> > > 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. > > > > Honest gurus actually acknowledge this. Ammachi has told followers > > that if they get too close to her, they may be disillusioned. > > **** > That is really fine. > The fact is that many people are needing gurus as objects of > idealization. When a guru is taking upon this role consciously and > graciously with a humble heart, it serves an important function in a > way that can minimize the pain of awakening.
Just as playful counterpoint (not argument) isn't it possible that there is absolutely no difference between the enlightened and the unenlightened except on the level of subjective realization? If so, wouldn't it be more of a favor to students to let them get close and discover this, rather than keeping them distant and perpetuating their tendency to idealize? This, you'll find, is a favorite theme of mine. I'm of the opinion that to consider the enlightened some- how "special" or "perfect" is a back-handed way of ensuring that you never become enlightened yourself, because you subconsciously believe that you're *not* "special" and "perfect," and are thus not "worthy." This belief prevents the realization of the already- present, which is what the process of enlightenment is. I'm more drawn to teachers like the Buddha, who empha- sized their ordinariness. It seems a more effective paradigm than the perpetuation of the idea that the enlightened being is somehow special. If the student is allowed to get close and realize that the enlightened being is just an Ordinary Joe who "woke up" and realized his always-already-present enlightenment, then that student can put two and two together and say, "Hey...I'm just an Ordinary Joe, too...that means that I can wake up, too." And isn't that the whole point? 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/
