Guru - thoughts on what is our/my understanding of "Guru".

It is fun to see how things are connected. Reading a book or 'reading from the book of life' as the Chinese say (which means to learn from experience - life itself) can make you see deeper, often very unexpectedly something reveals itself to you of which you were'nt even aware you were thinking of or had stopped thinking about for a while. When you least expect it, you read about it and the inter-connection/ relation takes you by surprise. In one such moment, I was reading 'the Zen commandments' by Dean Sluyter, where he elaborates about who is a "Guru",

"Related to the word "gravity", it signifies someone who's heavy where the rest of us are lite, who has the gravitas to be grounded, as immovably as a rock, in the unchanghing nature of reality, even as the rest of us our blown away like dry leaves.........In some Asian cultures one might call a dozen people "my guru". Every teacher, as he or she points toward infinity, stands in a slightly different place; the spot on the horizon where all those pointing fingers converge is where we want to go."

After reading this, I thought of the day I visited my girl-freind. She was in the midst of preparing her home for Diwali and when I asked her what she was doing, she said she was cleaning the space where she kept her "Gurus". I liked the fact that she did'nt say "Gods", by calling them "Gurus" she had intensified their benevolent presence. No more were they deities to be feared but Gurus, pointing to us the way.

Thinking about what the author says of having many Gurus, I feel fortunate to have been introduced to Buddhism, I don't take to it outwardly by way of rituals but have allowed it to grow slowly. I feel blessed to invoke Medicine Budda or as my husband affectionately and respectfullys says in Tibetan/Ladakhi - Sangyes Men-Lha and Sakyamuni Buddha or the historical Buddha. I feel happy to think of Guruji Goenkaji and my Reikhi teacher Dr. N.K.Sharma. Although, I may not see or meet my teachers/Gurus I feel happy simply to think of them, I am lifted even if it is an inch.

To all my Teachers of the Past, Present and the Future -
my deepest gratitude.

Love and Light.