We don't need Acharyas anymore

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

 

Recently a guru admitted to someone, “You know, when I stopped believing that I was enlightened and others weren’t, all the fun went out of giving satsang!”

 

The age of the guru is over. This is the age of the friend. The message of self-knowledge and liberation is outstripping any guru’s ability to contain it. People have been discovering that the message is independent of the messenger. The message has become detached from its older, exclusivistic, privileged stage settings. No longer must it travel down from a hierarchy. These days it spreads horizontally from person to person.

 

Of course there are still gurus. There will be gurus as long as there are friends. There will always be some gurus able to serve as wonderful teachers and inspiring examples. But these days the friend is providing more and more of the same services. The friend is spreading the message of self-knowledge, opening hearts with lovingkindness, and inspiring others with enthusiasm.

 

Morphing the guru model

 

The turn from the guru to the friend is not just a matter of inspiration; it’s also a matter of information. We’ve got freer access to what was formerly more selective and closed. The message of self-knowledge has reached interested parties wherever there’s communication. And this communication no longer needs to flow through the narrow-band guru-frequency, but has overflowed and become broadband.

 

[Sephiroth 0]

The message of self-knowledge and liberation is outstripping any guru’s ability to contain it.

 

I think it is message of self-delusion which you speak of.

 

Anyone can gather knowledge, but not many can obtain the wisdom from that knowledge. Same way, anyone can say he can read and understand Puranas and other Vedic knowledge but only those who lives accordingly will get its wisdoms. The others who do not will just brag he knows this and that but never live accordingly.

 

Age of Guru is not over, it just needed to be redefined and roles of gurus must be restructured. Just as India had Brahmins (by nature) to comes out with Vedic definations which then used by the society, so does it needs such role now.

 

Many people comes out, proclaim themselves as great gurus and fool others. This sort of people must be identified and then brought out into the public so they could be "eliminated" (in proper way).

 

Also, many of those who join gurus are not after spiritual progress. They are after such people who will say "it is OK to sin" - sort of the same way Christian Priests forgive sinners. So this too must be eliminated as well.

[Guest guest]

>Anyone can gather knowledge, but not many can obtain the wisdom from that knowledge. <

 

When I said the age of guru is over, I meant the age of complete surrender to a single Acharya.

 

Some people don't even like to hear anything other than the teaching of their Acharya and they take each and every word as the ultimate doctrine.

 

Instead, we must listen and learn to appreciate words of wisdom from various sources and constantly enrich our thoughts and character.

This will make us more tolerant and appreciative of the evolution of human civilization and thought process.

 

I have no problem reading and accepting good philosophies of other religions and communities, but can I say the same about everyone else?

[Sephiroth 0]

Some people don't even like to hear anything other than the teaching of their Acharya and they take each and every word as the ultimate doctrine.

 

Then their Acharya is a failure in promoting Hindusm. Such Acharya is bring in people who will worship him instead of God, making himself as centre piece and not Spiritual Purpose as centre piece.

 

My personal opinion - anyone who says they are from this and that Acharya and proclaim his words are above God's in His Laws (especially something like the Gita), I will ask them to hang themselves. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

I have no problem reading and accepting good philosophies of other religions and communities, but can I say the same about everyone else?

 

Here's an advice for you - Don't Bother. In the end, if you lose your way by listening to foolish people who speak as if they have reach enlightnment, then it is your fault for listening to nonsense.

 

Have faith in your beliefs and try not to shove it in other people's face. You attend to do that sometimes. And also - don't argue and debate if you don't want your beliefs to be questioned and countered.

 

I find its irratating that people could come to speak their views (as if they are enlightned themselves) and when someone questions them, they do this 180 degree flips and say - "You should learn to accept other people's views", while forgetting one simple question - "Why must I accept your views when it is you who examine your views online?"

[Guest guest]

I'm not shoving my views on anyone, I'm just trying to explain the nature of hinduism as it is followed by majority of hindus. My intention is to counter fundamentalist and orthodox vedanta thinking which unfortufunately is gaining popularity since it appeals to the ego of men.

[bhadramoorthi 0]

seems a new sect like the protestants may arise in hinduism too!

[barney 0]

This dudd is sick in thought and deed. He thinks he has mastered the Gita and knows all. Well, it takes all kind to form this world. In his eyes everybody is is wrong while he alone is right.

 

 

"Anbey Shivam"

[Guest guest]

Your reference of friend vs. acharya concerns the issue of individual identity vs. organizational identity.

 

Consider the lectures of the great saint Swami Rama Tirtha(1873-1906). He was a great advaithic philospher who discouraged people from going after the spiritual psuedoness from an organizational (branded-religion) identity, and appealed for spirituality from an their own individual experience as suggested in vedas.

 

There might be more gurus than Osho (Osho has given many speaches), who would have been frustrated with their disciples and their expectations.

 

I think it's no fault of the guru, if there is a organizational following made out of him/her. After all, it's upto the disciples to make sense for their own lives out of the guru's teachings.

[Sephiroth 0]

I'm not shoving my views on anyone, I'm just trying to explain the nature of hinduism as it is followed by majority of hindus. My intention is to counter fundamentalist and orthodox vedanta thinking which unfortufunately is gaining popularity since it appeals to the ego of men.

 

And do you think that by getting rid of Acharyas, it going to cure men of their Egos? /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

If you want to cure men's egos, you should do so by doing your duties responsiblity and become an example, not by preaching it alone.

 

My guess is that othodox thinking is gaining popularity because people begin to reject foreign influence and settle back into the Old Ways. Unfortunately, many people do not know that Caste is only four and by Nature and continue to follow the irresponsibly Varna System. Someone should get them straightened.

 

Also, Responsiblity and performing the Duty properly IS the Old Way, and many people still follow corrupted way where they think prayers and spiritual progress is separate to daily lives (influence of Christians here). Someone should straighten them here as well.

[maadhav 0]

<< The age of the guru is over. >>

 

so then please stop preaching here; walk as you talk.

 

until you can convince that you care for dharma, and the vedic rashtra bharat, and you realize that the invaded islam and xianity are deadly enemies for the vedic dharma and culture, i do not think a real hindu will consider you a friend either.