I would say. It’s a funny thing. Often those who listen to me, do not know what I am saying. But those who avoid me, definitely know what I am saying.
Those who do not listen to me, know me perfectly well. Those who listen to me may sometimes fail to resonate with me. But those who stubbornly avoid me will vouch for my authenticity. They know that there is something really authentic here, that ought to be avoided.
We all know!
Whenever you will avoid me, rest assured there is something that you know to be depraved, and you still want to do it. And you would avoid me, just because you do not want the pretense to be exposed.
The True Teacher, in that sense, is never a surprise. He is absolutely predictable. At times, I know I have said that the True Teacher is absolutely unpredictable. But, from where I am speaking right now, the True Teacher is totally predictable.
You know that the Sun would give nothing, but the Light. It’s a done thing. No exception or aberration is possible. So if you are fond of lazying around and sleeping, you block out the Sun, don’t you? Why do you block out the Sun? Because you know for sure, that the Sun would send down nothing but brightness through your window.
Had there been some doubt, you would not have pulled down the curtains. Even before the sunrise, even before you are going to sleep, if you have decided to wake up late, what would you ensure? That the windows are all blacked out. Because it is a matter of absolute predictability that the Sun would only send the brightness down the window. There is no doubt. The Sun is predictable! So you take countermeasures.
Those who avoid the Scriptures are in some sense great fans of the scriptures. They know how powerful the Scriptures are, and therefore, they will not mess with them.
We know.
We all do this.
And I will never really be able to appreciate why we live as if we do not know. That would remain, a great wonder to me.
Always!
