Author Description

A master in Eastern Wisdom is called a Guru. The word ‘Guru’ means moving from ignorance to knowledge. What is ignorance and knowledge in the word Guru? We are ignorant about our real nature. The real nature, according to Eastern Wisdom, is SatChitAnanda (the absolute existence, consciousness, and bliss). We experience that we are stressed, we are suffering, and we believe we are worthy of suffering. The knowledge is about knowledge of self that declares we are not worthy of suffering. In reality we are peace, happiness, truth, love, and wisdom. Then what about the outer guru we normally refer to as a person? The Guru, in Eastern Wisdom, is more than a teacher, lecturer, or professor. The Guru is representative of knowledge of Eastern Wisdom that ends suffering in human life and awakens one to permanent peace, happiness, love, and truth. We will discuss in detail the importance of a Guru, texts of Eastern Wisdom, teachings by a Guru, and transforming life. My master, Swami Laxman Das Avadhootji, taught us from the book, Astavakra Gita, hundreds of times at Gangotri in the Himalayas and at Rishikesh Ashram. Every time, he personalized the teachings based on the group by citing examples best suited. My master used to say that the teachings of secret principles contained in the Astavakra Gita are simple, easy, effective, and liberating. The following is an explanation of the first chapter of the Astavakra Gita. While teaching a group weekly, many seekers have asked me to write about what I discuss in these sessions. The first chapter is understanding our true nature which is self-existent, self-evident, and self-luminous. It directly hits the mind of a seeker that opposes and rejects wrong and erroneous notions about our true nature. Astavakra explains poetically and simply to his student, the seeker Janaka, what is the real-self, and this sets the stage for awakening and realization in other chapters. Studying is the first step for a see