In this time where the pressure of society on material values, if you are not financially doing well or don’t have the latest phone, car or cloths you are looked at as a failure. Many feel they can’t keep up and seek a way out or a way to give their life meaning and they return to seeking a higher purpose to life.

The idea that came along with the industrial revolution to make life easier and more comfortable, with new experiences and jobs that came with it was considered a way to a more fulfilling and happier life and made it possible to make dreams come true. And everybody wanted a piece of the pie. We made products that lasted and there was pride in the quality of the things we made but eventually having made such products meant that the market became saturated and because we were driven to make things even better the old models were replaced with newer items so the companies could continue to produce and they got bigger and bigger and commerce gained importance. They needed to sell more and wanted to have more money, more power which led to this race to develop even more innovations, already having the new models on the shelf before the previous models were sold out. And even that wasn’t going fast enough so we started to make products that were not lasting or not serviceable. Together with marketing, making you believe you needed it to be happy, came the next help for them, software! This enables them to out-program your material and on top of that governments joined the race and started to use environmental issues to drive this abuse of natural resources as they too became dependent on these large companies or were simply infiltrated by them either through funds or political favours, we build our factories in your country or state and you get brownie points by raising employment in exchange for other favours. This way their task of looking after the wellbeing of its citizens became a mere tool, a mask. The madness of it all can be seen in all branches, the pharmaceutical industry, fuel industry, to name just a few. Not cure but control, no hydrogen unless we bottle it. How far does it go? It’s getting cheaper to buy a new printer that comes with ink cartridge than to buy new cartridges?

But enough about this, we could give thousands of examples which have led to so much suffering, abuse and wars. So more and more people are feeling lost and unable to get out of this game. The good thing is that more and more people are becoming aware of being unable to sustain this race, depleting resources and putting pressure on the environment. They seek to find answers, purpose, so spirituality or at least by name is growing, but due to having been driven away from it, we have lost our connection with the world of spirit.

And commerce started to see it happening and jumped on the bands wagon, yet another way to generate money, a business turning over billions of dollars, and in the land of the blind one eye is king.

A great deal of today’s spirituality is again in the hands of those who see yet another commercial venture to big bucks. Even some scientists are brought in to give it body. Ego is so easily fed with fame and fortune. All it takes is a little reformulating old knowledge into a new age package. And if they don’t charge a little fortune for their course books and lectures then it can’t be worth much. Makes me wonder what they had to pay the old masters for their teachings. But does in mean it’s without cost? No you will have to give up those things you held on so dear, your personalized ideas about truth and spirituality.

But I agree it’s much easier to pay for what is in favour of one’s personalized ideas, so what about religions? They are often no better than those commercial gurus because they too lost their ability to see under the sacred text, the truth that lies beneath the external mantel. And those with the biggest budgets and commercial tricks and therefore most popular draw most in, why? Because we still like to fit in amongst others, as most felt that kind of loneliness. This often results to it being used, telling people what they like or want to hear. This happens when you’re guided by ego’s masks (personality) making it difficult to keep away from popular ideas. The result is often opening one eye to close the other by those who did not walk the talk that leads to the true sacred truths, and are therefore easily drawn in by clever money hungry guru imitators.

This does not mean that true teachers who provide spiritual insights to assist in your journey should not receive donations so they can do so, but it’s done freely and with a love with which the teacher has given it to you.

Those commercial teachers/gurus are the new film stars and actors who, if not themselves are talented writers or public speakers, have spin doctors and/or gathered those around them to build that image. Making sure you hear what you want to hear. Or are seen to do what one likes to see.

So much is your longing for happiness, for taking away the pain and fear, or like this cult of wishful thinking, a trick from motivational commercial speakers, that you’re often not aware that they sometimes contradict themselves or just reformulate words of ancient teachers.

And they find many takers who do not wish to make a sacrifice of any kind but rather wish to take a blue pill and at best they provide them with anything that sounds positive and fits in with the searchers life style. Most of those commercial gurus and their professional movie celebrities and large funds easily lead people away making sure to divert them away from deeper truths so they themselves can cover the fact that they don’t see it either.

Even publishers can’t judge spiritual insights and only judge by commercial worth as they too are blind for the truth. Truth needs to be experienced to gain strength therefore there are steps required, one has to remember that you first need to learn to walk before you can run, there is no shortcut, and what the teacher has acquired during his experience has little commercial value but has the power to transform others.

True sacred knowledge has a price which is in personal experience and in meeting the spiritual requirements for it, which is explained on the website. They act as gates separating those who have entered their inner level from those who don’t yet have the eyes to see. While spiritual insights that are acquired through the necessary steps might not have that commercial value, they have a lasting value to others.

Nevertheless it needs to be understood that which is not known nor able to be seen by the physical eyes needs a description by means of the known and the very reason why those commercial gurus try to avoid questions that require such insights apart from those already expressed by true teachers. If they need to answer they will either remain general or say something that still leaves your question unanswered by a mystical Koan.

The truth that sets you free can’t be found in books, films or lectures, at the very best they describe that path that leads to it. A true spiritual teacher doesn’t seek followers, he aims for you to find it, experience it. Only then do you require the strength to live in truth.

When the old saying of China tells you of the giving of a fish to the poor so he has food for the day it reminds me of a doctor who tells you to swallow this pill so it suppresses your fear, instead of teaching you how to overcome it, like teaching the man to fish so he has food every day. The doctor wants your clientele. The teacher gives you the means to heal yourself.

31-12-2018

Moshiya van den Broek