Guruism Introduction

General Characteristics of Modern Guru Movement

Gurus have been with us for a long time

Today they have become popular

Verities of people bow before them

Guruism is now a worldwide force

Guruism is a struggle for cultural independence in India and

It is a struggle for counter culture in the west.

India - Cultural independence:  guruism may be revival of Indian culture

West- there was catholic theology, the protestant reformation and humanist enlightenment.

In this context the west was searching for something new.

That was the time guruism came.

Meaning of Guru:

Gur – u  i.e. he tortures, kills or eats up the ignorance of his disciples, elevates or makes efforts to elevate his character and ultimately leads him to the path of salvation.

The word Guru is not in the Vedas because mainly sacrifices

In the Upanishad the idea of guru developed. Here it means the one who gives religious instruction.

In puranas and Tantra guru is the inventor of a sect or creed . thus became important.

There was Kabir, Gurunananak, nine gurus and Adi granth takes the place of guru.

Many considers guru as god i.e. god-man

Five sociological factors that produced guruism in India:

The nature of Aryan education: Brahmachariya, total, slavish acceptance of what was

 taught.

Esoteric character of Indian religions: Upanishad – secret knowledge,

Class system (Brahmin dominance): Brahmanism was replaced by guruism. Four

            castes became two: initiated and the non-initiated

Authoritarian structure of Indian family

Repressive Puritanism of Indian society: strict segregation of sexes. Here gurus had sex

            with devotees.

Important factors in the west:

Since Swami Vivekananda there was respectability to Hinduism

There was an intellectual vacuum after rejecting isms and Christianity.

Erosion of religious authority: failure of Christianity to the demand of the time

            (intellectual)

            Enlightenment, science, naturalistic humanism or secularism.

Reaction to hollow materialism

Frustration with futile reactionism: need to escape from the world

Disillusionment with barren rationalism

            Rationalism could not answer all questions in life.

The intellectual impulses behind Guruism:

 Epistemology is science of knowledge

            Indian gurus spoke of silence

The Indian gurus have filled the vacuum created by the epistemological crisis of the west.

From physics to  monism, idealism, irrationalism (truth is irrational or super rational).

From Biology to Mysticism –consciousness

From psychology to Vedanta- Guru has become an eastern substitute for a

            Psychoanalyst

From para-psychology to gurus i.e. powers of extra sensory perception and action to

            Siddhis

From ecology to pantheism

Differences between old and new gurus: