Misconception Of The Role Of Guru Posted in: The Spiritual Journey

I joined the Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON) in the early 1980s, shortly after the passing of founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta swami (aka Srila Prabhupada), and lived through the turmoil of several fallen ‘successor’ gurus. I was a member for 15 years and therefore feel entitled to opinion on the subject matter of Guru misconception. At the same time, please note that all that follows is just my personal opinion, and as such I am not going to hide behind cherry-picked quotes from guru/sadhu/shastra, as if I am not just expressing my personal subjective insights. …

Fear vs Love Posted in: The Spiritual Journey

If I’m pursuing a spiritual path, a reasonable question is why? What is my motive? What are my motives? For example, am I motivated primarily by fear or love, or by something else? Perhaps I’m in a state of transition between fear and love, and if so, is that a comfortable experience?

Although I believe choosing to embark upon a journey of spiritual awakening is always a divine prerogative – I suspect in the early stages it may be that faith in beliefs centred around fear serve one ‘better’ than those centred around love. …