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F U N D A M E N T A L E L E M E N T S O N T H E M A S T E R - D I S C I P L E by Gregorian Bivolaru
Many people heard stories, which are absolutely true, only on false GURUS or spiritual guides, and because such stories are much more frequent than the ones about real, authentic GURUS or spiritual guides, they remained with a deformed and aberrant impression on the nature of the master-disciple relationship.The authentic-spiritual link between a spiritual master and a true disciple never had anything to do with the relation between a master and his slaves and does not imply that the disciples forever bow and be inert at the feet of their GURU, waiting without doing any personal effort that one day, the GURU should have mercy on them and give them the spiritual liberation for the simple reason that they served him their whole life. The connection between the master and the disciple also has nothing in common with the so often comical relationship between a super star and his hysterical adulating fans who obsessively hunt for the smallest gesture or look from the one they adore, a person who is itself so often very superficial. Also, the master-disciple relationship is not similar to the relationship between a military commander and his hierarchical subordinates who are under obligation to blindly execute any orders, and are promoted upon their ability to obey without questioning and hesitation the orders of their superiors. If we had to pick, as an analogical example, a common human relationship which is closest to the ideal and profound relationship between a true GURU and a true disciple, the only one would be the relationship between an expert mountain guide and an aspiring climber. A sincere, devoted and serious spiritual aspirant is just like a climber who wishes to conquer the highest mountain in the world as soon as possible, but currently does not know the best route and does not have enough experience to successfully finish this extraordinary adventure. 
If we would truly want to conquer the highest mountain top as soon as possible, as beginner climbers we would have several options: we could, for example, make the stupid decision to take on the ascension alone, on our own, or we could choose to join a group of more experienced climbers (that are trying for the first time to get to this top just like us), but in both cases the chances of success would be reduced and the dangers we would face be greater.On the other hand we could take as a guide a book written by a person who already made it to the top but, the book, no matter how well written, would be unable to take into consideration all the factors of success like: our strength, talent and experience as climbers and would not be able to completely anticipate all the obstacles like: weather changes, modifications that occurred in the relief, landslides, avalanches, etc. Finally, the best choice would be to look very carefully and find a real live person who made it to the top and wishes to accompany us and help us if needed all the way. When we searched for this expert we would not care for his exterior appearance, the way he dresses up, his religion or skin color. All that mattered tough would be if he REALLY REACHED THE TOP we are about to climb. He has to know very well the way and have an excellent teaching skill, patience and experience in climbing. He has to choose a path depending on our qualities: perseverance, vitality, dedication, power, skill, courage but also our defects, a path that best fits our real capacities and also to teach us all that he thinks is necessary to reach our aim quickly and safely. In spirituality, like in other domains, the presence of an excellent guide who has an authentic knowledge and a vast experience can greatly help us reduce the time and energy we would waste on useless pursuits. 
He could help us eliminate the suffering and the risk of a possible failure. He would easily lead us to complete success giving us advice on how to utilize our forces most efficiently.He could even give us a hand when we are in a difficult situation. He would act wisely towards helping us unlearn our destructive or unhealthy habits which wold otherwise hinder us in the future and facilitate the development of those qualities that would help us in our ascension. All these may seem useless to someone standing at the base of the mountain but they are extremely useful on the way to the top, as the ascension gets more and more difficult.
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