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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 10 2005 : 3:38:21 PM
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I just wanted to jot down some thoughts about the inner guru
When I first head the term, as a young kid, I visualized a Voice Of God - some individual at a verbal or barely nonverbal level offering guidance and direction.
After years practicing and reading mystical writings, I visualized more of a gentle, subtle, unpushy impulse. I thought it was like The Force in Star Wars that will tell you whether to order chicken or fish, or how to shoot and destroy the Death Star...if you listen really deeply.
Now I understand better. It's funny; I'm sure many of you share the observation that you can only truly understand a suggestion given to seekers once you've discovered that thing for yourself (by which time it's no longer of use!). I can only see what the inner guru is now that I see that I've been following it anyway. The names we give, the concepts we create to describe the spiritual process, are after the fact post processing both in their creation and in their observance. They come after. That's why we need to practice and see for ourselves rather than simply learning about this stuff intellectually.
Anyway...
Inner guru is nothing more than instinct. It's what drives birds to make nests and dogs to pee on fire hydrants. Animals are super tied to instinct because they don't have ego/mind generating noise and all sorts of impulses drowning out instinct. And once we quiet that ego/mind with meditation, etc, our instinct becomes clearer and more persuasive. And human instinct guides us to seek the self, drop attachment, and all the other elements of spiritual awakening. That's what humans DO.
It guides us via impulse (an unexplainable hankering for God/liberation/etc.), via pleasure/reward (openings of any sort feel great), and via pain/punishment (the more you sink into the delusion of separateness and tie yourself in knots with the attachments of ego/mind, the more you suffer...just ask the Buddha). That's it. It's not radio transmissions from heaven, it's not some disembodied voice. Inner guru is just the pure instinct latent in every human being that draws us inexorably through this awakening process via impulse, reward, and punishment (bhakti, bliss, and suffering).
This is why there's a sense of inevitability to the spiritual path; if we pay careful attention (and, again, quiet down that noisy and disruptive ego/mind), we can usually more or less sense the next step (if not the whole path). At a certain point, we naturally do the right next thing as if by magic (much as beavers sense how to build dams one impulse at a time...they, too, follow their inner guru best by not attaching to the fruits of their actions!). We are being what it is to be human effortlessly, because we are doing nothing but that. And when we do, it's smoooooooooth. The Zen Buddhists talk a lot about behaving "naturally", and what it is to truly be a human being. This is what they mean.
And this is why there's a sense of deja vu to this stuff; when we read or hear a profound truth, we have the sense of remembering or rediscovering the insight. It always feels "familiar" at some level, like it was previously locked in to us. And it is.
Instinct is what (some) humans call the inner guru.
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Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Dec 10 2005 9:13:21 PM |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2005 : 5:28:37 PM
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| Note, I've edited this a bunch of times today. It's clearer now than when I first posted. |
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Manipura
USA
870 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2005 : 10:29:27 PM
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Hi Jim - Thanks for that. It ties in nicely with something that's up for me----do you mind if I add to what you've written? It's the 'drop the attachment' thing. Basically, just do whatever it is that you feel strongly compelled to do, bring to it as much integrity as you've got, ignore the chatter, and let go of any expectations around an outcome. That's the one part that we really have no control over, and it's just as well.
So how does one edit one's message after it's been posted? Is there a secret, or do you simply go in and change your previous post? Maybe I'll experiment with this one, since it's the weekend and no one's paying attention.
Thanks---again.
m
ps - I think I just figured it out. :) Nice. |
Edited by - Manipura on Dec 10 2005 11:28:58 PM |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2005 : 3:55:09 PM
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Basically, just do whatever it is that you feel strongly compelled to do, bring to it as much integrity as you've got, ignore the chatter, and let go of any expectations around an outcome.
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The danger is there are compulsuions of mind/ego and there are compulsions of instinct (aka spirit). People feel compelled to do all sorts of things (get drunk, strangle your landlord, etc) for all sorts of reasons. I'm not suggesting everyone remove all constrictions to action. Doing that doesn't make you a more "natural" person (though most of the people I know who behave selfishly, harmfully, or self-destructively believe they're simply being "natural"....keeping it real, as it were). In fact, the vast majority of our impulses....maybe 99.99%....come from mind/ego. You've got to quiet that mind/ego way down to access the inner guru. So this isn't just a self-improvement tip.
It's worth noting, as a side issue, that those with natural bhakti pushing them toward this path are lucky enough to have some access to the inner guru without doing any work. So there's a bootrapping problem. If your inherent compulsion to awaken (i.e. bhakti) isn't loud enough to be heard amid the background noise of mind/ego, there's no pull to reduce the latter and find the former. That's why it's so tough to pierce the veil. You need the solution to reach the solution.
Do AYP, and you'll get there. Really, don't worry about yourself.... fret about those who'd never do AYP (or other practice) because they don't have that hot molten message erupting up from their core, like a thin stream of lava through a volcano crater. They live entirely in their mind, always suffering, never free, and while they know it on some level (it's what gets them hooked on sex, power, money, substance abuse, etc), their recognition of the problem isn't well developed enough to send them looking for a workable solution (or allow them to recognize it when they see it). They have earthquakes and geysers, but they don't have that lava to draw them down to the core (terrible metaphor, sorry, but I got stuck in it). We - every one of us here, even those chanting "I Am" while thinking about movies they've seen - is incredibly lucky to be on the very brink of finding their natural state. It's incredibly important that we all practice diligently, lest we squander our good fortune. |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Dec 12 2005 4:15:01 PM |
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Manipura
USA
870 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2005 : 4:43:39 PM
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Jim - What I wrote was with the assumption that the person's heart is devoted to god. I didn't make that clear. If one is aspiring to align her actions and desires and impulses with her internal voice, then I do think it's safe to follow one's instincts. Always proceeding with caution, or awareness, as there's room for error in judgment.
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Manipura
USA
870 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2005 : 5:34:01 PM
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>>If your inherent compulsion to awaken (i.e. bhakti) isn't loud enough to be heard amid the background noise of mind/ego, there's no pull to reduce the latter and find the former. That's why it's so tough to pierce the veil. You need the solution to reach the solution.
I think at some point, devotion (I prefer this to 'bhakti' for now) overrides ego. A little bit of devotion becomes a little bit more devotion, and so on, until there's a whole lot of devotion happenng, and at some point in this process (which takes years), a complete overhaul takes place. I don't think an overlarge ego is any exception, although the resistance may be stronger adn therefore take longer. It may be that the energy behind a huge ego can be transformed into a huge amount of devotion, assuming that the impetus is there.
Again, the above is written with the assumption that the person is doing a lot of work on herself, ayp practices or otherwise.
There seems to be a connection between devotion and ego. Or, some understanding that has to be in place between the 2. I do hope that I haven't wandered too far from your subject. |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2005 : 5:36:11 PM
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If your heart is truly devoted to god, that means you are at one with instinct already, so moot point. If you're talking about a commitment to aim to devote one's heart to god, that's a fine thing but it doesn't mean being anywhere close to accessing the information beyond ego/mind.
The history of the world is riddled with horrendous damage from sincere people trying to diligently follow what they honestly believe to be their inner guru's directions. The vast majority of sincere seekers are deluded, completely stuck in the delusion of ego/mind. Always suspect this in yourself, because it's The Big Trap.
Consider current events, and the evil that's being done by individuals who are trusting their compulsions because they are devoted to god (and you bet your ass they are....you've got to be pretty full of bhakti to blow yourself up). Sincerity and fervor are not enough. |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Dec 12 2005 5:41:28 PM |
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mystiq
India
62 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 12:40:11 AM
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Very dicy topic.Armies on opposing sides sincerely believe they are fighting for God. Is instinct the inner guru? I dont know? instinct also tells you to hit the other guy, grab the cake etc. Is reason the inner guru? maybe, Instinct hits fast whereas reason takes time.Instinct is past conditioning whereas reason is more in the present and has more analysis and awareness on its side? Is the silent self the inner guru? Maybe but the silent self is more of a concept of uninvolved awareness. Many gurus say that there is an inner voice audible and it can be tuned into, but i have no experience of it. Its strange that when we seek the inner guru its is nowhere to be found, but when we surrender it seems to guide us. But then again like you said Jim, one has to be very careful of THE BIG TRAP.
mystiq
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Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Dec 31 2005 1:12:56 PM |
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david_obsidian
USA
2602 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 12:40:07 PM
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If the 'Inner Guru' is supposed to be something that always gives the right answer, I don't believe it exists (I'm not saying people here are saying that....)
But there is a pattern in people's search for truth where they believe in, and search for, something which they always assume will always deliver the truth.
I don't believe in any such thing, or state of mind, or anything. Not in any thing, or state of mind, which always delivers the right answer.
But I do believe in things which help considerably, and which make the right answer more likely.
And there are many of these.
There is listening.
There is openness.
There is intelligence.
There is inquiry.
There is flexibility of mind.
There is research.
There is humility.
There is non-attachment.
There is a willingness to avoid believing something because we are motivated to because we simply prefer that it be true; and there is the self-knowledge that can tell us when we are doing this.
There is the ability to see that things are complex, and to accept them as complex and multi-faceted.
And there are all the things which follow from a well-purified (and well-rested ) nervous system, which include the things above mentioned and extend to yet others.
And there are many, many others.
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Edited by - david_obsidian on Dec 31 2005 12:41:54 PM |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 1:13:13 PM
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quote:
Very dicy topic.Armies on opposing sides sincerely believe they are fighting for God. Is instinct the inner guru? I dont know? instinct also tells you to hit the other guy, grab the cake etc.
Not instinct. Those impulses result from our paving over our true instinct with delusion and noise, to the result that we believe we are all separate entities trying to acquire and preserve. Not every compulsion comes from instinct. It's not instinctual for an alcoholic to reach for vodka, it's something else.
But you make a fine point, and I should have noted it. Following what your heart tells you is dangerous unless you're sufficiently clear as to know it's your heart your'e hearing. Otherwise your "heart" might tell you to go pick up a hooker on Santa Monica Boulevard...or worse.
AYP is a method for removing mud from windshields. As we do so, the clarity that results is precisely the clarity I describe: human instinct (when it's not drowned out by the noisy mind) draws us to merge effortlessly with What Is. Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated fleas do it. We fail to do it because we humans have these virtual reality machines strapped to our necks that drown out the flow unless a little tendril manages to capture your attention and draw you home. That tendril - and all behind it - is the Inner Guru.
Yogani has built AYP to avoid the trap by making his writing and the practices themselves mild and narrow and very very very pragmatic (there's not a lot of sweep or allegory to it; it's just like brushing your teeth). And the practices themselves will quiet the noise so that the tendril of guru/instinct has more and more centrality in our lives. That's what we surrender to when we let go. |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Dec 31 2005 1:26:38 PM |
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Frank-in-SanDiego
USA
363 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 5:46:50 PM
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Hari Om
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quote:
Originally posted by meg
Jim - ...with the assumption that the person's heart is devoted to god.
Then all is right with the world. - truely a cultured heart with focus is a wonderful thing, and is a definition of Sat Yuga in the making.
Peace,
Frank In San Diego
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mystiq
India
62 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2006 : 02:32:02 AM
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I think we are all trying to say the same thing lol. Davids observations are so true, so is Jims
mystiq |
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