Why would criticizing a guru, even your own guru be a bad thing? If the guru is firmly established in Self , he can tolerate and receive criticism. His self-esteem isn't threatened by it. When the guru is responding to the criticism, the student gets clarifications to his doubts and new insights.
If the guru is not totally established in Self, his self-esteem is dependent of the adulation and adoration he receives. He is very much afraid of his weaknesses being seen. All perceptive criticism is a serious threat to him and to his loyal followers as well. The guru represents for them a idealized dream of themselves. And they cannot allow this dream to collapse. For this kind of guru-disciple relationship to persist, the guru has to be distant. In a close daily contact the idealization would collapse rather fast. Irmeli --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- In [email protected], "Llundrub" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I often ask myself if Maharishi bashing is counterproductive > > to good karma. As I'm sure Rick also has. I think we must > > all share a belief that somehow the truth that comes out or > > is being expressed is somehow enlightening in its own right, > > and so as such is a good thing. Otherwise we would run from > > the experience. > > For myself, since I have been labeled a "Maharishi-basher" > in the past and will surely be so labeled in the future > (because, after all, subtlety is not my long suit), it's > really about the "emperor's new clothes syndrome." I am > more comfortable karmically being the little kid who points > out that the guy on the throne is butt nekkid than I am > being one of the people in the audience oohing and ahhing > over the new duds. > > Many, many, *many* spiritual traditions have developed a > taboo about "speaking ill of one's teacher." And on the > level of speaking ill of *anyone*, that taboo is justified. > But when applied to a particular spiritual teacher, some- > times the taboo is used as a tool by the teacher or the > teacher's organization to discourage critical thought and > scrutiny and to perpetuate the idea that "the teacher > can do no wrong." > > We've all read the papers; we've all heard the stories. > Sometimes the teacher *can* do wrong. And sometimes the > teacher and the organization the teacher is part of *use* > this taboo to hide that fact. You need look no further > than the systematic suppression of sexual abuse by priests > in the Catholic church to realize this. > > I'm willing to take full karmic responsibility for anything > I might say about Maharishi or any other teacher with whom > I have studied. I hope that when I say these things I rem- > ember to put in the magic words, "This is just my opinion." > I'm not looking to "sell" my opinion to others, or to con- > vert them to my way of thinking. I'm just tellin' it the > way I see it. That "way" may be erroneous, and if so I > am comfortable with the karma of being mistaken. If, on > the other hand, I am NOT mistaken about some of the things > I speak out against, I would NOT be comfortable with the > karma of having remained silent and allowing those things > to continue. > > Unc To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
