What to do when you meet a guru
In Reverse Therapy we teach people that no one is wiser than anyone else. That the only expert that there can be on your life is you. Bodymind and your Personal Geniusshould be your sole teachers (along with those very few partners and friends who understand both). Gurus are people who claim to know more about how you should live your life than you do yourself. Some of them have good advice to give; most do not. And even those who know something you don't may not know an awful lot of things that you do. But the worst problem is that many gurus are, in fact, undesirables. Like:
Gandhi (Bully, Nazi-supporter)
Gurdjieff (Alcoholic/food addict)
Stalin (Alcoholic)
Adolf Hitler (Sexual pervert)
Mao-Zedong (Sadist)
L. Ron Hubbard (Sexual abuser)
The Maharishi (Sex pest)
Osho (Sex addict - also had unresolved Chronic fatigue syndrome)
Charles Manson (Murderer)
Jim Jones (Sex addict).
The list isn't just restricted to these famous names. There are many therapists, self-help experts and politicians out there with similar attitudes. I also know of a few famous (and not so well-known) gurus still alive whose private activities have little to do with their preachings.
If you set someone else up as your guide to life then you are giving away your power, your self-respect and your mind. You are forcing yourself to wear somebody else's spectacles. You may even have become a member of the herd that follows that particular leader. I have written before about how slavery can be bad for your personal health.in another post - Murderous obedience - I described how psychological experiments have mapped out the steps through which exaggerated respect for authority can lead to murder. When you deliver your judgment over to a guru, you are also creating an idol out of that person. And glossing over the fact that that person will be at least as much screwed-up and (sometimes) clueless as you are.in a way that is different from you but just as real.
But the problems that Gurus have as human beings is really by the way as far as you are concerned. The problems they have belong to them, not to you. Your mission in life is to work to reduce your own personal weaknesses while at the same time fulfilling your mission for being here. And no one else can show you how to do that. Here are some useful clues that will help you spot a guru: Claims to have access to a special revelation denied to other people Is always right Tries to look different to everybody else (flowing robes and uniforms are a favourite) Has some weird ideas, mingled with some common-sense ones Claims to have unique powers denied to the rest of us Talks a lot about spirituality and/or her god-given mission Claims to be saving people from bad forces Complete inability to laugh at himself Works hard at putting across a 'charismatic' personality Will never talk about her private life When criticised will either get very aggressive or condescending with you And here's what to do if one of them comes on to you (RUN):
Watch the Mike Myers' movie, The Love Guru (3 times), before parting with your money, your virginity, or your sanity. This will also help recover your sense of humor.
Hire a private detective to find out more about their private life
When they start to preach, laugh (they will conclude either that you are an idiot or a competitor, and will lose interest either way).
Ask lots of questions. And go on questioning the answers you get.
Keep reminding yourself that no one can know more about your life - and its unique problems and experiences - than you do.
Trust in your Personal Genius.
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