Why and how you bow to image or living master for awakening
Why and how you bow to image or living master for awakening?
We adore, bow to the image, or body of a living master. If the mind is obsessed with the body that bows to image or living master, there is hardly any change that takes place in a person who wants to tread the path of self-discovery. It may be out of courtesy. It may be just doing it because others are doing it. It is we learned before meeting the master. It is because our friend who is taking to the master asked us to do it. It is all about the play of the physical mind. The question is how to change the physical mind but we repeat the same thing and we use the same physical mind. That is why change does not take place. We bow to great masters at different locations, religious places, and at our home. Nothing changes except the physical mind is mesmerized for some time. The mind covers itself with some beautiful thoughts, images, hallucinations, and fancies of being in peace and happiness.
The physical mind goes in search of something supernatural, something higher –all created by the same mind. Until this mind is ready to change, nothing will happen. Until this mind is ready to move within, nothing will be discovered. But the moment, this mind changes and becomes ready to move within, the very physical image or living body of the master, becomes a catalyst for change, for awakening and for the realization of the ultimate. The paradox logic works here. If one does not bow, nothing happens. If the physical mind bows, nothing happens. But if the mind while bowing looking within for a change, goes beyond the body by sinking within, a sudden awakening takes place. That is why so much importance of image worship is laid by the great masters.
What is important is that bowing down changes your mind, even if the master does nothing. Actually master becomes a broker between your physical mind and your inner self. He smiles if your physical mind bows as he sees the resistance to change. He smiles if your mind drops its physicality and dives deep within, as he sees now there is a possibility in you for a change. He smiles and inspires you again to bow down in both the cases to continue the journey until you awaken to yourself. Master still smiles as he sees clearly that the mind in ignorance is bowing to an image or to the master and time will come when disciple will evolve and perceive the one and only oneself in the master and himself.
Master has a great role to play, yes, the only role to play. He keeps quiet deep within but speaks differently to different disciples as he knows how the minds of different disciples are working. When I asked my master, ‘how you became so dedicated and committed disciple of your master.’ He smiled and said, ‘nothing special, he talked to me and I trusted (my physical mind) him. He taught me and I followed consciously that exactly the transformation will take place in me as I see in my master. He asked me to live in a particular way from here and now. I started living the way he taught me while dropping the resistance, reaction, obsessions on the way. And I am here what I am.’
‘Oh! You worked so hard to transform the mind.’ I asked
He responded with a smile, ‘my son when you are hungry, you never claim, how much hard work your hands do while putting food into your mouth. When are possessed by sex, you never claim how much hard work you need to do to go for the physical act of sex. After all, when I saw clearly that ‘this is the way’ awakening will take place, peace will be discovered and eternal happiness will welcome me. What hard work, I need to do.’
