Guru-Shishya-Relationship: Guru's Death

[Eiko]

Hi there,

does anyone know about the Indian Guru-Shisya-Relationship? I tried already to get some information on the net, but that just confused me more...



What if the guru dies? Is it possible for the disciple to look for a new guru or will he be forced to abandon his apprenticeship? If it is possible, was that always so (in history) or is this a more „modern“ way of dealing with this problem? (I hope I don't totally mix things up, this concept of Indian Spirituality is so complex to understand.)


Thank you!:)
Eiko

[aruna]

Hi there,

does anyone know about the Indian Guru-Shisya-Relationship? I tried already to get some information on the net, but that just confused me more...



What if the guru dies? Is it possible for the disciple to look for a new guru or will he be forced to abandon his apprenticeship? If it is possible, was that always so (in history) or is this a more „modern“ way of dealing with this problem? (I hope I don't totally mix things up, this concept of Indian Spirituality is so complex to understand.)


Thank you!:)
Eiko

I can help you; please pm or mail me. However, I'll be travelling and won't be available again till Friday.

The short answer, however, is that the guru-shishya relationship never dies - not if it's a genuine Sad-Guru. It continues after death; a bit like Christians turn to Jesus. In some cases, the guru has appointed someone advanced enough to continue in the same tradation, so that you have "lines". But for the shishya, the guru would remain the same.
Modern versions of gurus are not to be taken seriously, They are mostly just game-playing.