Spiritual scandals

The price you pay for fame and recognition is heavy. Especially if you happen to be in the field of religious or spiritual education. Stories about gurus involved in scandals whose subjects range from sex to money, are hardly unusual. Are the stories justified? Do they prove the person concerned, guilty? No one knows for sure.

Osho was probably the most notorious of the lot and has been a puzzle to everybody except the most devout of his followers. He was capable of moving people to tears when he spoke. He dared to speak his mind on subjects which many gurus prefer to leave untouched, such as sex or money. But then he spoke of freedom and in the same breath encouraged rules and regulations which were suffocating. He spoke of how important it was to keep the mind empty and at the same time owned at least 14 Mercedez Benz. (Does a person who truly lives in the moment and whose mind is devoid of possessiveness, really want to own that many cars!) And like many other spiritual leaders Osho too was implicated in scandals relating to sexual abuse and even suicide among his followers.

So when I posted something on up and coming American guru Andrew Cohen I wasn’t in the least surprised to read the comment which followed it, presumably by a disappointed disciple leading me to a site which provides plenty of information on the down side of Cohen’s character. Are the things they say about him true? Has he been falsely implicated? Who knows. I certainly don’t intend to play judge here. I came across what he wrote, found it interesting and decided to share it on this blog. That I dont plan to take sides is clear from the fact that comments are permitted from readers and are not subject (as yet!) to any censorship.

It is just that sometimes you read what a person has said and get the feeling that his words convey something to you. They touch you perhaps, they make sense, something falls into place. As Hope wrote in her comment on the last blog, making a genuine transition to a new level demands that you leave much of the old learning behind, that you leave the ego behind and often gurus who attempt to do this are torn down by the rest of society. On the other hand it might be that the spiritual leader who sounds wise on paper or in a talk is not able to put his words into practice and ends up taking advantage of his followers. The question in that case, is, does that make his words any less true?

There are musicians who produce songs or symphonies capable of melting your heart and which lead to states of higher consciousness. Knowing that the person who composed or sang a particularly moving piece of music was an asshole, doesn’t really affect the quality of a song, a symphony, a raga or whatever.

It’s one of life’s mysteries and not something which I think I can hope to solve. The bottom line is simply, keep your eyes and ears open and take from life whatever is genuine and what helps you to understand yourself. Above all it helps not to sit in judgement over others.

(If you are really interested in gathering more info on Andrew Cohen's character, check out Sophya’s comment on the last blog.)