In a pluralistic, living tradition, like the Hindu Wisdom tradition, the role of Guru is paramount. In such a culture wisdom is not locked in a book, how ever sublime and quintessential the book might be. In such traditions wisdom is possessed by living Gurus who have dedicated their lives to the disciplines of study, reflection, practice and teaching by exemplary behavior. Every Guru worth his/her salt must experience the Truth directly and speak from the authority of personal enlightenment. The Sat Guru's words do not spring from memory learned by rot, but from the fresh springs of contemplative experience. The true Guru enjoys the freedom to interpret wisdom according to the needs of the times and circumstances without compromising the core vision. He alone has the clarity and steadiness to take spirituality to the every day humdrum of practical living -- to the workplace, to the family, to community life, to academics, and engage in creative dialogue with opposing belief systems and assumptions of reality.

The Hindus believe that periodically paradigm
shifts occur in human understanding and mighty
movements led by great incarnations/avataras
re-evaluate and reinterpret reality and redefine
human aspirations. Rama, Krishna, Buddha
and Gandhi, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad,
Confucius, Newton, Darwin, Einstein et.al.
were such epochal manifestations of the Divine.

The Hindus had the unique good fortune of having
great Gurus appearing from time to time to clean the
Aegean stables of misunderstanding, corruption,
confusion, greed and violence in human behavior
and community living. Sage Yagnavalkya, Sage Vashishta,
Sage Valmiki, Veda Vyasa, Gaudapadacharya, Sankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madvacharya, Tulasidasa, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, and Ramana Maharshi were some of them.

Of all these Hindu Gurus, the name of Sage Badarayana Paraasara Krishna Dvaipayana Veda Vyasa, or simply, Veda Vyasa stands out as a beacon light through millennia of Hindu history. He was the compiler of Vedas, and the author of Mahabharata and Brahma Sutras. He laid the firm foundation of Hinduism by his crystal clear and uncompromising teachings and tireless dedicated work.

Vyasa was a great synthesizer and emphasised on mystic statements like: " Truth is one, but paths are many"; " Thou art That"; " Consciousness is Truth"; "The creation is non-separate from the Creator" etc. In a multi cultural global society and when science and technology has become the nursery rhymes of every child and material progress the dominant mantra, Vyasa's insights and wisdom help us integrate the best in all traditions and systems of knowledge and create a unifying vision of ethics, conduct and meaning for human striving. I have no doubt that Sage Vyasa's teachings will have more and more relevance as the world becomes more integrated, complex and multi-cultural.

On the auspicious day of Guru Purnima/Vyasa Jayanti I wish all of you blessings from all Gurus who appeared and yet keep appearing on the planet to teach and enlighten humanity.

Jai Gurudeva! Jai Sri Vyasa Bhagavan! Jai Sri
Sankaracharya!

Love,

Swami Bodhananda
San Francisco
17 July 2007
11.42am.