For t3rinity, a second post on bhakti:
The following is a direct quote from a teacher that quite
a few people on this forum admire, on the subject of bhakti
and the ideal relationship of a disciple to the guru:
"Take even the most insignificant word of
the guru as an order and obey it."
Now ponder the following insignificant words (paraphrased),
spoken to students by modern spiritual teachers and gurus:
* Treat others the way you would want to be treated.
* If you want to continue teaching the technique of
meditation I once certified you to teach, you have
to quit your job, pay my organization several thousand
dollars to "recertify" you, and be willing to live
anywhere on the planet I tell you to live. Otherwise
you're history.
* Spend as much of your time as possible working for the
welfare of other sentient beings.
* Our enemies are coming to destroy us. The only thing
you can do about it is to give this poisoned Kool-Aid
to your children and then drink it yourself.
* Be tolerant of the beliefs of others.
* The infidel Salman Rushdie has insulted our Holy
Prophet. You not only have our blessing to kill him;
if you do you will be rewarded financially in this
life and earn eternal life in heaven.
* Meditation is important; practice it every day.
* Meditation is so important that if you do *not* prac-
tice it every day you will be dismissed from my
university.
* Sex is good...practice it lovingly with someone you love.
* Sex is bad. Give it up entirely if you want to continue
studying with me.
* Sex is bad unless it's with me. Other men use sex to
drain your personal power; I don't. Tell your husband you
are leaving him and meet me at the airport at noon...we
are going to Hawaii for the weekend.
* Making money is a good thing because it enables you
to help other people; never forget your obligation to
assist those less fortunate than you are.
* Money is the root of all evil. The only way to protect
yourself from its evil influence is to sign over all
your assets to our organization and allow us to dis-
tribute it wisely.
* Take this suitcase full of money and sneak it out of
the country for me. Don't declare it...we follow
Natural Law, not the laws of any country.
* Doubt is an integral part of the spiritual process.
Never be afraid to bring up any doubts you have about
me or my teachings. Do not sit and worry about these
things in the darkness; ask me about them openly.
* Doubt is poison; never focus on negativity.
* If you feel that I am making a mistake, *tell* me
about it...don't sit there like a rock.
* I am enlightened, and thus all of my actions are
perfect; it is impossible for me to make a mistake.
Therefore, do what I say without question.
For the bhaktis in our midst, if these "insignificant
words had been spoken to you by your spiritual teacher,
how many of them would you consider an "order?" How
many of the instructions would you follow without
question?
The problem with "bhakti as total surrender" is that it
is based on the assumptions that 1) the teacher knows
what he or she is doing, 2) the teacher always has the
welfare of the student in mind, and 3) the teacher is
not a total, out of control whack job.
Sadly, as history teaches us, these assumptions are not
always true. Therefore, believing the quote at the top
of this post is a path somewhat fraught with danger.
If the teacher is cool, treating his or her words as
if each one was an order might lead you to the light.
If the teacher is *not* cool, doing the same thing
might lead you into total darkness.
It's a judgement call. And judgement depends on not
leaving your intellect at home when you choose to
follow a bhakti path. IMO, of course...
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