GURUS & TEACHERS, SECTS & CULTS
A couple of reoccurring questions people have asked me lately;
Q: “Is it necessary to have a guru or teacher?”
Yes, because without someone who is consciously conscious of this formless state of presence, it is not possible to recognise it, without a direct experience of it. This then enables us to have the possibility to become consciously conscious of it also. The guru or teacher ignites our own inner guru or teacher that is laying dormant within oneself. This is no different from the guru or teacher’s own inner guru. This is a spiritual transmission that has been passed down through the ages & is known as: ‘The teaching without a teaching’ because it is not learnt through intellect but transmitted & recognised & understood by ones soul. Once the guru or teacher has ignited ones inner guru, ones intuitive wisdom & connection to source awakens to guide them.
Q: “How can we tell when we get involved with a spiritual practice, if it is a cult or sect?”
All organisations, institutions or assemblies of large groups most always have rules & protocols that people should follow so there can be order. Many times this is already an indication that there will be some type of dogmatism involved. Unfortunately most rules & regulations in these kind of places are made by ‘mans law’ which is flawed because it is built upon Ego.
With large groups, often things become standardised. This is the beginning of ‘one size fits all’ which goes against ‘existence primal example’; ‘There are no two snowflakes alike’ – each of us being very different as every individual snowflake. Or “we cannot walk our life in someone else’s shoes,” especially if their feet are much smaller than ours!
If a practice your involved with does not support your own uniqueness & difference or wants to change you into something that’s really not you. Or it becomes exclusive & encourages separation or division towards other groups or people, because one is supposedly better than the other, this is a bad sign. An authentic practice does not create separation but instead creates unity towards all manifestations of creation. This primal truth aligns us with the essence of creation which is oneness.
When we follow someone else, be it a Master or ideology because it is stated to be the ‘truth’ or the ‘Way’ but we don’t personally have a connection or verification from our own experience towards it, we become de-powered. The act of following & giving our energy to something that is not from within us but outside of us takes us away from ourself. A real Master or teacher makes one ‘independent’ & not ‘dependent’ whether it be to them or a teaching.
An authentic teaching will guide you back to yourself & let you discover yourself, so you can become your own Master which is empowering. It will also rid us of beliefs, ideologies & concepts which are the building blocks to which all stories -( fantasy, imagination) are built upon. This leaves us with a free & empty mind as our energy then drops down to become more heart centred. By this we begin to experience things more objectively with an open mind & open heart.
With love & respect, Panda Chi
