Note from Guru Kurt: I introduced a number of new ideas to Mr. Kazlev, none of which he would admit were new. It's all been said before, apparently. If so, as I said, then there is no more for me to do! One of the new ideas was that illumination is not the end of the road, but only the beginning of a long successful spiritual career leading at last to the astral realms at the end of the solar cycle. There are degrees of illumination, but once a person is illumined he is guaranteed illumination in all succeeding lives, deeper, richer and fuller, with more bliss, more wisdom, and greater mental freedom. With the Self in full control, illumined persons dive deeper and deeper into Brahman's nature in succeeding lives. At first, they are so overwhelmed by their own inner light that they can even conclude that they are the Avatar, as many have done. The greatest illumined teachers know themselves better than this; they recognize the inherent power of the Avatar, who is of a different order of being from all mankind. Eknath Easwaran was such an advanced teacher, who was illumined at least four times, in three previous lives and in the current life as well.
Dear Alan,
Apparently you and I both use our middle names. You can call me Kurt.
I was waiting for you to call me on finding fault with the teachers that are around today. This is an obvious criticism. In fact, in my last e-mail I agreed with Meher Baba that one should diminish the faults of others and magnify one’s own. However, this is true only for the spiritual aspirant. After attaining nirvikalpa samadhi, one is free to speak as one chooses. I choose to speak against these teachers, and I do so for the sake of the world. The errors I have pointed out are not negligible, but lead people astray and cause misery. I am against misery in all its forms, therefore I must bend my efforts to return people to the Avatars as their true guiding lights, with the illumined teachers as proximate lights.
You must understand the experience of illumination is confusing at first to all humans that pass through it. An incredible change takes place in personality. They attain almost superhuman modes of thinking, and they may attain supernatural powers. They suddenly find themselves almost god-like in comparison with those around them. As they begin teaching, at first they are usually humble. After a while, though, they can lose their way and begin to think they really are gods. Eknath Easwaran never fell prey to this delusion, but Da Free John, Sai Baba, and Meher Baba have. It is wrong to assert that one is an Avatar when this is not the case. It leads the people down a wrong path, one that will cause them suffering. Jesus stated that many false teachers would come, claiming to be him. By asserting they are Avatars, these men fit this description.
My assertion is that the teachings of true Avatars are impeccable, but the teachings of illumined souls are flawed. If you would be so kind, perhaps you could find a teaching of one of the Avatars: Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed, Chaitanya, Ramakrishna, that is in error. On the other hand, if you can find a passage in one of the illumined mens’ teachings with whom I have “found fault” that is perfect, then my argument is proven false. I reserve the right to see the complete context if you find a passage containing truth, since as I have said these men are often able to go for several paragraphs without error.
If this is too much work, I understand. I hope however that my position is clear: the divine mind of an Avatar, who is the personification of earth’s Creator, does not present flaws in it’s teachings. The teachings of illumined men are flawed, in subtle ways not easy to detect. This is important because people following an illumined teacher alone, especially when that teacher claims falsely to be the Avatar, are harmed in their spiritual progress. God is not pleased when people are hampered in this way. There is a tremendous responsibility that goes with being a spiritual teacher, because people’s long-term happiness depends on receiving correct guidance and instruction. Only the Avatar, who sees the true nature of the human soul, can give flawless instruction. Illumined teachers can inspire, but the real truth about the human soul and life on earth is the province of Avatars alone.
I’ll include Eknath Easwaran’s quote here again, and then discuss it:
I think this is the greatest tragedy that can happen to a human being, when
a man or woman loses sight of the vision that all young people have by
virtue of their innocence and gets caught in the feverish obsession with
personal satisfaction that is the driving force behind our modern
civilization. It's not that they want to bring sorrow on others or to ignore
their highest values; it's just that consciousness fills up with the needs
of "number one." My spiritual teacher, my grandmother, was an unlettered
villager, but she knew how to put the truths of life into simple words. She
used to tell me, "Don't make demands on life that life cannot fulfill." It
took me decades to understand just that one sentence. In my opinion,
millions of people are unhappy, insecure, frustrated, even desperate,
because they are making demands on life that are impossible for life to
fulfill. Life cannot give happiness to a selfish person; it is impossible.
Life cannot give security to a self-willed person; it is impossible.
The second half of this paragraph, beginning with “My spiritual teacher, my grandmother…” is absolutely perfect. Every word is true, and it is an excellent example of how an illumined teacher can use his “light” as you call it to illustrate spiritual truths. This is proper teaching. He is working to the best of his ability and drawing upon his own personal experience of life. He has succeeded in eloquently inspiring his listeners to lead more selfless lives, which will lead to their long-term happiness.
The problem, and it is a very subtle one, is in the first half of the paragraph. It is not true that all young people have a selfless vision of life based on their innocence, then fall. They are already fallen to begin with, as stated in the Christian tradition. The tendencies of so-called innocent children are deeply embedded in their souls, and determine the directions they will travel in life. They may look innocent, but they are busy externalizing the tendencies that they have developed over many millions of lifetimes in evolution. The current situation of the world is new to them as children; they do not as yet have a “game-plan” for acquiring prestige and power. But they are developing this plan, even from infanthood. In adults, this plan is concretized, and this is what Easwaran mistakenly calls the “loss of ideals.” People are trapped from inside, by their own karmic proclivities, not from the outside. When this happens to everyone in the society, it can seem like people are not the true cause of their own problems, whereas they truly are.
Easwaran’s words still have a beneficial effect, although they are not entirely accurate. As souls immersed in the transmigratory process of evolution, adults are more advanced than they were as children regardless of what choices they make. All spirits move forward and grow. It is a simple question of how fast, and in what direction. As children, people have some freedom to make choices that they lose as adults. If they are able to inculcate selfless ideals, especially from an illumined teacher, they can slowly change their inborn tendencies inherited from past births. They will grow faster in life, and this always results in a greater portion of joy. They will grow in correct directions, with good moral character and valuing the happiness of the whole world. This is an example of how a teacher to whom illumination is not a “fresh” experience but one that he has been through over many lives, is able to really help people. The appearance of an Avatar is rare. Contact with illumined persons is a beneficial alternative for humanity.
As you say, truth is different for everyone, and every soul travels according to its own lights. However, a soul that does not understand its own nature can cause itself and all those around incredible pain and misery, because it’s version of truth does not reflect the reality of its inner nature. Even a murderer is often convinced he is right. An Avatar comes in from outside this process and shows the true path to happiness and joy and away from misery, because he knows the human soul inside and out. He prescribes a divine plan for the soul, so that people have a choice. They can follow their selfish tendencies, their own way in the world, as they used to do when in animal bodies. Or, they can use their human rational faculty to choose wisely and ensure their happiness in this life and in lives to come. There is no doubt that illumined teachers play a vital role in man’s spiritual evolution. They point out the path to man, but while their fingers point up, they do not point straight up, as does an Avatar’s. Top
Sincerely,
Kurt