Live teacher versus dead masters.
This is a very confusing concept for the spiritual seekers.
I think it is easy to be a dead teacher, because it doesn't react.
The master who has left the body cannot react.
And it is very east to be with the dead teacher.
No wonder in Indian culture they seem to be worshiping the dead teachers.
According to Freud, according to Freud, not according to me, that if God has made this Earth, he must be dead already.
And no wonder people feel very easygoing with God, because God doesn't have body.
Same thing, the teacher who left doesn't have body.
Maybe he was an enlightened master.
Maybe Buddha was enlightened. Maybe Mahavira was enlightened. Maybe Jesus was enlightened.
But they don't have any body. None of them have a body.
Physical body I am talking. So if you sit in front of Mahavira statue or picture or Jesus statue or picture, it is easy to pray because statue doesn't react.
You shower on them by your very good words or shower on them whatever you are feeling emotionally down. You can say to them anything.
They never react. That's why all the spiritual seekers, most of spiritual seekers, they feel it is very easy to be with Mahavira, with Buddha, with Jesus.
Or with any other master available. But when the teacher is alive, master is alive, it is very difficult to be with it.
I think it is the most difficult to live with the live teacher.
Because it will react. Wherever you do a little mistake he will point out.
So nobody wants to hear that.
And the dead teacher, no reaction.
God, no reaction. The most difficult thing in the world is to live with the live master.
I'm not talking teacher. Live master. The master who is self-realized.
The master who is enlightened will keep an eye on you all the time.
And correct you all the time.
When he or she corrects you, it means already that it is a reaction.
And his or her reaction towards the student or towards the disciple, because the master wants a disciple to be lifted up.
Or unfold his or her consciousness. That's why live master is very very important.
But, people have difficulty with the live master. It's easy to pray or easy to hear the master which is gone.
The whole Eastern world seems to be clinging with the dead teachers. As soon as a person is dead, they start worshiping.
Alive, they will abuse him, they will criticise him. When Mahavira was alive, people used to throw rocks on him.
When Buddha was alive, they used to abuse him. They give him poison even.
Mansur Ali was got killed. When Gandhi was alive, he was assassinated.
It is very difficult when person is a live master, they will say the bitter truth.
People will turn against. No reaction with the dead. No problem with Mahavira now. No problem with Buddha or Jesus now.
No problem with Mansur Ali now. But yes, people had problem when they were alive.
Live teacher reacts. And it reacts for your goodness.
So, if you want to learn, you have to learn from the live master.
Because live master has 5 things almost.
The live teacher, you can see it. Dead, you cannot see it.
The live master you can smell it. You can hear it.
You can feel his presence. You can also fully absorb the live teacher.
Because it is you are sitting in his presence.
So when a live teacher is available, I recommend you don't go to the dead master.
Dead masters' teachings are very useful, but there are a few things missing.
You don't smell the dead teacher, you don't hear the dead teacher, you don't also you cannot see it, you cannot hear it, you cannot taste it.
You cannot touch it. So this is all things are missing.
That's why people cannot learn from the dead master.
It is very difficult to learn, unless you have seen him and he expired after a while.
That maybe still his picture, his movement, his all these teachings you can still remember it.
But if the person or the teacher is gone since long time, you don't know anything.
Just to cling with Jesus now is not very important except if his teachings you can understand.
That is important. So I will suggest to you always, live master is more important than the master which is already gone.
So learn from the live master. You will feel difficulty, but it is good for you.