The Spiritual Processes Around a Guru and Ashram.....................
A year ago I was watching a video moderated by
Andrew Cohen, of my friend Shankarananda with two
other swamis from the Muktananda tradition, who had
run ashrams for a number of years. Mostly the program
addressed the personal difficulties the three had enc I
want to make clear that this powerful incandescent
and arisingountered running ashrams with a combined
experience of over 90 years.
The uniform theme was that it was quite difficult.
People in the Sangha always came to the ashram with
tons of preconceptions about what spirituality was
about; what and who the guru was and should be in
terms of who or what he or she was supposed to be,
and what he or she was supposed to deliver. These
ideas and preconceptions varied widely, as did their
own preconceptions about their own obligations to the
teacher and the ashram.
One swami discussed his loneliness as he really had
no one to talk to “at his level,” which to me sounded
rather arrogant at the time. Another talked about
daggers coming at him from all directions, as chaotic
battles and backstabbing were or could be breaking
out at any time. Another talked about how careful he
had to be in every statement, every word, every facial