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Revision as of 07:58, 20 November 2005
Satguru or Sadguru means true guru (Sanskrit सदगुरू sat=true), literally: true teacher. The title means that his students have faith that the guru can be trusted and will lead them to moksha, enlightenment or inner peace. 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.
A popular etymology claims that the word guru comes from गुरु, Gu=darkness; Ru=light in Sanskrit, literally the one that takes you from darkness to light. Nowadays, in India, every teacher is called guru. In the West, its usage has extended into anyone who makes religious or philosophical statements and has followers because of this. In further extension it means simply expert.
- In Hinduism guru is used interchangeably with satguru. Traditionally the title "guru" is used in the context of a relationship between a teacher and a student, rather than an absolute. See Guru-shishya tradition.
- In Surat Shabda Yoga, one who initiates followers into the path often is referred to as a Satgurtu or Sat Guru. Sri Gary Olsen of MasterPath contends that several historical figures are Satgurus of Surat Shabda Yoga as representatives for the eternal Inner Shabd Master. A few of these Living Masters of their times include Lao Tsu, Jesus, Pythagoras, Socrates, Kabir, the Sufi Masters and mystic poets Hafez and Rumi, the Ten Sikh Gurus beginning with Guru Nanak, Tulsi Sahib, and the Radhasoami/Radha Soami and offshoot Sant Mat Masters, including Shiv Dayal Singh, Baba Sawan Singh and Sant Kirpal Singh. A chart of the successor lineages helps show the connections among many of the contemporary Sant Mat guru lines and branches, such as those from Radha Soami Satsang Beas and those from Sant Kirpal Singh, such as Sant Thakar Singh and Sant Baljit Singh.
See also Guru
Notes and references
- Olsen, G. (1999). MasterPath: The Divine Science of Light and Sound, (Vol. 1). Temecula, CA: MasterPath, Inc. ISBN 1885949014
- Sant Mat - Surat Shabd Yoga: Contemporary Guru Lines & Branches
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