The Guru – The Great Unknown | with OM C. Parkin and ShantiMayi
Meeting with Teachers
Fri – Sun, April 25 – 27, 2025 | Gut Saunstorf Monastery – Place of Stillness
This weekend, in the company of OM C. Parkin and ShantiMayi, we will explore a delicate and often challenging topic. As soon as the term “Guru” comes up, most people react with distrust, and often even hostility. Our aim is to look beyond preconceptions and biases, and approach this mystery with fresh eyes: Who is the Guru?
Especially in the West, seekers often have an ambivalent relationship with the concept of the Guru. Old cultural and social misunderstandings obscure this principle. Confronting authority, both in a positive and in a negative sense, without bias, seems all but impossible. But if we manage to go beyond these layers, we may uncover, alongside aversion, a natural affection – an awakening of the longing for surrender that has always been there.
The opportunity to navigate this process in the presence of a living master raises essential questions that we will engage with: Do I need a Guru on the path of awakening? Can I admit to myself that I don’t really know who the Guru is? How is my relationship with my teacher, if I have one? How do I recognise a true Guru? What do I see in the mirror of an external Guru? Are there both outer and inner dimensions of the Guru principle?
You are invited to take part in this journey of exploration, which leads deeper into your soul and closer to understanding what is truly meant by “Guru”. The encounter with masters and teachers at Gut Saunstorf Monastery is a rare opportunity, and we are looking forward to OM and ShantiMayi, to their insights into the teachings, and to the companionship on the path.
Look within, there is no difference between yourself, Self and Guru. You are always Free. There is no teacher, there is no student, there is no teaching.
Papaji
Guidance
OM C. Parkin
OM C. Parkin is a spiritual master, mystic, philosopher and author. He is the initiator of the OM Foundation Inner Science, director of the mystery school Enneallionce – School of the Fourth Way and founder of Gut Saunstorf Monastery – Place of Stillness.
OM C. Parkin’s spiritual teaching, which he also calls Inner Science, is based on the Eastern advaita tradition (teaching of non-duality, with Ramana Maharshi as its most prominent figure in the West), as well as on the teachings of the Fourth Way, made known in the West by Georges I. Gurdjieff. On the other hand, it is based on Western experiential paths (e.g. Christian mysticism).
Talks on the Guru and Darshan – with OM C. Parkin
The Guru “is there to open your heart, to tear you apart and feed you to the lions. The lions of love.” So speaks a Sufi master of the Naqshbandi order. Yet “a true teacher will never force anyone to do something against their will, because he respects human freedom.” Even though he knows that this “freedom” is nothing but pure ignorance. How do Western people encounter a true Guru? They will completely misunderstand him. Conversations about true and false Gurus, and about true and false students.
ShantiMayi
Born in the United States, ShantiMayi’s travels to India brought her to the feet of Sri Hansraj Maharajji, her Guru. As devotee, serving her Master, ShantiMayi became the first Westerner and the first woman to carry the grace of the Sacha lineage. She has since dedicated her life to the wisdom of Sacha around the world, and to uplifting the guiding principle of spirituality: love.
ShantiMayi has a broad understanding of many spiritual traditions. While she draws upon the wisdom of ancient masters, she speaks from her own direct experience. In her years of travel – through India, Europe, South America, Australia, Africa, and all around the world – ShantiMayi has inspired countless people to discover their own limitless potential.
Satsangh with ShantiMayi – Questions & Answers
ShantiMayi’s satsanghs and writings transmit the way to inner peace and spiritual awakening. She reminds us – from her compassionate and loving view – that every great master is speaking directly to us, about us and that we must come to be the teachings through our own direct experience.
She directs us inward, to the Divine within, leading us to discover the profound wisdom in our own hearts. Through ShantiMayi’s grace and our own, it becomes possible to realize the deepest peace and stillness within, leading us to our True Self Nature.
Time schedule (preliminary)
Friday, 25 April
06:00 pm Dinner
07:30 pm Welcome and Introduction
8:00 pm OM C. Parkin: Talks on the Guru
Saturday, 26 April
08:00 am Silent Meditation
08:30 am Breakfast
10:00 am Satsangh with ShantiMayi
13:00 pm Lunch
03:00 pm Satsangh with ShantiMayi
06:00 pm Dinner
08:00 pm Darshan with OM C. Parkin
Sunday, 27 April
08:00 am Silent Meditation
08:30 am Breakfast
11:00 am “Drinking Tea” Conversation between OM C. Parkin and ShantiMayi
01:00 pm Lunch
The program may be subject to change.
Practical information
Times
Day of arrival Fri, April 25th
Check in for board & lodging: 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Check in for the event: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Start with the common dinner: 6 pm
You can plan your departure on Sunday around 2.00 pm, after lunch together.
This event is bilingual (German/English).
Event contribution
€ 240,-
At this event, the ticket price is supported by the Foundation.
Reduction available on request.
You will receive more detailed information on payment with your registration confirmation.
Board & Lodging
Your board and lodging at Gut Saunstorf Monastery must be booked separately using the following booking form, which you will also receive with your registration confirmation by e-mail.
Venue
Gut Saunstorf Monastery - Place of Stillness
Am Gutspark
D-23996 Saunstorf
www.monastery-saunstorf.com
The modern Monastery Gut Saunstorf - Place of Stillness, located near the German city of Schwerin, is dedicated to retreat and contemplation. It invites seekers of every confession and tradition to rediscover their own inner stillness in meetings with OM C. Parkin, at events or simply in a time of introspection and meditation.
Three questions to the teachers
We asked ShantiMayi and OM C. Parkin in advance three questions about the principle of the guru on the path to awakening.