The one Basis and Different Containers

When a guru was sitting and teaching his disciples, one day he said, “Guru Brahma, Sishya Brahma, Sarvam Brahma.” Thus the guru was implying that everything in the universe was Brahman.

Every day, one disciple was accustomed to greet the guru respectfully on his arrival, but after this particular event, he did not do so and he never got up from his seat. The guru questioned him on this strange behaviour and the disciple replied that the previous day, the Guru had said that everything was Brahman and therefore there was no difference between them.

Then the teacher felt that what he had said had come to him as a boomerang and he wanted to teach the student a good lesson. He went to the board and wrote “Guru Brahma” as two different words. He also wrote “Sishya Brahma,” and “Sarvam Brahma.” When you look at these three, though Brahma is occurring as the same in all the three the Guru, Sishya (disciple) and Sarvam (all) are different. Only when these three words also become one, can you say that all are one.

Thus, until you are able to experience this oneness of all in practice, the student will remain a student and a teacher will remain a teacher and there is no escape from the need for the student having to respect the teacher. The basis is one but the containers are different.