--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Archer" rick@ wrote: > > > > http://www.chakranews.com/sathya-sai-controversies-and-the-art-of-guru-b\ ashing/1221 > > Sounds remarkably like some at FFL, doesn't it? The > bottom line is that nothing critical ever said about > a guru can ever be possible. It's all made up by > People With Agendas (otherwise known in psychology > as the ubiquitous "they" who are always persecuting > the paranoid). Pure, paranoid elitism. > > What I consider much bigger and more interesting > questions are, "What is the nature of guru worship > in the first place? What makes it 'tick'?" > Guru worship is for cultists like you who don't realize the role of a Guru which leads to cult burnout leading to diseases like Small Penis Disorder and then you spend the rest of your life dabbling in Guru pedopharnelia.
I have never hesitated in mocking Guru worshiping cultists like YOU at Ammachi. I'm PRO Guru but don't indulge in any Guru worshipping. Nor will I end up like you, a pathetic miserable old man who has to resort to lies and deception on Gurus. This attitude is because of *your cultist* behavior and a *gross misunderstanding* on the role of a spiritual Guru. I call it - "Paranoid Guru Pedopharlenism" "Barry Wright: From Cultist to Paranoid Guru Pedopharnelism" sounds like a nice title for your biography. I have always admired your writings skills - Hope you take the proposed name as my humble offering. > I find the same answer to both questions: elitism. > > The bottom line of guru-worship is "Some people are > better than others." The corollary is, "Because I > am special enough and discerning enough to have found > a 'real' guru, that makes me better than others, too." > This is why you got in to spirituality so you could feel better than others. Spirituality is not about feeling special, in fact communism can exist only in spirituality. Equality is not possible in the outer world, it is only possible in the inner world, everyone can be one with the essence and that *includes* you. > I don't buy it. Like Curtis, I have studied the theater > of spiritual practice, and know that about 95% of what > all seekers in history have "felt" from their gurus > was projected there, as the result of falling for cer- > tain verbal and visual cues (not to mention the occas- > ional parlor magic trick) that were intentionally > designed to inspire not only devotion, but unquestion- > ing devotion. > You are onto something here. That 95% includes you and Curtis right? Are should we round it off to 96%? When people come to spirituality they come wounded, they come hurt, painful and betrayed by the material world which promised them much happiness. These people usually are more intense than ordinary people who are quite content to band-aid their misery with a 4 hour commute, 50 hour job, a spouse, house and kids. When these people come to spirituality they naturally want to belong, they may indulge in a bit of Guru worship, they are excited - they have new toys. Eastern puja materials, bhajans, kirtans, lots of books to read. But slowly they come to realize that the real principles of spirituality and the role of a Guru. That the real purpose of a Guru is to point to your inner Guru. > And that's fine (I guess) if you get off on such things. > Some people do. Me, not so much. Thus at this point in > my life I doubt that I would ever again swing behind > "studying with a teacher." Hanging out with a friend, > someone who has learned more things about certain sub- > jects than I have, no problem. But the key there is the > word "friend." That is perfectly all right. > There is not a popsicle's chance in hell > that I'd ever be interested in anyone who felt the need > to surround themselves with the pomp, circumstance, and > bad theater of, say, a Maharishi or a Rama or a Sai Baba > or an Amma, or most traditional teachers. > There is always pomp and theater around Gurus, that shouldn't distract a discriminating one. The true goal of a spiritual Guru is to encourage the seeker to be an individual. > > I'm into the tantra of daily life. I am not wowed by > miracles (having seen many of them), nor by shakti > (having experienced a lot of it). To me these are cheap > thrills that are pleasant enough at the time but don't > do much for a seeker in the long run IMO. The "lasting" > stuff comes IMO from one's *own* meditations and exper- > iences, not from the latest traveling guru show. You are right, experiences that don't lead to a balance and integration is worthless. Obviously they haven't done a thing to you. You remain quite stunted. > > I *understand* that some are "sold out" to this notion > that some people are "better" than they are, and that > the only way they can achieve this "betterness" them- > selves is to glom onto someone who they believe has it > and do everything they say. And I *understand* that there > is a great comfort in abdicating the responsibility for > one's own spiritual advancement like this, and turning > it over to someone else. Following a Guru doesn't mean abdicating your responsibility - you clearly have done that in the past and you think it's the norm rather than an exception. > It's just that I don't groove > that way. I'm more of a spiritual DIY-er. I walk my own > path, and don't particularly feel that I need a "guide" > to tell me where it leads. I don't *care* where it leads. > My path is goal-less; I walk it because the walking is > fun, and almost always entertaining. > That's awesome and no one's stopping you. With or without a Guru it's still an individual path, for a discerning any situation or circumstance can be a Guru. > > There was no organized "anti Sai movement," just as there > was never any organized "anti TM movement." It was (and > is) a few individuals who have opinions, and state them > publicly. Trying to make them into something more is > just one more ego-bound exercise in cult paranoia and > self importance IMO. > Everyone is entitled to opinions but when it results in painting all Gurus as fake and every seeker is a Guru worshiper it is nothing but paranoia - Paranoid Guru Pedopharnelism.
