Guest Essay - "Bhakti Analysis"

[Guest guest]

Dear NDS and ,

 

Because of the recent threads on gurus and charismatic paths, I talked to a

very good and experienced friend of mine, Michael Rosker, about these

approaches. (NOTE: Michael is not on NDS or but does browse

the web). He had about 15 years' sincere and devoted experience in various

charismatic and bhakti paths, and later, came to the advaita/non-dualist

path. I asked Michael to offer some insights based on his long experience.

In a nutshell, he says that these paths, as they are sometimes practiced

in the U.S., *can* involve certain excesses that harm someone's

self-esteem, and might even depend on a previous lack of self-esteem in the

new devotee.

 

Since Michael pretty much hit just the high points in his essay below, I'll

fill in some details. He began the spiritual search in the late 70's

because of health problems. Over the years, he has been a very faithful

devotee of at least 4 famous schools with charismatic leaders. He also

spent time with a few individual gurus, while not as charismatic as other

teachers, nevertheless combine a bit of advaita philosophy with bhakti

practices and psychotherapeutic recommendations, or sometimes, just plain

psychological manipulation. During this time, about a decade-and-a-half,

he experimented, doing things like:

 

-all kind of diets: ayurvedic, macrobiotic, yogic, raw foods,

blood-type, vegan, vegetarianism, high-protein

 

-banging his left shoe on the ground to make the spiritual or

physical problem go away

 

-stopping having sex with his wife

 

-on retreats, digging 4-foot holes in frozen ground in mid-winter,

then immediately filling them back up

 

-meditating 6 hours a day

 

-chanting several thousand rounds a day to a personal,

very human guru

 

-never seeing the sun except on his way to work

 

-losing about 50 pounds (now he's healthier than ever,

but still skinny!)

 

For Michael himself, most of the time on these paths, he was miserable,

angry, or depressed. But for the last 2 years, he has been investigating

non-dualism. This started when he met a teacher who talked to him

person-to-person, as a peer, as though nothing needed fixing, acknowledging

that he's not a child, not broken, etc. With this great shot in the arm,

Michael's investigation continued until it came to the end of all

questions, the end of all answers. Now he's very happy, a loving and

radiant presence. People go to him for support, healing, help of all

kinds, and love. There's lots more to say, as Michael's a very good

friend. But I'll stop and let his essay speak for itself.

 

Love,

 

--Greg

 

 

Bhakti Analysis, by Michael Rosker

===================================

 

What is it that would make an intelligent, successful and educated person

abandon even his most fundamental common sense and accept a philosophy or

code of living that in any other situation would only be described as

stupid? In the bhakti tradition as it has been transplanted in the U.S.,

that is exactly what has happens. Normally, after spending a lifetime

fortressing oneself into a self imposed prison of self-indulgent misery one

comes across an experience of no limitation. After which, of course comes

the compulsion to have this experience to be permanent. The old way of

living, in comparison has become intolerable. At this point one is likely

to turn to a number of spiritual paths that make claims to fulfill this

longing. Since this newly born spiritual aspirant has no experience in the

metaphysical world, he is likely grant spiritual teacher liberties that he

would not normally even consider. From then on one could spend years

banging their left shoe in the dirt or prostrating themselves before a

number of 8x10 glossies. Or chanting every morning in Sanskrit, "If the

Lord Hari is angry, then the Guru protects you. But if the Guru is angry

with you, then no one can save you." This might all done in the name of

"purifying the mind."

 

But surprisingly enough, I haven't come across one legitimate case where

this has actually taken place. What it does do however, is to create a new

group of "low esteem children" who blindly follow whatever mommy or daddy

guru tells them. Now this is not as grim as it seems. There are indeed

wonderful benefits from this type of surrender. What I've discovered from

many bhakti's is that for the most part they seem to have some "healing

your inner child" agenda going on. Where this is concerned there can be

some great healing taking place. One can begin to feel the love, acceptance

and protection that had not been established early in life.

 

Currently, there is no provision in the Bhakti charter for graduation to

adulthood. If at some point in the aspirant's evolution these belief

systems come into question, he will be told one of many quasi poetic,

remotely metaphysical buzzwords to squash any attempted escape. One of

these might be "It is only the Ego that wants to know," or "It is beyond

the mind." Since low self-esteem is one of the prerequisites for becoming

a Bhakti, it will be difficult if nearly impossible to extricate oneself

from this self-deception on one's own steam.

 

In my own case, it took the help of a spiritual teacher named Francis

Lucille. This was the first time, after many years of earnest seeking where

someone of unquestionable realization had sat and spoken to me as an equal.

I remember after one of his talks, him sitting next to me on the rug,

talking for a half-hour while everyone else was socializing around us. The

experience was one where I couldn't be sure who was contributing what in

the conversation. It was literally contiousness speaking with itself. I

remember exclaiming aloud at the end of that evening that I had indeed

become an adult Now, this recognition was only the first step, enabling to

walk on my own two feet. There still was the task at hand to weed through

the many layers of misunderstandings and inferences that maintained the

jail cell I called Michael. Fortunately for me, I came across an

experienced gardener who had the insight to see beauty hidden behind the

overgrowth and had patience enough to yank them out of the ground, without

disturbing the flower.

 

--End--