11-10-2016 Tuesday
Holy Mother By Swami Nikhilananda: 259
Chapter 12 – Spiritual Ministry : 002
It will be useful here to discuss briefly the significance of spiritual initiation, according to Hindu tradition, and also the part a preceptor plays in unfolding a disciple’s spiritual life.
Spirituality is awakened by the transmission of light from the living, through the living, to the living. The transmitter is called the guru or teacher, the method of transmission is known as initiation, and the person to whom it is transmitted is called the shishya or disciple. Spiritual truth is the living truth coexisting with and inherent in God Himself. Initiation is the descent of God through a human channel and is bestowed upon a living disciple. This bestowal may be designated as grace. No doubt God, in His real nature, transcends name and form and is present everywhere. But He must attune Himself to our receptivity so that our minds can receive Him. This is a low of the spiritual world demonstrated even by god-men like Krishna, Christ, Chaitanya, and Ramakrishna, who in spite of their divine nature accepted human teachers, as it were, to set an example for the common man. The idea of apostolic succession or the laying on of hands in Christianity seems to be based upon this fact. God is the real guru, but He uses a human instrument to manifest His power. The purer the channel, the clearer the manifestation of the power.
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Holy Mother - Being the Life of Sri Sarada Devi Wife of Sri Ramakrishna And Helpmate in his Mission By Swami Nikhilananda p: 159 – 160
