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From a more objective and impartial point of view, it could not be an exaggeration to say that, ordinarily, human beings live their whole existence jumping from one illusion to another one trying to tread water day after day. One can live in such way until his health is not harmed from the break breaking consequences of such way of living.
The reason why such individuals pursue a path of inner research is that this way is the resolution of such problem. But, when speaking about this argument, all become confused. There are too much rumors and myths concerned with the concept of inner research, and a general ignorance about this argument allows anyone to express points of view who could seem authoritative, even if they haven’t a specific competence in this argument.
And I wish to speak here about those persons who share something they call Spiritual Path, Path towards the Truth, Inner Path, but that has anything to do with the concepts that such terms represent.
From the moment when, in the passed century, the western society opened the doors to the eastern culture, and in particular the culture related to the spirituality, there was a great emigration of “teachers” who came from these countries. What happened is that many young people have been caught- and are still caught- from the fascination of an exterior form (the way these “teachers” were dressed, the various “Namaste” etc…) instead of focalize their attention to the essence of this experience- a meeting with a different culture.
What happened with most such “teachers” who emigrated from the east is that they have been unable to perceive the “essence” and the needs of the modern western society, so what they’ve done was simply to transfer their mentality and uses in a total different environment who is unsuitable to receive them.
Ponder about this: in the last 30 years, and even today, the only fact that every character was, for example, from India, was sufficient so that more “enthusiastic” looked at him as an enlightened individual, a keeper of Truth and wisdom. This is absurd! It’s the same thing than considering a person a good pizza maker for the simply reason that he is a Italian. This is childish, another proof of how superficial are the point of views of the western Society.  And this superficiality is the reason of why many people (in good or bad faith), presented and still present themselves as “Gurus”, “Teachers”, “Masters”, even if they haven’t almost any competence with what they preach. This happened in the last century and still lasts.
In this Babylon of misinformation and misunderstandings, a person who has the wish, the need to undertake a path of Inner development, finds herself doubtfully if a “system” presented by a “teacher” is effective or not, such as the same “teacher” is a real “teacher”, namely, competent in this field.
How to find a real Teacher? It is possible to find a such guide? That are the question who arise in the minds of everyone who sincerely have the wish to begin a Path.
It’s possible to find, even without going in India or Kashmir or elsewhere, a teaching with deep and opened visions, understandable in theory and experimentable in practice, trough which we could learn the most of what we usually ignore about ourselves and life in general. But, to recognize such teaching, a disenchantment is needed. What is limitative here, is the difficulty to find Teachers able to transmit a teaching in a correct and sober way. And such Individuals are rare.
And, even this would not be a problem, if the spiritual market set up from the western consumerist mentality wouldn’t swarm of a legion of false “gurus”, “teachers”, suspicious persons which only aim is to share with the other their illusions or, in the worst situation, to lighten the pockets and empty the “spirit” of those unfortunate who accept them as Teachers.
Beware from the pretended teachers! There are still enough religious and political preachers who shares lies and illusions. A path to Inner Knowledge is the opposite!
The associative vision evoked in our minds by the pronouncing of the name “teacher” is of no value. The figure of a real Teacher represents clearly the concept of an educator, not of a someone eager to be praised and revered as a god, maybe then, requires its students to go to bed with them.
A real Teacher is an individual who first formed and educated himself to understand his real nature, helped from those who, before him, have achieved such aim.
That’s what you have to find as guidance, if you have not find it still. Not another illusion who could result really dangerous.