In the grafting process, the branch that has been grafted onto the tree eventually becomes one with that tree, inseparable from its trunk and strong root system. All of the tree’s rich sap pours into the branch, and the branch becomes very fruitful. To the degree that we graft ourselves to the Guru, we become one with the Guru. Literally, the Guru makes his home in our psyches, hearts, and souls. Where we end and the Guru begins becomes a very blurred line that does not actually exist. So, I invite all of us to consider a number of challenging questions: do we prefer our thoughts or the wisdom of God and Guru? Do we prefer our will or the will of God, mediated through the Guru? Do we prefer despair or hope, faith or doubt, fear or love? Do we want to be compulsively possessed by our egoic compulsions, or do we want to be freely and lovingly possessed by God and Guru? I once spent an evening with Brother Anandamoy, a direct disciple of Yogananda. I could feel the energy and grace of Yogananda radiating from him. He was still Brother Anandamoy, but he was also Yogananda. This is what Saint Paul meant when he said, “It is no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in me.”
What do I really want?
Am I willing to be grafted
Onto the true vine?
