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by Robert Priddy Here I outline a many-sided system of control over persons exercised by gurus, swamis, godmen/women, saints, masters, avatars or whatever otherworldly title such people assume. The main core of the system is the same for nearly deceitful and more or less fraudulent gurus, but also in part at least for many of those who are well-intentioned and generally honest. There are many techniques and refinements, though the actual roles adopted by gurus - the social scenarios and personal stories developed to back them up - vary considerably. The likenesses between most competing masters and gurus, their teachings and methods of instruction, are often so striking that there can be little doubt that they draw upon a common culture which holds beliefs and skills which serve to control and exploit people to the guru's advantage. This culture has been developed and extended in certain religions over millennia, most often originating in India, where the guru-devotee relationship is so ancient and widespread. What I call the "guru trap" is one of the most successful systems of exploiting people, often having a very positive and convincing facade, behind which there is almost always a concealed desire for power over others, fame, money and the unhindered satisfaction of the guru's human desires. The same themes are used to control and gain power over others, whether with kind or selfish intent, but their presentation and use varies from the simplistic to the very most sophisticated and subtle kinds of indoctrination, up to outright ‘brainwashing’. There is no guarantee that an intellectual sceptic or a scientist will see through the many-layered ideology and phenomena which can be involved. An august line-up of scientists and other intellectual workers have been drawn to many gurus. Fortunately, after many years of adherence, some have disaffiliated themselves, having gone through the charade and seen it for what it is. THE BAIT IN THE TRAP The guru-trap is always baited with the attraction of personal spiritual development, transformational and transcendental experiences and teachings beyond conventional education of any kind. It is invariably presented as eternal (but hidden) wisdom direct from the source of all knowledge, especially the kind of illumination that cannot be conveyed by mere words and study. Insights handed down by word-of-mouth via a guru figure have accumulated many methods of control and manipulation of persons. These reach back to an ancient Indian priesthood and the ideology entwined with esoteric texts regarded as scriptures. This tradition does enable acolytes to experience things they would otherwise very seldom do, and to attain certain yogic or Tantric powers of the mind and body. The master is a person who knows how to treat each individual to advantage, to mould each kind of psyche towards specified ends (often his own). The student or disciple must thus - through protracted experience - become free of all doubts about and full of respect for him or her. As one's insight into the spiritual life apparently develops through the guru's grace (i.e. His Grace, God's grace direct from - or via - the master) - one should learn to worship him unreservedly. The techniques of suggestion, psyche-manipulation, emotional-mental brainwashing, hypnosis, and the use of rewards and punishments are part of the master's armoury. Knowledge of unusual states of mind and body are employed, including what are called 'para-psychological' phenomena. Such phenomena are reported so extremely widely throughout history and human cultures - and especially within Hinduism - that they cannot be denied as such, but the explanation of how the various states come about may be quite non-mystical. Here I take no definitive standpoint on this broad issue, but withhold judgement, while observing that the latest genuinely scientific researches are beginning to explain the most unusual states of mind, from waking visions (UFOs, abductions etc.) to thought transference (also in dreams) and various unusual healing phenomena. AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY CULTS However much they propound their inclusion of all peoples, religions, races etc., these groups are always actually exclusive of those who do not agree with them sufficiently, so dividing their world into 'us and them'. Cult members often call one another 'brother' or 'sister', which they do not extend to others. The unavoidable inner tensions and negative feelings within such authoritarian personality cults are redirected outwards, projecting negative qualities onto 'non-believers'. The disaffected who may speak out critically are mostly shunned, depersonalized and even demonized by the cult members. The result of this is eventual withdrawal into a sectarian sense of belonging and social cohesion in the face of the perceived outside threat. The perception may be correct, as sects and cults are under threat from the legal systems of the world, ordinary sensibilities and not least, the disaffected who reject the authority and any misuse of power by the guru and his supporters. Such misuses have been uncovered in practically all known sects and cults historically, and continue to be exposed in them in an ever more effective manner today. Authoritarian power over the participants of groups of any size and spread requires a hierarchy through which the guru can operate. There always arises an inner circle and an outer one, whether formal with the organised rankings of followers or by informal or 'unofficial' rating as to who is most convinced, more active or important to the status of the group. This frequently takes the shape of some kind of 'spiritual class system' with a top-down system decision-making and communication. This is traditionally justified by the guru's wisdom in choosing his lieutenants and leading disciples or representatives, a wisdom which must never be questioned. To echo George Orwell, the dominant attitude in the ashrams and the organisations in theory and practice is, "All devotees are equal, but some are more equal than others." This pseudo-equality is a strong feature of ‘spiritual’ and religious organizations, which are virtually always hierarchical with an un elected leadership (selected directly by the guru) and often rigorous discipline embodied in the rules and other directives. A typical example of this is seen in the authoritarian role of the self-proclaimed mother and father of all beings, Sathya Sai Baba, who insists that 'All are God', but says that only he is fully aware of this. Hence, he accepts being worshipped (as God) and insists on being obeyed implicitly in everything like the strictest of parents, and he has a rigorous set of organisational hierarchical rules to ensure this! FAME, MONEY & POWER-SEEKING GURUS What can be observed of a great many self-proclaimed gurus and masters of all kinds, unfortunately, is that they preach about how one should act, but do not follow up in their own actions, or even do the exact opposite. One consequence of this steel-hard perfectionism is well known from world literature on many fundamentalist sects is that followers never can maintain the standard set and so become enmeshed in diverse levels of hypocrisy. Those gurus or 'masters' who collect a following to teach and who require obedience to themselves are suspect. The greater the efforts to enrol followers, the more suspect a guru's motives will be. To convince followers while not doing what one teaches oneself requires a great deal of charisma, a lot of convinced helpers and a large measure of deceptive talk. They will claim to be able to act as God, and so be unanswerable to anyone, but - still more - that their acts are inscrutable and no one alive is in a position to understand or challenge them. As a prime example, Sathya Sai Baba claims that he does many works of social service which he does not actually do at all, but for which he alone takes the credit. Like many other gurus before him, he claims that he is free of all human limitations. Such gurus must be observed most closely to see if they diverge in any way from their own teachings in actual personal behaviour. Scrutiny can be most difficult as it will mean penetrating through to their inner circle so as to get behind the facade of cleverly organised appearances and the barrage of teaching/propaganda. One would need to get to know their right-hand men to get to the true facts in any matter. It is hard enough for the vast majority of followers even to see beyond the many barriers set up by the already-established inner circle of believers. The lower echelon leaders and the rank-and-file followers are ill-informed, deceived and deluded through subtle ideological and social brainwashing into a protective gang for the guru. The larger the community and movement grows, the easier it is to manipulate through hearsay and stories of all kinds, as the majority are then easily kept at such a distance that the are unable to check anything out personally.
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About the Article Author
www.saibaba-x.org.uk/ home.no.net/anir/Sai www.gethome.no/~reirob Robert C. Priddy (see WIKIPEDIA) is retired - formerly researched lectured and examined in philosophy and sociology 1968-85 at the University of Oslo, Norway. A founder member and National Coordinator for the Sathya Sai organisation in Norway from 1986 until 2000. Author of 'Source of the Dream - My Way to Sathya Sai Baba' - 1994,1998 & 2000 and 'End of the Dream - The Fall of Sathya Sai Baba' - 2004.
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