You are here: SriPedia - Ramanuja - Archives - Apr 2003

Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00039 Apr 2003

 
Apr 2003 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


Dear Mohan and all Bhagavatars

Definition of an acharya
The term acharya means one-who-teaches-by-example and according to the
Pancharatra Agama all acharyas ? must be possessed of the following
qualities.

1. They must be strict followers of the Vedic tradition and therefore
faultless in conduct.
2. They must have unflinching faith in God.
3. They must be free of egotism.
4. They must understand the three sacred mantras along with the esoteric
meaning.  
5. They must be able to explain the meaning of the Scriptures to others in a
skilful manner.  
6. They can be living as a householder pursuing the Four Aims but should be
free of attachment.
 
The acharyas must be of unimpeachable conduct and above all, compassionate.
The prospective disciple should observe and test them until convinced of
their noble character, learning and compassion. The function of an acharya
is to interpret and explain the teachings of the Scriptures in harmony with
the teachings of the previous acharyas in the lineage (Sampradaya). The
acharya is not permitted to formulate and transmit personal theories and
indulge in arbitrary self-interpretation and speculation. All new
commentaries (bhashyas) on the Scriptures are backed up with copious
quotations from previous acharyas to prove that the present rendering is
true, in spirit, to the original.

The acharya once chosen and accepted should not be treated as an ordinary
person, but as a manifestation of the Mercy of God. The acharya is
presumably a selfless person dedicated to helping others without any selfish
motivation other than altruistic compassion for sentient beings. The acharya
is a direct link between the spiritual spirant and the Lord, and as such
deserves the highest respect and adoration. One should surrender completely
to such an acharya because it is only in a spirit of humility that one can
learn anything from another. As long as pride and ego have control over the
mind one can never absorb or assimilate and practice the teachings. With
self-discipline obtained from the service of the acharya one becomes fit
for the practice of the dharma.

It is important to note that the Advaitic concept of the acharya taking on
the balance of the disciple's karma has no place Srivaishnavism. In the
philosophy of Advaita it is taught that there is no difference between the
Guru and the disciple ? they are one in essence ? the difference is only
imagined, but the Guru is more enlightened than the disciple. By initiating
disciples the Guru takes on personal responsibility for their spiritual
advancement. If the disciple succeeds the Guru is benefited, if the disciple
fails the Guru is detrimented.

In Srivaishnavism the Guru and the disciple are separate entities united
only in the service of the Divine. The Guru acts as an intermediary between
the aspirant and God, the Guru links them together, the relationship is
essentially between the aspirant and the Lord. The disciple surrenders to
God through the Guru, but the surrender is not to the person of the Guru but
to the Guru as the personification of the Grace of God. God himself accepts
the aspirants and showers his Grace upon them and grants them Salvation. The
Guru has no personal advantage or disadvantage in the spiritual progress of
the disciple, nor should he ever think that is actually contributing to the
emancipation of the disciple. Any such feelings on the part of an acharya
are a violation of the three components of Surrender. .


The Reprehensible Delusions of Preceptorship
Pillai Lokacharya (13th century) has described in his work Srivachana
Bhushan (308 ­ 310) the three reprehensible delusions of preceptorship which
must be avoided by the acharya at all costs. These are:

1. The delusions of ?preceptorship¹ ? thinking of oneself as the preceptor
? an acharya should think of himself as simply a conduit of the Lord¹s
Grace and never as a teacher of sacred lore, this awareness prevents the
acharya from developing the egotistical notion of being a great and learned
person and having custodianship of spiritual knowledge.
2. The delusions about the role of the disciple ? thinking of the disciple
as one¹s own personal adherent ? the disciple should rather be thoughtof
as a co-disciple of the same param acharya. Thus the acharya avoids the
potential for exploitation inherent in the relationship.
3. The delusions arising from the process of instruction are of four
categories: 
a. seeking to gain financially from the tuition fees.
b. the delusion that one is actually facilitating the liberation of the
disciple.
c. the delusion that one is assisting the Lord in his salvific agenda.
d. seeking or expecting social companionship or service from disciples.

The obtaining of an Acharya.
In the wisdom tradition of the East it is axiomatic that the acharya will
only come when the disciple is ready. In order to obtain such an acharya,
the following 6 factors must be present in the aspirant:

1. Love of God     
2. Freedom from animosity to any sentient being
3. Perpetual advancement towards the goal
4. Providential merit (good karma)
5. Frequent association with spiritually inclined people.
6. Divine Grace    

When these factor are present then the acharya certainly appears in order to
mediate the act of Surrender The acharya then delivers the teachings by
means of the three wisdom tools.

Adiyen

Sri Rama 





[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
ramanuja-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list