guru parampara: (Sanskrit) "Preceptorial succession" (literally, "from one teacher to another"). A line of spiritual gurus in authentic succession of initiation; the chain of mystical power and authorized continuity, passed from guru to guru.

Cf: sampradaya.

(See also: Guru parampara, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

A Theosophical definition of Guru-parampara :

Guru-parampara

(Sanskrit) This is a compound formed of guru, meaning "teacher," and a subordinate compound param-para, the latter compound meaning "a row or uninterrupted series or succession." Hence guru-parampara signifies an uninterrupted series or succession of teachers. Every Mystery school or esoteric college of ancient times had its regular and uninterrupted series or succession of teacher succeeding teacher, each one passing on to his successor the mystical authority and headship he himself had received from his predecessor.

Like everything else of an esoteric character in the ancient world, the guru-parampara or succession of teachers faithfully copied what actually exists or takes place in nature herself, where a hierarchy with its summit or head is immediately linked on to a superior hierarchy as well as to an inferior one; and it is in this manner that the mystical circulations of the kosmos, and the transmission of life or vital currents throughout the fabric or web of being is assured.

From this ancient fact and teaching of the Mystery schools came the greatly distorted Apostolic Succession of the Christian Church, a pale and feeble reflection in merely ecclesiastical government of a fundamental spiritual and mystical reality. The great Brotherhood of the sages and seers of the world, which in fact is the association of the Masters of Wisdom and Compassion headed by the Maha-chohan, is the purest and most absolute form or example of the guru-parampara existing on our earth today. (See also Hermetic Chain)

See also: Guru-parampara, Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul)

The word parampara (Sanskrit परमपरा) denotes a long succession of teachers and disciples in traditional Indian culture. The Hinduism dictionary defines parampara is "the line of spiritual gurus in authentic succession of initiation; the chain of mystical power and authorized continuity, passed from guru to guru." In Sanskrit, the word literally means: Uninterrupted series of succession. Parampara is also known as Guru (teacher) Shishya (disciple) parampara or guru parampara, where the knowledge ...

See also:

Guru, Guru - Etymology, Guru - Guru in Hinduism, Guru - Guru in Buddhism, Guru - Guru in Sikhism, Guru - Types of gurus, Guru - Succession and lineage parampara, Guru - Guru in a Western culture context, Guru - Gurus in the West, Guru - Assessment and criticism, Guru - Notable scandals and controversies, Guru - Bibliography

Read more here: » Guru: Encyclopedia II - Guru - Succession and lineage parampara

A guru (गुरू Sanskrit) is a teacher in Hinduism, Buddhism or Sikhism. Based on a long line of philosophical understanding as to the importance of knowledge, the guru is seen in these religions as a sacred conduit, or a way to self-realization. In India and among people of Hindu, Buddhist, or Sikh belief, the title retains a hallowed meaning. Guru also refers in Sanskrit to Brihaspati, a Hindu figure analogous to the Roman planet/god Jupiter. In Vedic astrology, Jupiter/Guru/Brihaspati is believed to ...

Including:

• Guru - Etymology
• Guru - Guru in Hinduism
• Guru - Guru in Buddhism
• Guru - Guru in Sikhism
• Guru - Types of gurus
• Guru - Succession and lineage parampara
• Guru - Guru in a Western culture context
• Guru - Gurus in the West
• Guru - Assessment and criticism
• Guru - Notable scandals and controversies
• Guru - Bibliography

Read more here: » Guru: Encyclopedia - Guru

The full-moon day in the month of Ashada , is celebraated as Guru Purnima . On this day disciples come together to express their gratitude to their beloved guru , venerated as the embodiment of sage Veda Vyasa. We worship Vyasa as an apostle of truth and wisdom, for having systematised the divine utterances in the form of the four Vedas , the eighteen puranas and the Mahabharata .

Guru Purnima is a special occasion to commemorate Vyasa's service to humanity, and to resolve to follow the path of learning and knowledge.

(See also: Guru Purnima, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

A guru shows the path of enlightenment to seekers. The guru is both a formal teacher and a spiritual preceptor. He is a storehouse of spiritual energy, which he can transmit to others. He helps the aspirant to polish his inner self till it reflects the light of truth. In the Shirdi Sai Satcharita a seeker asks Shirdi Baba: "Where to go?" Baba replies: "High up". The seeker then asks: "How to go there?" Baba answers: "Take a guide, he will take you straight and make you avoid the ditches and wild beasts in the jungle". Even avatars like Rama and Krishna subjected themselves to the tutelage of worthy gurus like Vashishta and Sandipani.

(See also: Advantage of Guru, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The Guru Gita says: ''If Shiva is angry with you, the guru will take care of you, but if the guru is cross with you, even Shiva will not be able to protect you against the wrath of your guru.''

How strange, I thought. Shiva is the creator, sustainer and destroyer of the universe; he is the vital principle from which all objects emerge. How can a living guru be more powerful than the lord of the universe?

(See also: The Guru Principle, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Very few recognise the importance of seeking out a guru whom they can look to for guidance.

Guru is not God but God is guru because the guru leads the disciple from darkness to light. God encompasses both light and darkness; He is formless, omnipotent, immovable, and immortal. The guru is a glass of water from the ocean called God. An ideal guru-shishya relationship would be one of friendship and the student should feel free to question his teacher. Both are united by unconditional love, in a relationship that transcends the physical, mental, emotional and the intellectual involvement. Such a relationship has the capacity to weather any storm.

(See also: Advantage of Guru, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The guru-shishya tradition (also guru-shishya parampara or lineage) is a spiritual relationship found within traditional Hinduism which is centered around the transmission of teachings from a guru (teacher, गुरू) to a 'śiṣya' (disciple, शिष्य) . The term shishya roughly equates to the western term disciple, and in some parts of India is synonymous with the term chela. In a Hindu context, the term guruIncluding:

• Guru-shishya tradition - Common characteristics of the guru-shishya relationship
• Guru-shishya tradition - Guru-shishya relationship types
• Guru-shishya tradition - In bhakti yoga
• Guru-shishya tradition - Other
• Guru-shishya tradition - In Buddhism
• Guru-shishya tradition - Psychological aspects

Read more here: » Guru-shishya tradition: Encyclopedia - Guru-shishya tradition

The day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh of the Hindu calendar is traditionally celebrated as Guru Purnima by Hindus. On this day, devotees offer puja (worship) to their Guru. This was the day when Krishna-dwaipayana Vyasa was born. He is considered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The spiritual Gurus are revered on this day by remembering their life and teachings. Guru Purnima - External link. Article on Guru Purnima with Pictures On Guru Purnima by ...

Including:

• Guru Purnima - External link

Read more here: » Guru Purnima: Encyclopedia - Guru Purnima

Sikhism was established by ten Gurus, teachers or masters, over the period 1469 to 1708. These teachers, believed to be sent from God for the troubled people of the land, were enlightened souls whose main purpose in life was the spiritual and moral well-being of the masses, or the equivalent of Prophets & Messiahs of the other major respective monotheist religions. Each master added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting to the creation of the religion of Sikhism. Guru Nanak was the first Guru and Guru Gobind Singh the final Guru in human form. When Guru Gobind Singh left this world, he made th ...

Including:

• The Sikh Gurus - The Ten Gurus of Sikhism

Read more here: » The Sikh Gurus: Encyclopedia - The Sikh Gurus

Nārāyana Guru (नारायण गुरु) (1856 - 1928) was a great sage and social reformer of India. Born in Ezhava/Thiyya community (a Backward Community in today's parlance), he demonstrated a path to social emancipation without invoking the dualism of the opressed and the opressor. In contrast to certain other reformers who critized Brahmins and "upper caste" Hindus for the conditions of the "lower castes", Nārāyana Guru stressed on the upliftment of the community through its own efforts by the establishme ...

Including:

• Narayana Guru - Early Life
• Narayana Guru - Transformation as Master Yogi and Seeker of Truth
• Narayana Guru - Enlightenment and its Poetic Expression
• Narayana Guru - Consecration of Siva Lingam at Aruvippuram
• Narayana Guru - Nārāyana Guru’s Philosophy
• Narayana Guru - Nārāyana Guru Rationalism and Atheism
• Narayana Guru - Works by Nārāyana Guru
• Narayana Guru - In Malayalam
• Narayana Guru - In Sanskrit
• Narayana Guru - Notes
• Narayana Guru - Bibiliography/Reference

Read more here: » Narayana Guru: Encyclopedia - Narayana Guru

Guru Angad Dev (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅੰਗਦ ਦੇਵ) (31 March 1504 – 29 March 1552) was the second of The Ten Gurus of Sikhism. He became Guru on 7 September 1539 following in the footsteps of Guru Nanak, who was the founder of the Sikh religion. Before becoming the second Guru, he was known as Lehna. This second Sikh Guru contributed the following to the people of the world: To do Niskam Sewa Selfless Service to humanity. Completely surrender to the Will of God. Disapproval of exhibitionism and hypocrisy. Standa ...

Read more here: » Guru Angad Dev: Encyclopedia - Guru Angad Dev

Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ) (Patna, Bihar, India, December 22, 1666 – October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India) was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Teg Bahadur. Before he died, he nominated the Guru Granth Sahib as the next perpetual Guru of the Si ...

Including:

• Guru Gobind Singh - Audio

Read more here: » Guru Gobind Singh: Encyclopedia - Guru Gobind Singh

Guru Meditation is the name of the error that occurred on early versions of the Amiga home computers when they crashed. It is analogous to the "screens of death" in other operating systems. Guru Meditation - Description. When a Guru Meditation is displayed, the options are to reboot by pressing the left mouse button, or to invoke ROMWack by pressing the right mouse button. (ROMWack is a minimalist debugger built into the operating system which is accessible by connecting a 9600 bit/s terminal to the serial ...

Including:

• Guru Meditation - Description
• Guru Meditation - Origins
• Guru Meditation - Trivia
• Guru Meditation - Later versions of AmigaOS

Read more here: » Guru Meditation: Encyclopedia - Guru Meditation

Guru Arjan Dev (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ ਦੇਵ) (15 April 1563 - 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 1 September 1581 following in the footsteps of Guru Ram Das. He was born at Goindval. Before he died, he nominated his son Guru Hargobind as the next Guru of the Sikhs. The following is a summary of the main highlights of Guru Arjan's life: Huge number of hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib – over 2000 Author of Sukhmani S ...

Including:

• Guru Arjan Dev - Audio

Read more here: » Guru Arjan Dev: Encyclopedia - Guru Arjan Dev

Guru Granth Sahib (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ) — Granth is Punjabi for book; Sahib is Hindi meaning master, from Arabic, meaning companion, friend, owner, or master — is more than a holy book of the Sikhs. The Sikhs treat this Granth (holy book) as a living Guru. The holy text spans 1430 pages and contains the actual words spoken by the founders of the Sikh religion and various other S ...

Including:

• Guru Granth Sahib - Printing

Read more here: » Guru Granth Sahib: Encyclopedia - Guru Granth Sahib

According to the Deval Smriti there can be eleven kinds of gurus and according to Nama Chintamani there are ten types. According to his function gurus are categorized as rishi acharyam upadhya kulapati mantravetta Vaishnava traditions usually categorize gurus as: vartma-pradarshaka guru (any person who first shows one the path) shiksha guru diksha guru sannyasa guru (who initiates one into sannyasa order) caittya guru ...

See also:

Guru, Guru - Etymology, Guru - Guru in Hinduism, Guru - Guru in Buddhism, Guru - Guru in Sikhism, Guru - Types of gurus, Guru - Succession and lineage parampara, Guru - Guru in a Western culture context, Guru - Gurus in the West, Guru - Assessment and criticism, Guru - Notable scandals and controversies, Guru - Bibliography

Read more here: » Guru: Encyclopedia II - Guru - Types of gurus

The guru's blessing is the last of the four foundations in Vajrayana Buddhism. In this foundation, the disciple can continue in their experiential path on the way to the true nature of reality. The disciple regards the guru as the embodiment of Buddha, or a Bodhisattva, and he or she shows devotion and great appreciation toward the guru as such. In the Theravada Buddhist tradition, the teacher is a valued and honoured mentor worthy of great respect and is a source of inspiration on the path to Enlightenment. In the Tibetan tradition, ...

See also:

Guru, Guru - Etymology, Guru - Guru in Hinduism, Guru - Guru in Buddhism, Guru - Guru in Sikhism, Guru - Types of gurus, Guru - Succession and lineage parampara, Guru - Guru in a Western culture context, Guru - Gurus in the West, Guru - Assessment and criticism, Guru - Notable scandals and controversies, Guru - Bibliography

Read more here: » Guru: Encyclopedia II - Guru - Guru in Buddhism

The title Guru is extremely fundamental to the religion of the Sikhs. Indeed, the Sikhs have carried the meaning of the word to an even greater level of abstraction, while retaining the original usage, and apply it to an understanding of imparted knowledge through any medium. Sikhism comes from the word Sikh, which means a strong and able Guru disciple. The core beliefs of Sikhism are of belief in one God and in the teachings of the Ten Gurus, enshrined i ...

See also:

Guru, Guru - Etymology, Guru - Guru in Hinduism, Guru - Guru in Buddhism, Guru - Guru in Sikhism, Guru - Types of gurus, Guru - Succession and lineage parampara, Guru - Guru in a Western culture context, Guru - Gurus in the West, Guru - Assessment and criticism, Guru - Notable scandals and controversies, Guru - Bibliography

Read more here: » Guru: Encyclopedia II - Guru - Guru in Sikhism