Do You Need a Guru?: Understanding the Student--Teacher Relationship in an Era of False Prophets

Rating:
Summary: a must-read for the ardent spiritual seeker
Review: Likely to be controversial and at the very least provocative, Mariana Caplan's Do You Need a Guru: Understanding the Student-Teacher Relationship in an Era of False Prophets is an invaluable resource for any spiritual seeker who is considering or who is already involved in a guru-disciple relationship. In fact, if you have been outright opposed to such an arrangement, you may find this book an eye-opener. Yes, we have seen many scandals on the spiritual scene, many abuses of power, but we Westerners have also been enculturated to protect our independence and individualism at all costs, perhaps causing us to miss out on one of the most transformational relationships of our lives.

Weaving together her personal journey, extensive knowledge of psychological projection and power dynamics from her years as a psychotherapist, and interviews with teachers and students alike, Caplan makes the case for having a guru, emphasizing that the greatest benefits come from engaging the relationship as a conscious disciple. Her finely tuned discrimination continues to feed me as it did with her Halfway up the Mountain: The Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment. She tends to pose questions for the reader to consider, rather than revealing black and white or even gray answers. I was initially concerned that her anecdotes about her early encounters with New Age shamans, wannabe gurus, etc., would be distracting. Ultimately, however, I found these sections of the book to be refreshingly honest, poignant, funny and all too familiar!

While she never lets spiritual teachers off the hook with respect to their own integrity and their immense responsibility in shepherding their students through the labyrinths of the path, she insists that the more responsibility we as students take in selecting and relating, committing and surrendering to our teachers, the greater and richer our spiritual progress. Reading this book gave me a whole new embodied sense of how conscious surrender to the teacher could be an act of maturity, integrity and great strength, rather than a replay of childhood patterning around authority figures. At the same time, she never suggests that this path is easy or without its dangers, but for me she also fueled a yearning that makes a "safe" life feel like a death sentence! Warning: Read this book at your own risk-it's hot!

Rating:
Summary: An Articulate and Fair Approach to a Sensitive Topic
Review: The topic of this book is the guru: what is a guru and are they necessary for spiritual growth? Dr. Caplan takes the reader through a detailed and careful examination of these questions, using examples from her own life with her guru and from interviews with numerous contemporary spiritual leaders that are considered gurus. She explores these examples with admirable honesty, giving equal time to the negative as well as the positive aspects of the guru-disciple relationship.

Her point is to offer a model of a mature, responsible approach to the guru-disciple relationship, that she names "Conscious Discipleship". Her position is that if both the teacher and the student approach the relationship with careful, responsible, mature attention, then it can be a deeply rewarding and important one.

Dr. Caplan's writing style is excellent. She writes with depth, and warmth, and just the right touch of humor to avoid taking the topic too seriously.

This is an intriguing and thought provoking contribution to a difficult topic. It is very well worth reading. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: An Articulate and Fair Approach to a Sensitive Topic
Review: The topic of this book is the guru: what is a guru and are they necessary for spiritual growth? Dr. Caplan takes the reader through a detailed and careful examination of these questions, using examples from her own life with her guru and from interviews with numerous contemporary spiritual leaders that are considered gurus. She explores these examples with admirable honesty, giving equal time to the negative as well as the positive aspects of the guru-disciple relationship.

Her point is to offer a model of a mature, responsible approach to the guru-disciple relationship, that she names "Conscious Discipleship". Her position is that if both the teacher and the student approach the relationship with careful, responsible, mature attention, then it can be a deeply rewarding and important one.

Dr. Caplan's writing style is excellent. She writes with depth, and warmth, and just the right touch of humor to avoid taking the topic too seriously.

This is an intriguing and thought provoking contribution to a difficult topic. It is very well worth reading. I highly recommend it.