Or perhaps the next incarnation of Osho
Tony Robbins is a motivational speaker and life coach. Like so many others today, being a spiritual leader, teacher or guru, seems to be the fad. And one that certainly seems to have notoriety and financial gain attached to it. Easily I can see that as followers grow in mass, that any person can begin to believe they are something special and have exceptional insight to share with others. Once anyone has enough Facebook fans or Blog posts, there are several companies who will publish your book. Fame can occur seemingly overnight.
If you can simply be good with words, and convey that in a way that connects with others, that spark can become the flame of success. But what kind of success is this, and for what purpose or intention do any of these individuals aspire? Am I the next Kumare?
As anyone has witnessed, being on Facebook subjects all of us to a myriad of motivational and inspirational quotes. And I personally have seen so many of those spark an individual to start writing more and then Blogging. Soon after, it becomes its own online persona which in turn becomes their marketing tool. Self promotion at its finest, and yes, you too can be the next Guru!
Asking Bhante Sujatha about the practice of self promotion, he replied that it all depends on the intention. And I suppose that I agree with that, except there is a major caveat to this thinking. And that is, who determines whether the intention is wise, Noble, or skillful? And while we could turn to friends and ask what they think, that is not a valid litmus test in my humble opinion. No other person can validate or invalidate your intention, they can only offer their opinion based on very limited knowledge. Only you know what is truly in your own heart and mind. In that lies your true intention. And only through constant practice and mediation can any of us begin know the genuine compassion we have, the Noble intentions, and the wisdom and virtue with which we proceed.
Each and every day I witness myself lacking in skillfulness, goodwill and compassion. Ego arises constantly as I make each thought and situation about me. Ignorance is ever-present, while I practice as mindfully as I am able, yet stumbling naively with the wholesome intention of understanding this life and the nature of it all.
Seeing quite clearly, if not seeing anything else, that I am the student. I am your friend, and my own best friend. And being my own best friend means being honest with myself as well. (This can often be the most difficult and challenging thing for any of us to do)
But I am learning to forgive myself and move on, being present now and not is some past regret. From each of these stumbles, another lesson is gained. Wisdom grows, be it ever so slowly, and I find peace in the understanding that right now is another chance to experience this life with an open heart and tremendous gratitude.
And should I ever become famous in any way, I would ask all of you to walk up to me and simply ask “Where are you?”.
