From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A guru ( गुरु Sanskrit) is a Hindu religious teacher. It is based on a long line of Hindu philosophical understandings of the importance of knowledge and that the teacher, guru, is the sacred conduit to self-realization. Till today in India and among people of Hindu or Sikh persuasion, the title retains its significant hallowed space.
In contempary usage, primarily in the West, it has extended into anyone who makes religious or philosophical statements and has followers because of this. In further metaphorical extension it means simply expert.
Guru is also the Sanskrit reference to Brihaspati, a Hindu figure equivalent to the planet the Greeks named Jupiter; in Vedic astrology, Jupiter/Guru/Brihaspati is believed to exert teaching influences.
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The word guru means teacher in Sanskrit and other Sanskrit-derived languages like Hindi, Bengali and Gujarati. It originated in a Hindu context and holds a special place in Hinduism, signifying the sacred place of knowledge (vidya) and the imparter of knowledge. The word comes from the root "gru" literally meaning heavy, weighty. Another etymology claimed in Hindu scriptures is that of dispeller of darkness (wherein darkness is seen as avidya, lack of knowledge both spiritual and intellectual): 'gu' meant darkness and 'ru' meant remover.
In the sense mentioned here above, guru is used more or less interchangeably with satguru (literally: true teacher) and satpurusha. Compare also Swami. Often there is a lineage of gurus. The disciple of a guru is called sishya or chela. Often a guru lives in an ashram. The lineage of a Guru, spread by worthy disciples who carry on that guru's particular message, is known as the guru parampara.
In the traditional sense, the word describes a relationship rather than an absolute and is used as a form of address only by a disciple addressing his master. Some Hindu denominations like BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha hold that a personal relationship with a living guru, revered as the embodiment of God, is essential in seeking moksha.
The origin of guru can be traced back as far as the early Upanishads, where the conception of the Divine Teacher on earth first manifested from its early Brahmin associations. Indeed, there is a Hindu understanding that if the devotee were presented with the guru and God, first he would pay respects to the Guru since the Guru had been instrumental in leading him to God.
The role of the guru continues in the original sense of the word in such Hindu traditions as Vedanta, Yoga, Tantra and Bhakti sects. Indeed, it is now a standard part of Hinduism (as defined by the six Vedic streams and the Tantric Agamic streams that a guru is one's spiritual guide on earth. In some more mystical Hindu circles, it is believe that the guru could awaken dormant spiritual knowledge within the pupil, known as shaktipat.
Some influential gurus in the Hindu tradition (there have been many) include Adi Shankaracharya, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Shri Ramakrishna. Other gurus whose legacy of continuing the Hindu yogic tradition grew in the 20th century were luminaries like Shri Aurobindo Ghosh, Shri Ramana Maharshi and Swami Sivananda.
| Early Hinduism | Hinduism | Hindu Philosophy |
| Primary Scriptures: Vedas | Upanishads | Bhagavad Gita | Itihasa | Tantras | Sutras |
| Concepts: Brahman | Dharma | Karma | Moksha | Maya | Punarjanma | Samsara |
| Schools & Systems: Vedanta | Yoga | Tantra | Bhakti |
| Rituals: Aarti | Darshan | Puja | Satsang | Thaal | Yagnya |
| Hindu Teachers/Gurus and Saints: Sankara | Ramakrishna | Vivekananda | Aurobindo | Ramana Maharshi | Sivananda |
| Denominations: Vaishnavism | Shaivism | Shaktism | Neo- and quasi-Hindu movements |
The title Guru is extremely fundamental to the religion of the Sikhs. Indeed, the Sikhs carried the meaning of the word to an even greater level of abstraction, while retaining the original usage, to apply to understanding of imparted knowledge through any medium. Of course, the most important is the Guru Granth Sahib, their holiest book.
The word is also used by Sikhs to refer to their Prophets – see The Ten Gurus of Sikhism
The original meaning has evolved to a broader one. In more recent usage of the word guru, it means anyone who propagates a philosophical or religious belief system independent of an established school of philosophy or religion and attracts and accepts followers because of this. Sometimes Christians use the word guru as a pejorative label. On the other hand, some Christian scholars like the Dutch theologian Reendert Kranenborg accept the word guru for Jesus. Often, dependent on the teachings of the guru, the followers will see the guru as a prophet, saint or avatar. Gurus often claim that they have achieved enlighment, moksha, that their teachings were channeled or that they have received a revelation.
The word has acquired a negative connotation in western countries, likely due to the prominence of several self-proclaimed "gurus" in the US during the 1960s and 1970s "New Age" movement (see e.g. Osho), who used Hindu terminology without having much else in common with mainstream Hinduism. But also due to more traditional gurus who didn’t practise what they preached especially with regards to celibacy and luxury. Some people using the title guru, as in all positions of respect, were found to be abusing their status and were found to be charlatans, self-deceived, businessmen pretending to be saints, cult leaders or a combination of this.
The term guru has also passed into an even wider metaphorical use. In hacker culture, a guru is an expert of legendary proportions. Nearly synonymous with "wizard", but additionally implies a history of being a knowledge resource for others. Less often, used (with a qualifer) for other experts on other systems, as in VMS guru. (The definition is from Jargon file.)
There are several reasons why people are attracted by gurus. The most common is that people look for the meaning of life and are disillusioned in traditional religions. Gurus provide answers to the meaning of life, often free from the intellectualism of philosophy. Other people who have traditional beliefs seek to intensify their religious life and see a guru who can help her or him with this. Gurus offer a belief system that offers fulfillment and purpose and sometimes promises of a peaceful happy life. Many gurus claim that they can people closer to God, enlightment, moksha or can a good karma. Many gurus claim that they can bring people closer to God, facilitate enlightment, moksha or can help people to get a good karma and a corresponding good next incarnation.
Another more sinister, less common reason is that obedience to a guru makes oneself free from the burden of freedom.
The British psychiatry professor Anthony Storr argues in his book 'Feet of clay - A Study of gurus' that gurus (in the non-Hindu usage of the word) share common character traits (e.g. being loners without friends) and that some suffer from a mild form of schizophrenia. He argues that the belief system that gurus hold developed in some cases from a period of psychosis. The belief system was developed during the psychosis to make sense of the guru's own mind and perceptions. This belief system persists after the psychosis has gone away.
Storr also wrote in the book that the gurus who are eloquent are the ones who are more likely to be unreliable and dangerous. The scholar David C. Lane wrote that a charlatan who cons people is not as dangerous as a guru who really believes in his delusions. The 'bigger' the claims a guru makes, the bigger the chance that he is a charlatan or deluded. The history of various gurus, religions, sects, new religious movements and cults has shown that the question how to assess the authenticity of a guru is difficult especially when the guru is still young. The question is still basically unresolved. The rule of thumb that Jesus gave is that one should judge a prophet by his fruits. This rule has the drawbacks that one should know what is good and bad in the first place and that one can't possibly know all acts and their corresponding fruits of a guru.
See also Contemporary Hindu Movements, Charismatic authority, Basava Premanand
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