#143 The four essential factors for spiritual learning
Just like a seed requires light, water, soil and air to blossom into a tree, the Vedic tradition offers us an insight about four factors that are essential to our learning and growth –
आचार्यात् पादमादत्ते पादं शिष्यः स्वमेधया ।
सब्रह्मचारिभ्यः पादं पादं कालक्रमेण च ॥
AchAryAt pAdamAdatte, pAdam shiShyaH swamedhayA |
sa-brahmachAribhyaH pAdam, pAdam kAlakrameNa cha ||
One fourth from the teacher, one fourth from one’s intelligence,
One fourth from fellow students, and one fourth only with time.
Let’s unpack these –
Role of Acharya – The Acharya or the teacher is the one who svayam aacharet, who upholds a life of integrity and Dharma. Shaastraani aachinoti – who masterfully gathers pearls from the Shaastra and shares it at the right time and place. Most importantly, the Acharya anyaan prerayati, inspires and teaches others. A guru will be an Acharya but an Acharya need not be your guru. A guru being a relational word is a guru only for the one who considers her a guru.
A guru can give you 4 types of learning and four types of deeksha, sacred initiation
Mantra deeksha – Initiation into a mantra by a teacher
Upadesha deeksha – Initiation into the teachings of Vedanta
Sannyasa deeksha – Initiation into the lifestyle of a sannyasi, a monk.
Shaktipath/Srividya/Yoga/Tantra – Deeksha related to different sadhanas.
It is possible that one may not have the same guru for all of the above.
Still having a live guru with whom one can relate and resonate is a deep blessing because a traditional guru embodies the Shaastra. Personally, I know how my life was, before and after a guru and there is just no comparison.
With the growth of digital libraries and innovatively designed learning tools, for secular learning, a teacher is increasingly playing a supplementary role. But, in Vedanta the role of the teacher is primary. Why? Because one is dealing with the reality of the identities due to ignorance of oneself and hence the means of knowledge must be wielded by another person. Familiarity with some words need not mean knowledge.
Some students can have the best Acharya but they are not humble enough to learn or they are impatient with themselves or they are too busy with other pursuits that they cannot devote enough time to the learning. Although a guru is important, one should not overemphasise the role of a guru because other factors are also important. The next factor.
Role of the student
The shishya or the student of Vedanta needs to have the intelligence to understand what the teacher is teaching. The medha, intelligence does not have much to do with formal education but rather in having a thinking mind that has gone through life’s experiences and has the leisure and objectivity to examine them. The shishya understands the pursuit of moksha and its two aspects of self mastery and self discovery.
What has to be understood and is not a subject of practice cannot be practised.
‘I am the limitless Atma’ having a human experience is in the realm of self discovery and does not require practice.
The disposition of Karma Yoga – the attitude towards karma and karma phala is in the realm of self mastery. It has to be practised and lived on a daily basis and is not something to just be understood.
The shishya accordingly makes the required effort with commitment, dedication and enough leisure. A guru is indispensable to the pursuit but a guru cannot live your spiritual journey which is entirely yours to make. The qualities of adhikaritvam for a Vedanta student have been discussed in previous episodes, particularly episode 131.
In secular fields of knowledge there are enough instances of talented, hardworking students who did not have much guidance and faced much hardship to excel in their field. Can the hardworking student compensate for the absence of a teacher with his or hard work? No.
Sometimes the pursuit may seem overwhelming for the shishya and enough reassurance from the guru may not be enough or the student may fool oneself into thinking that one is making enough progress. Here is where the third factor comes in
Role of fellow students or rather a sangha, a spiritual community
The word gurukul is the family of the guru comprising the students and hence it is common for fellow students to refer to each other as gurubhai or gurubehen, gurubrother or gurusister. They share a common pursuit of moksha and similar obstacles of a distracted mind, unresolved issues from the past and so on.
Walking on common ground, fellow students stop feeling alone and helpless. Where earlier obstacles were attributed to faults in the teacher or faults in oneself, fellow students can be mirrors for each other’s journey. Much rich learning is possible when one listens to the stories of fellow pilgrims. There are moments of aha, moments of empathy, moments of inspiration, moments of camaraderie and a lot of fun.
It stops feeling lonely and an uphill struggle because of fellow students who care for and support each other. If they are involved in seva to the guru on joint projects, it is even better. Besides the blessings they receive, joint projects become an opportunity to uphold Dharma in action and receive feedback from the guru. The sangha gives the shy, introverted people an opportunity to open up and break through their conditionings and the extroverted people an opportunity to actively listen to the others. It also becomes the responsibility of fellow students to not indulge in gossip and avoid judgments of each other.
By itself a sangha is not enough, for learning because they still need guidance collectively as well as individually. There needs to be a balance in spending time on one’s own and also spending time with the sangha whether offline or online. Neither can be a substitute for the other.
And finally the fourth factor
Role of time
Millions of lifetimes have passed in identification with the body-mind form leading to the entrenched conclusion that identity is reality.
Just like a rosebud cannot be forced to bloom but will bloom in time, just as a foetus requires a full 9 months to develop so too learning Vedanta requires time.
The main teaching of Vedanta is short and simple – Tat tvam asi. That Ishvara you are. But the teaching is received, filtered with one’s entrenched notions of oneself, the world and God. These have to be chiselled away firmly and consistently which require time for attending classes, reflecting on the teaching, applying what needs to be applied, discussing with fellow students and so on.
One could have the best guru, make adequate effort and also be a part of a supportive sangha but be very impatient. What is required is patience with the process, patience with the guru and patience with oneself which is only possible in the flow of time.
So, as we sit on the banks of this ancient river of wisdom we recognise that it has come from Ishvara the source, passed down to the teachers. Some tributaries have joined the river in the learning. With the passage of time, the river will reach the ocean to discover that all along, one’s reality as water was the only truth.
