quote:
The contradiction of corruption and enlightenment (as in Rajneesh's case) can occur because the individual is only the lens of enlightenment, not the source of cosmic power itself. The enlightened only allow universal energy to pass through them unblocked, untouched, and uncontaminated. In a way, no one ever really becomes enlightened personally.
Hi Near,
I tend to agree with the views put forward in what you quote.
I'd also add that many different things are meant by the word 'enlightened'. So people have to be careful to get their particular notions right, or in agreement with those of the people with whom they are speaking.
It is important that we, as a species, "grow up" about our spiritual teachers. They aren't perfect, and they should be
expected to make mistakes. We should be smart enough to throw their mistakes away and pick out what is best from them. And
they should be in a process of continually learning their mistakes and, at best,
telling us about them. But
almost all of them prefer to cultivate the greater awe that gullible people hold them in if they appear more infallible. In so many cases, when mistakes are made by the teachers and they figure them out, they are covered up and the past is rewritten to continue to cultivate the impression of infallibility. Note that this may happen even if infallibility is
officially denied --- impressions of infallibility can be inculcated and cultivated while it is officially denied, so official denial of infallibility is no proof of being mischief-free in this regard.
Thinking that they will be absolutely perfect, correct and wise in everything causes two major problems. One, when if the teacher lives in an environment in which people don't call him/her on his errors, he almost always eventually goes Cuckoo and the whole Sangha starts to dysfunction.
The other problem is that people operating from the mistaken point of view that teachers will be perfect and right always, when they do eventually see the imperfections, may tend to throw away the teachings of that teacher as a whole and go on looking for some other (nonexistent) perfect teacher. And so jewels are needlessly thrown away.
Here is an interesting lesson from Yogani on the topic:
http://www.aypsite.com/plus/260.htmlSo I see Rajneesh as being a very gifted yogi who can give you a lot of good material if you know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Morally, he seems to have become very corrupt for whatever reasons, and got worse and worse. So I would say we can make use of the best of him but must not imitate his worst, whatever we do.
>>> The contradiction of corruption and enlightenment (as in Rajneesh's case) can occur because the individual is only the lens of enlightenment, not the source of cosmic power itself. The enlightened only allow universal energy to pass through them unblocked, untouched, and uncontaminated
I think that is very nicely put. Buried inside the errors discussed there you can find the myth of Lucifer (which means light-bearer). Once Lucifer started thinking that he (not God) was the source of his glory he, well, he really started .... well, going to hell.
Note, ironically, on the last day of his life, Rajneesh is supposed to have said 'My body has become a hell for me'.
Likewise, as people become illuminated light-bearers, there is a temptation that there will be a residual sense that they (individually) are the source of the light. And that sense (if unchecked) can become a great source of darkness.
Best regards,
-David