Spiritual Teachers and Gurus
One of the most controversial and essential themes of spiritual development is the relationship between gurus and devotees, masters and chelas, teachers and students etc. This theme has been commented on at various places on this website and from various spiritual perspectives. On this page you will find the pro 's and the con 's from Sufism, Theosophy, Buddhism and Jiddu Krishnamurti.
- Can you feel the quality of a spiritual teacher?, Katinka Hesselink
- I got a book for review recently that I put down within a few minutes because it made me all jittery. A few days ago we had a spiritual teacher do a lecture at our local theosophical lodge, and he turned the room quiet. We didn't even have questions to last the full time set for that stuff.
- Spiritual teachings best fresh?, Katinka Hesselink
- I dreamt of fruit going bad last night, so I wonder: are spiritual teachings best 'consumed' fresh? What do you all think are classic spiritual books for instance of the same value as say the fresh teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, Eckhart Tolle and the Dalai Lama?
- When yoga increases stress: about the teacher, Katinka Hesselink
- Yoga is generally sold online and off as a great stress reliever. I can vouch for that: with the right teacher, yoga can be very healthy emotionally. I've often come away from a yoga class with a great big smile on my face that was certainly not there before.
- When are you ready to be a spiritual teacher?, Katinka Hesselink
- Two people recently made the same remark to me. They both complained that they weren't getting through to people. That they were getting negative responses to their spiritual path. They were rubbing people the wrong way.
- Messengers of the Masters or the Great White Brotherhood, Katinka Hesselink
- An anonymous reader asks my opinion on the Trans-Himalayan teachings, as they've been called, going from H.P. Blavatsky to Mabel Collins Cook to the Temple of the People to Agni Yoga to Alice Bailey etc.
- Caring for beginners a mistake? Katinka Hesselink
- Whether beginners are practicing virtues or not is their
problem not yours. Believe in no teachers, trust your own logic,
your own experiences, make your own mistakes, learn and grow.
Have a courageous attitude and be inwardly prepared to die.
That would be all nice and dandy if all I cared about was myself. But I also care about beginners. I care about what effect spiritual teachings have on other people. I care about whether people make themselves and others happy or sad. I care about a lot of things. And I don't feel I need to let go of that in order to 'grow spiritually' - and if I do, I'd rather not grow 'spiritually' at all. - The Mahatma Chela Relationship, by Katinka Hesselink (classic theosophy)
- Chelas and Lay Chelas, H.P. Blavatsky (classic theosophy)
- Relating
to a Spiritual Teacher: Building a Healthy Relationship,
Alexander Berzin (free ebook, external website, Buddhism)
- Quotes by Blavatsky, the Mahatmas and W.Q. Judge on Mahatmas. (classic theosophy)
- More from Esoteric Studies Guide :(classic theosophy)
- Chelas (students or devotees) (classic theosophy)
- Mahatmas (gurus or teachers of occultism) (classic theosophy)
- Many disciples like to think of their teacher as perfect, Robert Frager (sufism)
- The Functions of the Sufi Lineage, Robert Frager (sufism)
- Occult Status, Hugh Shearman
(theosophy)
- A Curriculum of a School, Idries Shah (claims sufi inspiration)
- False Masters in Sufism, Idries Shah (claims sufi inspiration)
- On Masters and the Path, Jiddu Krishnamurti
- On Authority, Jiddu Krishnamurti
- A conversation with Andrew Cohen on teachers, enlightenment, practicing what you preach etc.
Pro
Con
April 2012: On my position in the theosophical world and the future of this site.