--- In [email protected], Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > On Jun 14, 2007, at 10:57 AM, new.morning wrote: > > > --- In [email protected], Vaj <vajranatha@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > My take on where Swami G is > > > coming from is that she's followed the practices of the tradition to > > > their completion ... so she's trying to help from the POV of someone > > > who's tread the path to it's logical conclusion: realization. > > > > > > So I don't see it as an investiture that gives her status, but the > > > POV of someone who's tread the full path of the Shankaracharya > > > tradition. If this is true of course, we should all be delighted > > that > > > a westerner has had such experience and is willing to help. > > > > Couldn't swamis who smoke charas all day an claim to be realized make > > the same claims? > > > Anyone could make the claim, but ones who had their progress verified > and their realization authenticated by their master could truly make > the claim. > > If you ever get the chance to read the spiritual biography _Baba: > Autobiography of a Blue-Eyed Yogi_ by Rampuri you might find it > interesting to hear what realizations these ganja smoking yogis do > have. It's a fun and insightful read.
My thought was not to dis charas smoking sadhus -- more power to them -- and Shiva is the lord of charas (as uncomforatble as that be to western "devotees".) But my thought was, rather, stemming from my observation, and impression, that there are a lot of swamis out there (western and Indian) that are not deeply infused with experience and engrained in scripture. Nor intellectual giants. Nor deep in experience. Thus, Swami g's, seeming reliance on swamihood as being THE criteria for being an effective teacher, seem odd. And what is a guru? vs. a teacher. Can someone be a legitimate hatha yoga teacher and not be a Guru / swami / ordained by his/her Guru to be a Guru? The same for a meditation teacher?
