There is an article on Dandavats that any aspiring devotee would be well advised to read. It starts slowly and is philosophically weighty at the beginning, but once it gets wound up it really starts hitting some nails on the head:
When guru worship gets sentimental
The author mentions 4 aspects of sentimental guru worship:
Wanting to get noticed.
My guru is the best.
Imitating the guru.
Over-glorifying the guru.
Although the author doesn’t use the term, this would be a good enumeration of the symptoms of what in some devotee circles is referred to as “Guru as rock star.”
December 21, 2007 at 12:13 pm
good article – no mention of the ‘my guru can beat up your guru’ syndrome though.
we need more insightful stuff like this on the net. it really helps the sankirtana mission to move forward in realistic terms i think.
December 21, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Yes, good theory alone is not sufficient — it needs to be in concert with reality.