Do you need a Spiritual Teacher? asks Swami Ganeshananda

By Swami Ganeshananda

If you are considering starting a meditation practice, or if you are already practicing some form of meditation, you might be wondering about the role of a teacher. Do I need one? Do I want one? What will I use him or her for?

There are many forms of meditation. Some are mostly to relax; others are designed to go deeper and involve inner work in the subtle psychic system (chakras) in order to achieve spiritual growth and liberation. If you want that, working with a qualified spiritual teacher is particularly helpful.

What I mean by spiritual growth is a process that leads to a total transformation of our consciousness. We are transformed from being stuck in ego blocks and patterns, chasing after and clinging to things — thus causing ourselves unnecessary suffering — to being aware of the fundamental joy, creativity and freedom at the core of life. It is a process through which we learn to live from that deeper awareness.

In order to begin this process, we must shift our focus to the subtle energy (chakra) system within us. Exploration of that energy system through a series of conscious practices (conscious breathing, wish and visualization, mantra repetition, surrender, etc.) dissolves the blocks and tensions of the ego and awakens a natural awareness of the deeper reality of our life. Along with that recognition, to the extent that we maintain it, wisdom and compassion spontaneously develop.

In most Eastern spiritual traditions, there are certain aspects that, through many generations of practice and contemplation, have emerged as extremely important. One such aspect is the importance of contact with an authentic living teacher. For example, The Siva Sutras, a main text in the ancient Trika tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, says that “the guru is the means”.

An authentic spiritual teacher is blessed and empowered through deep contact with a living teacher. Through that contact, and by practicing the inner work instructed by his or her teacher, the person has learned to live in tune with the fundamental energy source at the core of being, in a state of surrender to that energy. An authentic spiritual teacher is able to profoundly affect the state and development process of others, particularly of those who sincerely come to him or her for help.

To reach the deeper dimension represented by the state of a qualified teacher demands that we move through the body, ego and identity into a totally unknown and subtle territory. To achieve this, we must use a hitherto unknown vehicle of practice methods.

The process is akin to something as common as learning to drive a car. Most of us know nothing or very little about the car’s mechanism. It is a mystery. Still, most people can learn how to make the mechanism function. We learn by observing someone who masters the art of driving, and by experimenting under the guidance of such a person. We must trust the instructor, and then experiment until mastery is gained. We do not have to do much with the mechanism itself, just give it some fuel and learn some simple coordinated movements and guidelines. By repeating the same movements again and again, and by paying attention to the result of these movements, we gradually gain the necessary trust and competence. Even though we may never understand the mechanism, we can learn to use it, trust its functions, and operate successfully on the road.

In the same way that a driving instructor is useful and in most cases necessary to learn to drive, it is, in the vast majority of cases, necessary to have a competent mentor if one wants to be an accomplished musician, artist, scientist, etc. To have a spiritual teacher’s nourishment and guidance in the work of growing spiritually is even more important, since that is the most challenging work a human being can engage in.

The reason a qualified teacher is important for genuine spiritual growth is that ego needs to be revealed and its limitations consciously surrendered through contact with a finer energetic state than itself. Without that contact and the feedback inherent in it, the ego will usually win every step of the way, feeding its own patterns, habits and structures. Without being challenged and nourished by the deeper energy in another being, the ego is left free to increasingly limit awareness of that same energy in us. In that case, increasing arrogance, victim mentality and conflicts develop, creating unnecessary additional suffering for ourselves and others.

Being connected with a spiritual teacher does not mean that we try to copy his or her personality or life style, or that we let ourselves be manipulated or controlled. It does not mean that we give up our responsibility for our own life choices and actions. It simply means that we use the contact to awaken awareness in ourselves of the same fundamental energy that the teacher is immersed in. A teacher’s main function is to help us release our tensions, patterns and blocks, and to give us instruction regarding practice methods. Most importantly, it is to provide support and inner nourishment in the form of compassionate attention.

Experience of the fundamental energy is awakened and deepened in our awareness through inner practice and contact with a qualified teacher. The process melts inner crystallization. A deep transformation unfolds. Over time, psychic blocks and tensions (ice) melt into energy flow (water), which again is heated through inner focus and rises up the spine to the top of the head (steam). Crystallization becomes inner flow and creativity. The joy of the divine becomes tangible. The unknown becomes known. The universal becomes personal. To the extent that we continue to surrender ourselves into that state, it becomes more real and important than our physical, mental and emotional blocks and patterns. These no longer rule and limit our life as before. We are free of them.