• Author tells what Guru Purnima is to her, the qualities of a Guru and who is Sadhu for the Sundanese people.

Normally, Guru and Purnima are considered as two different words. Guru, as the dispeller of darkness of ignorance and Purnima, as the Full moon. The blessed night that dispels the darkness of delusion and ignorance.

I have been reflecting and thinking deeply. Are these actually two different words, or one inseparable term: GuruPurnima? I never knew what Guru Purnima means, what is the celebration about, until I met my Guru, Sadhguru Maharishi Anand Krishna. I saw him, and the meeting happened. Just like that. It was not the eve of Guru Purnima, it was not the day when Guru Purnima is celebrated, yet that day was Guru Purnima to me.

Ever since, Guru has been my Purnima, and my Purnima happens every time I am with him. Ever since, Guru Purnima has no longer been Guru Purnima, two different words, but one inseparable term, GuruPurnima.

I have been searching and digging the past history of my people, the Sundanese of the present day Indonesian Archipelago, the largest archipelago in the world. Just as our land was fragmented due to series of Tsunamis around the last Ice Age, so has our history been. The loss has been a great one. Of more value than much of our landmass sunk under the sea, however, has been the loss of our ancient wisdom, our ancient culture, our samskriti, to borrow the term often used by my Guru.

To the Sundanese, as documented in some of our literature that has survived the catastrophes and natural disasters, like Sewaka Dharma and Sanghyang Siksakandang Karesian, Guru is a Sadhu, and we define the word Sadhu as One who is at Peace with Himself or Herself, with the world and with the entire Existence.

We also define the word Sadhu as a Man or Woman of Wisdom, Sang Bijak. To a Sadhu, the profane and the sacred are not two different things. We see the profane as maya or bayang-bayang, shadows of the sacred. And, the sacred is the basis of this entire existence.

A Guru or a Sadhu, therefore, is a Whole, Sampurna. He or she is above all divisions, all dichotomy. As such, his or her teachings reflect the same Wholeness, the same state of Sampurna, Perfection or Oneness.

We consider the above quality as the most important quality of a Guru. Those who teach divisions cannot be considered as Guru. I am blessed to have one such Guru, Maharishi Anand Krishna who even considers the use of the title Maharishi separates him from us, although the title was bestowed upon him by one of the most respectable Sulinggih, Rightly Honorable Venerable Priests in Bali, Svargi Ida Pedanda Gede Putra Talabah. He prefers to be called Anand Krishna, period.

That is the second most important quality in a Sadhu, Humility. I am blessed to have him as my Guru. I am blessed to have secured his grace and place at his feet to learn and to dive deep into my being, into my culture, the ancient samskriti of my people, the Sundanese.

Author lived in Bali and gave up her body recently. Om Shanti

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