Dakshina as practiced in Siddha Yoga is to make an offering to Guru in the form of money. This practice is rooted in the ancient traditions of India; it is a way of showing the deepest respect that one gives to the knowledge that one receives from the Guru.
What we receive from the Guru is priceless, its value to us and to the world in which we live is immeasurable. The scriptures of India explain this point by asserting that it is rare to benefit from a human birth; that even rarer is the desire to know the inner Self; and that the rarest of all is to meet a master capable of awakening us to the knowledge of the Self.
In the path of Siddha Yoga, we have this chance, the rarest of all. Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Guru of Siddha Yoga, grants shaktipat diksha, the awakening of inner spiritual energy, and she transmits the teachings and practices of Siddha Yoga which guide us in the pursuit of our sadhana. Through the wisdom and grace of Shri Guru, we come to a deeper and truer understanding of ourselves; we become more aware of the purpose of our life and we can achieve the goal of the path of Siddha Yoga: knowledge of the Self, the state of liberation. Step by step, our perception of ourselves and the world is transformed and this then affects the lives of all people and everything around us.
The regular practice of dakshina is one way of expressing the reaction of our heart to the generosity of Shri Guru; it is a way to make a tangible gift to the source of grace that continually manifests in our life. Better, by continuing to engage in this practice of offering, we discover that an alchemical process is taking place, a process which defines the very nature of sadhana . Our heart opens; our ability to immediately, intuitively assimilate the Guru’s teachings grows and we strengthen our identity with the Inner Self.
By giving a dakshina , we are also helping to make the sublime gifts we have received available to countless other Truth seekers. The SYDA Foundation – whose very purpose is to protect, preserve the teachings of Siddha Yoga and facilitate their dissemination throughout the world – receives the dakshina that we offer to the Guru and places it at the service of that purpose. So our dakshina offerings have a huge impact. They help to spread the teachings of Siddha Yoga all over the world, thus supporting the Mission of Siddha Yoga and the realization of the Vision of Siddha Yoga.
To learn more about dakshina, to offer dakshina online, and to set up or expand your monthly dakshina practice, we invite you to visit the SYDA Foundation website.