Guru Purnima

Yesterday was a holy, faith-renewing day for Hindus. The day is Guru Purnima. It is the day that you honor your guru(s)...your teachers. It can be anyone who you have learned greath things from: a mother, a friend, a teacher, etc. It is also a day to honor the lineage of great teachers all the way back to the ancients and those who took time to pass on tradition. I was introduced to this day by a wonderful yoga teacher, Gangotri. She led us through some chanting and kirtan. When she sang it was so other-worldly. Truly, sound is the quickest way to the divine.

This is a story Gangotri shared with me in relation to Guru Purnima.
There is a beautiful story told about a man who wanted to walk on water. He begged his guru to give him a secret mantra or a special boon so he could complete this remarkable feat. The man was extremely pious and devoted, and he had been in his guru's service for many years. Therefore, the guru gave him a leaf, folded many times until is was very small. He told his disciple, "Within this leaf is a secret formula which will enable you to walk on water. However, you must not open it because the formula inside is a secret."
So the man agreed, and he takes the folded leaf carefully in his hands and begins his journey across the river. He is walking fine when suddenly he is overcome by curiosity. What could be this secret formula? Is there really a secret inside? Is it a powder or a stone or some holy mantra printed? Where did his guru get it? His doubts get the best of him and he begins slowly to open the leaf as he walks, careful lest any of the secret formula should spill out into the water. As soon as he unfolds the last piece to unveil the secret, he suddenly sinks into the water and drowns. Inside the leaf was written the simple word, "faith."
It was not the leaf, nor any secret powder or mantra that enabled the devotee to accomplish a miracle. It was the strength of his faith in his guru and in the "boon" his guru had given him. As soon as that faith wavered and doubt crept in, his life was lost. This is the power of faith.

photo via http://jeffreykishner.com