A guru is a spiritual master who guides disciples to wisdom and self-realization, imparting knowledge or leading them to divinity. The term originates from Sanskrit and means “disperser of darkness.” The concept is found in Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh traditions, with reverence for a guru ranging from deep respect to the belief that they are the incarnation of a god on earth. In the West, the term extends beyond spirituality to anyone who acquires followers and is considered an authority in their field. Famous Western gurus include Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Paramahansa Yogananda.
A guru is a spiritual master, someone who leads a disciple to wisdom and self-realization, imparts knowledge to the disciple, or guides the disciple to divinity. The word is commonly used in Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh traditions to refer to a religious teacher. The word originates in Sanskrit and is formed from the syllables gu and ru. Gu indicates darkness and ru indicates destruction. Hence, when directly translated, guru means “disperser of darkness”. This simple etymological explanation is complemented by the postulation of numerous texts which discuss the nature and role of a guru. A popular example of such a discussion would be that of the etymology of the syllables gu and ru to denote the juxtaposition of light and dark, where ignorance is dark and knowledge, particularly spiritual knowledge, is light.
The notion of guru goes back to a collection of ancient Indian texts known as the Upanishads. Other ancient Indian texts discussing the concept include the Bhagavad Gita, a section of the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. The Guru Gita and, less directly, the Ramayana are other ancient Indian texts dealing with the role of the person and disciple known as the shishya. In these texts, the ideal guru-shishya relationship is exemplified in the characters. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna plays the role of guru to the warrior prince Arjuna, guiding him through his uncertainty about morality and duty. In the Ramayana, the relationship is demonstrated through the hero Rama and the monkey deity Hanuman. In the Guru Gita, Lord Shiva is the guru, while his consort Parvati is the shishya.
Within the Hindu tradition, reverence for a guru can range from deep respect, to the affirmation that he or she is the incarnation of a god on earth. In most cases, guidance is considered essential to achieving moksha, or spiritual devotion and liberation, which is the last of the four main goals in the traditional Indian scheme of life. In the Hindu tradition, a guru will likely give a disciple a mantra, a powerful sound or affirmation, as one of many expedients needed to move closer to enlightenment. He or she will guide the disciple in religious rituals and ceremonies with the aim of awakening the sleeping serpent to shakti, or spiritual knowledge. In many cases, the guru is revered above the god, as he is the one who leads the disciple to an encounter with the god.
In the Buddhist tradition, the guru has an identity similar to that of the Hindu, although the teachings imparted are obviously different. Buddhist gurus are inspired and highly respected teachers on the path to enlightenment. In some branches of Buddhism, he is considered the incarnation of the Buddha, a being known as a Bodhisattva. Tibetan Buddhism states that, without the guidance of a guru, there can be no true insight or experience – and certainly no enlightenment. The concept in Sikhism, while maintaining the identity of the person as a spiritual master, also abstracts the idea of relating to imparted knowledge by any means or means.
In the West, the concept of guru is broader and extends beyond teachers of spirituality and religion. Anyone who acquires followers and is considered an authority in their arena can be called by this name. Many Westerners, however, retain religious association with the concept. Famous Western gurus include Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Paramahansa Yogananda.
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