Not Faith but Gratitude

CAN A MASTER TAKE ONE TOWARDS SAMADHI?


Master or any guide can lead you to go to your destination. Moreover, from time to time, can tell you that you are on the right track. This much assurance from him is helpful…you are motivated.

If he sees that you are lost then he will warn you. If you start to fall asleep, he will wake you. Even though you have to walk alone, do remember that in the journey of spirituality no one can take you, you have to make an effort on your own. You have to take the journey. Nevertheless, if you get some co-traveler, a companion, who is ready to go along with you, then the joy of the journey is enhanced. Remember, when a guide takes you on a journey then he also has to travel with you.
What is the difference between you and your guide? You are going on the journey for the first time. Guide has been there before. That is the only difference. He is also a traveler. He is also your co-traveler. The difference is only this that you are traveling for the first time and he has been on this journey many a times.


Master is your Companion

‘Spiritual guide’ cannot drag you forcefully instead; he can go along with you. He can motivate you. If you get even this much support then consider yourself to be privileged.
Kabir goes on to say:

Guru govind dou khade, kake lagoo pae-
Balihari guru aapki, govind diyo dikhae-

It says: Master and God both are standing, at whose feet
Shall I fall. O Master! I am grateful to you that you have shown
me God.
If Master and God both are standing in from of you and one has to decide at whose feet one should bow. Then I would fall at Master’s feet and bow down. If the Master were not there then how would I have known of God’s existence? If Master had not introduced me to God then I would have never understood. I would have remained ignorant even after knowing.
Lady Saint Sahajobai goes a step further-
Ram taju par guru na bisaru
Guru ke sam hari ko na niharu
I am ready to renounce Ram, I am ready to forget God but I am not ready to leave my Master.
On the path of spirituality whoever is ready to go along with you towards the destination of Samadhi, whoever is ready to show you the way then certainly fill with gratitude towards him.



Feeling of Gratitude

I would like to tell you one more thing; fill with gratitude but not with faith because every faith has a shadow of doubt in it. There is a difference only in degree. What you call as faith is 90% faith but you doubt 10%. This is because faith is not dependant on you. It depends on the person in whom you have faith. The moment he slips your judgment, you no longer bestow faith in him.

Gratitude depends on you and does not depend on the other. It is gratitude towards whatever you receive. Now there is nothing to do with person’s personality for whom you have gratitude... whatever may be his personality. Whatever one gets there is gratefulness for that, gratitude for that. Your gratitude never gets shattered. Therefore, in Oshodhara we put into effect gratitude instead of belief. Gratitude does not have shadow of doubt in it. Gratitude solely depends on you.

Hence the first thing; Master does no take you into Samadhi but he provides you the route map for proceeding in the direction of Samadhi. He shows you the way. When you move ahead, he motivates you.
And Osho says that you need a Master the most at two instances. First, when he gives you the route map and makes you start the journey; when he introduces God to you. And the second instance, when you complete the journey, when you arrive at the destination, when you attain Advaita (non-duality), you do not come to know, you cannot understand properly.
You doubt, is this the destination? Is this what we have been searching for so many lives? Is this Advaita? Is this Kaivalya? Is this Nirvana?
There the Master tells you, “Well done! This is it…this is where you had to go; this is what you have been searching for lives. This is it!
At the end of the journey, once again you need the Master.