Guru and disciples

Some of the discussions on the Integral forums have inspired me to write about this tricky, worthy, fulfilling, and certainly intriguing relationship between guru and his disciples.

Back in Serbia, I witnessed an amazing scene - one you would find within a comic film and would not expect to see in reality, and yet I was there and can vouch for its truthfulness.  The Guru in question was self-proclaimed Serbian Messiah called Dragan, who had a long white beard and walked in silky white robes surrounded by disciples that where throwing flowers wherever his foot would step.  I went to hear one of his sermons that was proclaiming the second coming of Christ.  At the entrance to the field (his stage) the organisers were giving the audience a plastic bag each, and we were supposed to spit in it washing off our bad karma with every spit.  His disciples were almost competing of who will have more spit within their bag (!!!???!!!), and were telling everybody about the significance of this act.  In the middle of the field they laid a plastic sheet that was supposed to represent the holy water, and were telling us that we can not under any circumstances cross this artificially created ‘river' because unless we received the blessing from the Guru (and pass his chapel) we were too dirty to stand on the other side of the ‘river'.  And people followed...  Crossing the path he walked were crippled, disabled, sick, all asking for the blessing so their dis-ease would disappear.  And he gave a speech and talked about Love and God and Christ and then he attempted to heal a sick person next to him who could not walk.  He told him very theatrically three times to get up and walk, and of course nothing happened but he quickly turned this to mean that the sick person did not have enough fate and that is why the God's Grace is not flowing through him...

And yet, I am still very much attracted to Gurus and this particular relationship of disciples and Guru. 

Within the Tantric tradition, Gurus are not very approachable nor nice to their disciples, they believe that the disciple has to fight to get the teaching - Milarepa had to build and destroy many buildings that he erected with his own ‘blood and sweat' before his guru has agreed to give him his first initiation.  Tantric gurus do not want to impress with their ‘enlightenment', ‘kindness', ‘compassion', and they often act as though they do not really want any disciples and yet once they have them - the relationship between the guru and disciples is very special. 

How often have you met disciples who believe in omni-potency and omi-presence of their Gurus?  It is their Guru who stops the trains so they can safely board them, it is their Guru that prevents the accidents to happen, and heal the sickness or help disciples to overcome any obstacle, it is the Guru that knows everything and IS everything. 

But is there anything wrong with this? 

If the belief that their Guru is Divine helps the disciples grow, if this belief gives them strength and power to stick to the path described by their Gurus, as long as their souls need the guideline, as long as they grow, then it must be beneficial for them - otherwise they simple would not be there...