Message 26 June

The Guru, the Mind, and Liberation

God is concerned with you, not with what belongs to you.

The things you call mine—wealth, family, position, possessions, reputation, achievements, and relationships—bring happiness and sorrow because the mind becomes attached to them. These are all part of the worldly experience. God does not seek these. God seeks you, the true being hidden behind the mind and its attachments.

When divine grace works, it is meant to awaken and transform you, not to preserve everything that you call yours. The purpose of spirituality is not to protect worldly ownership but to free the individual from mental bondage.

A realised Guru stands in the same role as God with respect to liberation. Such a Guru can guide, transform, and liberate you, but He cannot work through your attachments if you continue to place them above His guidance.

To receive the Guru's full grace, one must follow the Guru wholeheartedly. This means allowing the Guru's wisdom to become more important than one's own opinions, preferences, and attachments. As long as "mine" remains the highest priority, the Guru's work is limited.

There is an important distinction between a practitioner and a disciple.

A practitioner approaches the Guru mainly to receive peace, energy, blessings, or spiritual experiences. The practitioner benefits from the Guru's presence and energy but continues to retain complete ownership of the mind. Such a person receives help according to his openness but still governs himself.

A disciple is different. A disciple voluntarily places the mind under the guidance of the realised Guru. The Guru becomes the spiritual guide and master of the disciple's inner life. The disciple does not merely seek experiences; he seeks transformation. He is willing to surrender personal likes, dislikes, opinions, and attachments whenever they obstruct the path to liberation.

In worldly life, everyone functions under someone's direction. A student learns under a teacher. An employee works under an employer. Family members live within mutual responsibilities. Every organised activity has leadership and discipline.

Yet, when it comes to the mind, most people acknowledge no higher authority. Each person assumes complete ownership of the mind, allowing desires, expectations, emotions, and personal opinions to govern life.

The essence of spiritual practice is to transfer the ownership of the mind from the ego to the realised Guru. This is not slavery but conscious surrender to one who has already attained freedom. The liberated Guru is no longer governed by desires, fears, expectations, or attachments. Therefore, He alone can guide another beyond those limitations.

Only one who is free can lead another to freedom.

The ultimate purpose of all genuine spiritual practice is liberation. It is not merely to gain peace, health, prosperity, mystical experiences, or supernatural powers. These may arise along the way, but they are not the destination.

The destination is liberation—the complete freedom of the Self from the bondage of the mind. When the mind is fully transformed under the guidance of a realised Guru, the individual discovers the state beyond attachment, beyond ego, and beyond the sense of "mine." In that state, only the true Self remains, established in permanent freedom.

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Dear Practitioners,

Namachivayam.

The 28th of June is a joyous and sacred day for all practitioners of NC, as it marks the birthday of our beloved Master. It is an opportunity for every practitioner to gather in gratitude, remembrance, and happiness.

Becoming an NC practitioner is relatively easy. However, becoming a true disciple of the Master is the real spiritual journey. A practitioner receives the Master's guidance and energy, whereas a disciple offers the mind completely to the Master. The disciple's highest priority is not merely to receive spiritual experiences but to live according to the Master's direction.

Every one of you has entered the path of Chivality with a noble purpose—to gradually empty the mind and heart of all attachments, desires, expectations, and unnecessary burdens, leaving that sacred space only for the Master. This is the essence of discipleship.

We know that only one who is liberated can lead another to liberation. Since the Master is liberated from all mental bondages, He alone can guide a seeker towards the same state of freedom. Therefore, before aspiring for liberation itself, one should aspire to become a worthy disciple of the Master. When true discipleship is attained, liberation naturally follows in its own time.

The divine message is profound: the realised physical Master belongs to His disciples, while the Spiritual Master belongs to everyone. The spiritual presence of the Master is available not only to practitioners but to the entire world. Every sincere remembrance of the Master allows one to experience His divine presence and receive His subtle guidance.

The birthday celebration is not conducted for the Master, but by the practitioners and for the practitioners themselves. The Master does not seek celebrations, honour, or personal recognition. Therefore, one should not expect the physical presence of the Master during the celebration. His purpose is not to be celebrated outwardly, but to awaken the Master within the hearts of the seekers.

In truth, the real celebration of the Master should be continuous within the heart through constant remembrance. Every moment of sincere remembrance is a celebration of His presence. However, the opportunity for all practitioners to gather together comes only once a year—on the Master's birthday.

Let this sacred gathering become a celebration of unity, love, gratitude, devotion, and spiritual inspiration. Meet one another with joyful hearts. Strengthen your resolve to walk the path of Chivality with greater sincerity. Receive the Master's divine energy with openness, and allow the atmosphere of the gathering to deepen your remembrance.

The Master wishes every practitioner to participate in this birthday gathering and celebrate wholeheartedly—with happiness, devotion, love, and inner joy.

May this birthday become a turning point in our spiritual lives, inspiring each one of us to move from being merely practitioners to becoming true disciples of the Master.

Namachivayam.