S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 3 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 7 2 5 Mark Graceffo I bring the palms of my hands together, fingers pointing up in prayer position. As I step towards him, he smiles. I drop to my knees, lean forward, and bring my forehead and hands to his feet. "Thank you, Lord Jesus," I say silently, "for being here in the form of the guru." This humble act of devotion at the feet of my guru, (called pada puja in the ancient language of Sanskrit) serves as a metanoia moment for me. Metanoia is a Greek word that often gets translated as "repentance". But a deeper, more contemporary understanding might define it as "a turning around" or "turning to face a new direction". Thus, metanoia is to consciously turn towards God, to orient one’s life to the will of the Divine. For Christians we can say that metanoia means trying to live in alignment with the Christ Light. Placing myself at my guru’s feet serves to turn and realign me with this Light. It is a place where I resolve to "put on the mind of Christ" and to follow him with a bit more heart. In Hinduism, there is a long standing tradition of touching the feet of someone who is respected and looked up to. Children will touch the feet of their elders as a sign of reverence. Gurus will similarly have their feet touched by devotees. This act on the part of a devotee recognizes the wisdom embodied in the guru, their service to humankind, and the guru’s commitment to the personal growth and transformation of his or her followers. One touches the guru’s feet to show respect, reverence, love, and gratitude for all that the guru models and teaches. About the author Bhaktan Mark Graceffo (1960) is an academic librarian at Saint Peters University, the Jesuit University of New Jersey, where he also teaches religion as an adjunct lecturer. Bhaktan is a disciple of Sri Guruji Reverend Jaganath Carrera (founder of the Yoga Life Society) and learning the path of bhakti, the yoga of devotion. His email contact is mgraceffo@saintpeters.edu.
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