Quote
Steve
I have always thought that the guru syndrome is poisonous, both for gurus and followers, particularly outside the traditional context of India. The guru syndrome leads to unthinking wholesale devotion. It's rooted in a psychological regression to the pre-egoic devotion of a young child to their parents, with a desire to abdicate responsibility and hand it all over to the guru.
It doesn't lead to enlightenment, just to infantile narcissism. The oneness that disciples may feel is just equivalent to the oneness that a baby feels with its mother. And for the guru, this mindless devotion leads to ego-inflation. The guru really starts to believe that they are perfect, even that they are divine. And it all ends in disaster - unethical behaviour, hierarchy, exploitation, psychological disorder. The best thing a spiritual teacher can do is to avoid guru worship. And the best thing a spiritual seeker can do is to avoid gurus.
Thank you, Steve, whoever you are. You have really hit the nail on the head. And thank you, Ananas, for bringing this insightful analysis to our attention.