Fanatical worship
“Ananda said to the Buddha: “I think there has never been a teacher as great as you, nor will there ever be one as great in the future.”
The Buddha asked: “Have you known all the awakened ones, the buddhas of the past?”
“No, Honored One.”
“And are you able to know all the buddhas of the future?”
“No, Honored One.”
“Then I suppose you do know this awakened one’s mind completely?”
“No, Honored One, I do not even know your mind completely.”
“Then how can you make such a bold statement? It is better to talk what you know than to speculate foolishly.”
– Majjhima Nikaya
There are many such examples around the world. People seeing there guru/savior/god as the most developed person that ever existed. Usually, such blinding viewpoint can hinder a person to get to a knowledge of reality and truth, because they are locking themselves in a very limiting mindset that is ruled by illusion.
Lovely teaching. At one point in my path I was on a path that involved a formal guru/teacher relationship, and in that setting there was a value to perceiving my teacher as a deity type being because he became a doorway to my own seeing…but he was careful to help us see that this was a tool, a practice, not reality…and now that he is long gone, I find it so illuminating and helpful to never think I know where someone is at, because then I am always open to learning, from even the most unexpected places/people…otherwise, the door becomes shut.
Thanks for sharing your story mommymystic. I find that recognizing the development of our teacher is not so much of a problem, actually it’s even very beneficial to know that because then we know how much value we can put on their words. The problem I find is making “the one and only” out of them, and making them the center of one’s own existence.
Wow, this is kinda what I was searching for. Thanks!