Many decades ago, I had my first encounter with God's power of grace as I was saved one day from drowning in the ocean. From that day on, I developed a deep sense of humility and reverence towards God's immeasurable power.
A few years later, I received
shaktipat initiation from Baba Muktananda. I came to feel that I had been saved so that I could receive a new life from the Guru. The first time, I had been given a glimpse of God's compassion. Now, with the gift of God’s grace in the form of
shaktipat, I also received the Guru's unconditional love and unfailing support.
Since then, Gurumayi has taught me that my very essence is the great Self, the Self of all. With the grace that has been bestowed upon me by the Guru, I live happily, knowing that God and my Guru are one.
Montreal, Canada
"The Guru is the grace-bestowing power of God." These words of Kshemaraja and the image of the waterfall remind me of the never-ending river of grace I've experienced flowing through my life since I received
shaktipat from Baba Muktananda many years ago. When I meditate with the Guru's mantra, sometimes I feel I am diving into that river of grace, and I'm filled to overflowing with the sweet nectar of love. When I pray for guidance in my outer life, grace flows as inner wisdom. And last night, when I remembered the Guru's form before I went to sleep, grace brought the
darshan of my beloved Gurumayi into my dreams.
Salutations to the grace-bestowing power!
Massachusetts, USA
When I saw the waterfall images accompanying these teachings on the Guru, I was really amazed. Before beginning my practice of Siddha Yoga, the best way I could find to become indrawn and to quiet my mind was to sit by waterfalls or babbling brooks.
In 1978 I went to Gurudev Siddha Peeth and had my first Shaktipat Intensive with Baba. During the first meditation I experienced the left side of my body as a waterfall. So, as I see these images, I remember that glorious day.
Arizona, USA
Seeing the sutra, "The Guru is the means," and Kshemaraja’s commentary on it, I remembered again the day I received s
haktipat through Baba’s divine glance. My vision literally changed—I perceived light as if I had taken off a pair of sunglasses—and of course, in that moment my experience of the world and of myself began to transform.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for the teachings and practices that have enabled me to expand, ever more steadily, my experience of the world as being filled with light.
Massachusetts, USA
When I realized that each teaching in
Shri Guru Jnana, "The Knowledge of Shri Guru," has appeared with a waterfall in the background, I had to contemplate the perfection of that image for these teachings.
One reason I love watching a waterfall is to experience the tremendous power of nature, its constant mutability, the glorious exuberance of the flow, and the way that the enormous might of the falling water eventually diffuses itself into a gentler energy after descending from the heights. This reminds me of the extraordinary spiritual power of the Guru, the way that power takes so many different forms as it flows into the life of each disciple, the unstoppable enthusiasm of a Siddha Guru, and the way in which the grace-bestowing power of God can be as forceful as an earthquake— as in the moment of
shaktipat initiation—or as gentle as a flower petal.
I thank Gurumayi for continually refreshing my understanding of her life-giving teachings through the waterfall of gifts flowing from the Siddha Yoga path website.
Oregon, USA