During his 20 years in France Mikhaël Aïvanhov had refused to be addressed as Master by his disciples. He had always regarded himself as a fellow disciple of his own teacher (Peter Deunov, in the picture above). He explained his reluctance thus:

“… a true Master will never once say that he is a Master but rather he will let you feel it and understand it. He is in no hurry to be recognized. However, once a false Master has decreed that he is a Master, he will only be concerned with imposing his will on others.”

A true master, he explained, is one who knows the truth, is thoroughly familiar with and upholds the laws and principles of existence. He also has the will and ability to control his inner environment and to use this ability only in order to “manifest all the qualities and virtues of unselfish love.”

Finally, a true master can be recognized by his disinterestedness. Disinterestedness is unselfish love, which, for Aïvanhov, finds its highest expression in the known universe in the sun. Light, he once observed, is so fast because of its disinterestedness.

Hence he also said: “The ideal of a disciple is to free himself from all restrictions, to throw off everything that hampers him, and become like light.” The restrictions Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov had in mind are the boundaries erected by the ego-personality, which make it virtually impossible for the ordinary person to see things as they really are and to think, feel, and act in consonance with Reality.

A master, who is in control of the ego, is in tune with the Divine. Therefore his actions are fundamentally motivated by unselfish love. His disinterestedness is as flawless as is possible in creation. The only element of selfishness contained in it is the master’s interest in fulfilling the will of the Divine, of furthering the spiritual evolution of beings. But, as Omraam Mikhael Aïvanhov noted, this interest can hardly be called selfish.

More on the topic of Recognising a true Spiritual Master

Extract from The Mystery of Light by Georg Feuerstein
Chapter2. Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov: Visionary, Teacher and Healer