Welcome back to the Are You Spiritual Podcast! Today, we tackle the concept of “Guru-Culture.” We’ll start by jumping into the origin of the word, Guru, and how the term has been adapted in the Western world. We discuss a quote ninth-century Chinese Buddhist monk Linji Yixuan famously told his disciples, “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.”
We’ll unpack how the concept of a spiritual leader can become culty and dangerous. We talk about modern self-help “Gurus” and Jasmine shares her experience with her first Ashram retreat. We talk about the importance of following your intuition and inner guidance.
Crystal Corner - Rainbow Moonstone
Cool Shit - Den Talks Podcast ( we recommend every episode; this is the episode Jenny mentions:)
Sources:
If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him? Lion’s Roar by Chris Pacheco, November 19, 2021.
If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him: The Pilgrimage Of Psychotherapy Patients
by Sheldon Kopp, 1982
Spirit Hacking: Shamanic Keys to Reclaim Your Personal Power, Transform Yourself, and Light Up the World by Shaman Durek, 2019
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tony-Robbins
https://moneyinc.com/tony-robbins/
We had some serious audio issues on this recording and have to thank our amazing editor, Mike G, for saving this episode!
Theme song, “When I Get There” by Maya Isacowitz
