A teacher likes the status quo and is always looking to follow the beaten path. A teacher says and does whatever seems acceptable to society. He has nothing to offer of his own, nor a knowledge that comes out of his own experience.

A master is the one who can bring us out of our age-old conditioning. He is there to awaken us from our hypnotic state. He makes us aware of our original reality, to the reality around us, and to the reality of our future evolution as an enlightened being. For this he provokes us and creates a friction of energy so that we can come out of our unconscious state. He questions the status quo and encourages others to do so. He doesn’t impose his ideas on others. He is a eternal seeker and is happy to be part of the journey.

More importantly, a Master allows us to ‘just be’ ourselves.

Who do you want?

“Certainly a Master. We learn from a Teacher, but not necessarily follow him, where as we follow a Master. That’s because teacher teaches based on the knowledge acquired, where as a master leads his life as his teaching.”

And don’t we exactly look at that in a person who is trying to guide us. He has to ‘Walk-the-Talk’. Leads to more acceptance and respect. “Yes, that’s precisely the reason we remember only a few of our teachers, from the numerous ones we have interacted with in all our years of school and college. Teachers come and go. Masters leave their impressions on our lives”.

That’s why I will be more than happy to have one master than many teachers. On the contrary when i reflect back, i have had my encounters with many teachers and don’t really seem to have come across a true master. What I mean is a person who will allow me to be ‘Just Me’.

One of my friends told me, hey Sree, “You are your own master, since you have followed your heart” I must confess, at times I do tend to myself forget this very strong belief which I have carried with me always.

Shows the need for a mirror.

Sree Kumar Palakkal