what are some of all your favorite teachings of people,-(indian teachings and such, eastern philosophies) such as philosophies, ways of life..i just love learning new ways of thinking and such, but I can't seem to find someone that makes me want to read everything they write..any suggestions? What I mean, what i'm looking for..is someone to look up to, a spiritual worldwide leader to read on, learn about..
well the only man born in india that i would ever trust would be gandi, most guru's are fake, maybe even all of them. hinduism is kind of an opourtunistic religion, so the indian guru's will spout off all this nonsense about how things are, and tell you that they are enlightened and that you need them to be enlightened, but thats usually just the carrot to dangle infront of the horse. i prefer toaist philosophers, because they didnt like students or followers, because they take up too much of your time to enjoy life, wheras hindu gurus tend to want more followers to control and exploit. so loa-tzu, chaun-tze, and leih-tze are my favorite of them. i also find henry david theroua and jesus to be big influences on me, as well as bob marely and jerry garcia. edit: oh and although im no leader, you can always look up to me, cus im a man just like any other man ever on this earth, and i follow a spiritual path.
You already know I look up to you ah, how I adore you've grouped one of americas most admirable transcendentalist poets with a guitarist from the dead, and a man who smoked too much pot ( if such a thing ) so you're saying that you prefer taoist belifs and ideas because their 'gurus' or teachers don't WANT you to follow them, then?..I fear I'm a bit lost in this
would you want thousands of people following you where ever you went. no of course not. cus youre a good person. and you see no need in it. someone who wants followers just wants to live like a king and exploit people. theres nothing enlightened about that. thats pure babylon.
it may be self indulgent..or, it may be devotion. A higher devotion they feel which transcends explotation. You mentioned gandhi..gandhi had followers, hundreds of them..so does that make him a 'guru who is simply trying to expoit someone through enlightenment'?
he had them .. but did he want them? he also didnt clame enlightenment or transcendence. there were actually numerous cults started in the 60's 70' 80's 90's by gurus who quickly became kings, while thier followers lives were ruined, children stolen or exploited, and i dont think anyone following them ever reached a higher spiritual existance.
you can't quite box all 'enlightened gurus' into one category of trying to exploit, or ruin anyone because of a few bad cases. What about Ram Dass? What about Ravi Shankar? Each men are wonderful leaders with wonderful spiritual belifs who have yet to exploit or ruin the lives of masses. perhaps gandhi didn't claim enlightenment, of course he didn't for that matter; but neither did most gurus..it's nothing to be claimed, it's something that may or may not come to someone..and it's the followers choice to follow, deciding whether or not they think their guru can take them to new heights.
Ravi Shankar is not a guru, but a musician. As to claims of enlightenment on the part of gurus - if they didn't claim enlightenment, it's hard to see how they could ever become gurus.
"Ravi Shankar is not a guru, but a musician. As to claims of enlightenment on the part of gurus - if they didn't claim enlightenment, it's hard to see how they could ever become gurus." ...........From BBB Hare Krishna! Dear BBB, Both of SurfipeE and you are right but there is a little misunderstanding. While you remembered the great musician(Pundit Ravi Shankar), SurfipeE actually meant the great living Yogi, Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, the creator of the famous teachings, "The Art of Living". As to the second part, whether a rose claims its identity or not the fragrance it emits pulls us towards it and we proclaim the greatness of the flower. Love, Kumar.
One of the greatest Gurus in India was Sri Rmana Maharishi. He never claimed anything, he never asked for students. He lived his life in a cave in Arunachala hill. People would come and visit him and he would occasionally speak a few words to them. His greatest teaching was in silence. Even in his later years when they built and ashram and asked him to live in it, he would not eat without making sure that the 100s of devotees who came ate before him. He had to be begged to actually sit on a couch instead of a slab of stone, because he wanted to avoid all comforts. Look at Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. His presence spoke for itself. His greatness was manifest in everything he said and did. He never had to make claims of enlightenment. Truly spiritual people were drawn to him automatically. When people approach you with love, wether it is 1 person or hundreds, if their love is sincere and true, it would be a very hard hearted man who turned them away. Yes there are fakers, they get caught out eventually. And also, who are you to make value judgements about whether anybody else reached a higher state or not? How do you know? And I would think twice about looking up to someone who tells me not to follow other people, they are all cheaters and fakes, but you can look up to me. A truly spiritual person sees the good things in everybody and does not make such judgements as you are making. What is the use of being spiritual if you cannot show respect for others? What is spiritual about such wanton criticism?
Oh and SurfHipE, in answer to your question... I would suggest Swami Chinmayananda, his writing style is very crisp and scientific, but also very expressive and beautiful. Pramahamsa Yogananda is much more poetic, another wonderful writer. Swami Rama Tirtha (www.ramatirtha.org his books are out of print, but available on the site) was a magnificent and inspiring speaker, his words are an eternal fountain of joy. Others I would reccomend are Swami Vivekananda, Eknath Easwaran and Sri Aurobindo.
I've enjoyed Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (I Am That) and David Frawley (Beyond the Mind). U. G. Krishnamurti (Mind is a Myth) would probably blow your mind, though. Osho is always a joy, J. Krishnamurti may appeal to the intellectual. Reading Swami Vivekananda's 'Speeches & Writings' on Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa can be a little tidious, though. I would suggest "I am That" - it's a nice read: ibid.
You're the first person I know that thought Swami Vivekananda is tedious. He was a wonderfully inspiring writer and a very very powerful speaker. One of the greatest saints in the history of HInduism.
Jiddu Krishnamurti and Allan Watts are two of the most unique individuals of our age. Particularly Jiddu Krishnamurti. He is simple and direct.
I would like to think of Krishnamurti as a fellow who explored with you. Not a guru He never would have liked such a title.
I would also like to think of him in this way. There's no doubt he would not consider himself a guru. Thanks for pointing this out. I love Krishnamurti.
To the original poster, I would suggest reading Jivamukti Yoga by Sharron Gannon and David Life. It gives a great overview of the philosophy and science of Yoga including the relationships between Guru and devotee. I would also recomend Autobiography of a Yogi, written by Paramahansa Yogananda.
I would qualify a guru as a good guru if he is in search of knowlegde instead of followers. you're task as a guru is to find wisdom right? how can someone be in search of true wisdom if he WANTS followers to listen to what he has got to say? if you are in search of followers rahter than wisdom you're probably in search of power, controling fellow human-beings. and that has nothing to do with wisdom, right?
