Reading through your confused "rap" you also seem to imply that I am a spiritual teacher? I'll make a deal with you - you estimate how much money I have made as a spiritual teacher, how many followers I have, how many spiritual books I've written, how many people I've converted to my point of view, and how many satsangs I've led, and I'll tell you how full of it you are. Deal? :-)
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <curtisdeltablues@> > wrote: > > > > oops that's time....that does it for this session, please > > get your credit cards out if you want to purchase any of > > my lecture series on your way out, if you don't have any > > of them yet I can recommend "I Know You Don't Know You > > are Broke, That is Why The Universe Sent ME To Fix You." > > This is what I've rapped about in the past, the > standard "career path" of spiritual practice. You > practice, you realize something that you consider > to be realization or awakening or enlightenment, > and then you hang up a shingle and "go into the > family business" yourself. > > While it is possible (if you believe these people > have actually "achieved" something of value) to > view what they do by going into business as spir- > itual teachers as "benefiting others," I think it > is also possible to view it as ego, and a form of > constant ego reinforcement. That is, their spiel > can be seen as "I have achieved something, or claim > that I have. This makes me better than you, because > you haven't achieved it. It is therefore my 'job' > to convince you that you *need* to achieve it, > otherwise you will never be as cool as I am." > > Think I'm kidding? Jim recently said essentially > this, after "seeing" that I have no interest in > "becoming liberated." (Even though I've said as > much many times.) His response seemed to me to > be coming from a place of total ego, and from an > assumed position of superiority. It's as if he > cannot even *conceive* of anyone who doesn't > claim to be all realized like him as his equal. > > Another instance of this on this forum is how > MZ views what he does as "missionary work." He > is preaching to the poor, deluded people who > still believe in the enlightenment metaphor, > and trying to convince them (for their own good, > of course) to climb on board the Jesus Bang Bus. > Again, the metaphor is "Be like me." > > What's up with this? Is there really some side > effect of realization or awakening or enlighten- > ment or whatever you want to call it (I call it > "terminal narcissism") that makes people such > egomaniacs that they feel *entitled* to try to > convert people to their way of thinking, and > make them "more like me?" > > Seems to me that this assumption is so widespread > across the spiritual smorgasbord that it's like > the elephant in the room -- everybody takes it so > for granted that no one even talks about it. And > most people take it so for granted, and have become > so convinced over the years by the things these > "become like me" teachers have told them that they > assume that they ARE broken, and *need* fixing. And > of course, as we all know, the only thing that can > fix them is finding the right teacher. And so the > assumption perpetuates itself forever. > > The reason there aren't more spiritual teachers > who say "You're NOT broken, and nothing about you > needs to change" IMO is that almost none of them > actually believe it. They look at the world and > assume that anyone who isn't like them and who > doesn't believe the things they do ARE broken. > "They 'have' to be. If they were whole, they'd > think like me." > > Bzzzzzzt. Seems to me that the people in need in > this scenario are the ones who try to convince > others that they need *them*. Without an audience, > the teachers are revealed to be what they really > are -- ordinary, and no more "advanced" or better > than anyone else. > > Have you ever watched a spiritual teacher (or a > wannabee one, like on this forum) try to give up > teaching? It's like a junkie going cold turkey. >
