is the same issue I have with most influencers. The lies. The made up fabricated life.
That they give a distorted view of a spiritual life and spiritual practices, with the aim to extract your money and earn fame. They reinterpret scriptures and books you never read and give you the illusion that you are being spoon fed the truth. They are fame hungry, political alliance hungry.
- Popularity isn’t the same as expertise.
- Likewise, we shouldn’t blindly follow spiritual teachers because charisma, reputation, or a large following isn’t the same as wisdom or competence in every domain.
Take any legit Guru. Buddha, Shankaracharya to modern masters Yogananda, Swami Vivekananda and his Guru Ramkrishna Paramahamsa. I can guarentee you. The same way a mother does not charge money to raise her child, an enlightened Guru/Master does not charge money to initiate a disciple. That is a big responsibility. You must read how they accepted a disciple at all. They’ve waited decades for their disciple to arrive. It is a bigger responsibility than even parenting. The bond between a Guru and his disciple is closer than the bond we have with mothers. If you only knew. You think a Gen Z Vivekananda will sit and post reels try to be relatable and post clickbait content and look to initiate random disciples on the internet and charge money? No. That is a fraud. A modern Vivekananda practices quietly, incessantly until his goal is reached.
I don’t mind mental health coaches, life coaches etc. They’re modern mentors. They don’t claim enlightenment.
I’m talking about Gurus claiming they are ‘Enlightened’ and charging money, initiating disciples to get them to enlightenment. That is a big fraud, A scam.
The audacity.
We have 15 year old Influencers teaching life in 30 seconds.
Then we have Pop Gurus. They are like people who never climbed the Everest claiming to coach serious Everest climbing Aspirants. Blind leading the blind. Their credibility? Celebrity friends, massive fame, Ted talks, massive media coverage and followers. Exploiting the advantage that very few people can recognise a true enlightened Master. Exploiting our ignorance. Impressive speaking skills do not make you an enlightened Gurus. You become impressed with speaking & persuasion skills! Yes they’re excellent salesmen.
All I ask is not follow any popular Guru blindly in the same way we ask people not to follow any influencer blindly.
The Pop Gurus have become cultural icons now worshipped by millions. To have their photos placed next to enlightened masters. It is a tragedy.
You’ll ask “What’s the harm in just listening to their talks?”
I answer: “Lies. The way influencers lie. Truths distorted. You don’t need more lies do you? Unless you’re comfortable with it.”
if you are deceived by it, you deserve it though.
My problem? The distortion of spiritual facts. Prioritising metaphysical speculation and spiritual gossip about the afterlife over actual practices and practice of virtue. That is my problem. Spreading lies & misinterpretation. That’s not a casual matter.
I’ve met many seekers who relinquished everything to settle into ashrams only to slowly realise that the guru was not enlightened nor wise to begin with. He just needed your admiration and money. Many have left their homes in search of a Guru and never jet one, and remained in the hills because they feared facing their families again, that it was too late.
The betrayal.
It is unjust.
And don’t forget how many gurus we have uncovered who later turned out to be rapists and murderers. Remember Asaram? I grew up in a neighbourhood most of which worshipped him.
There are spiritual organisations (mainstream) which target young students in premier league colleges specifically looking for stressed out depressed naive students looking for guidance. Beware. The brainwash is so slow, you won’t even realise how you came to giving up on your professional dreams only to move to the ashram permanently as they brainwashed you into believing that this is the only path to renunciation and enlightenment. I’ve personally spoken to some of them, first hand, the victims I mean.
Beware, don’t follow their pop advice and ruin your life, certainly don’t move into a commercial ashram. You wont believe the politics, the distortion of truth and the hidden secrets of the organisation. Even human trafficking yes. It’s all linked. If you want to meditate. Meditate. Meditate in your home. You can meditate at a crowded mall too. All you need is a place to sit. Read books. We have Swami Vivekananda, Yogananda lessons mailed to your address, Shivananda books and the ashram in Rishikesh, Ramana Maharshi recorded teachings, Nisargdutta Maharaja. Read. And read some popular science books too. It’ll ground you into reality instead of useless metaphysical speculations. Do your practice quietly, tell no one.
To summarise:
- Don’t outsource your thinking.
- Don’t assume spiritual authority equals expertise in spiritual practices, psychology, medicine, law, finance, or every aspect of life.
- Read widely.
- Learn from multiple disciplines.
- Develop your own capacity for discernment.