Egotists on Earth

Over the millennia and around the globe, great men and women have allegedly appeared to establish extraordinary and universal philosophies that have made an impact upon the human psyche and upon life on Earth in general. According to the stories, these distinguished spiritualists have sprung up seemingly from the earth itself, or from the cosmos, with apparently original ideas that inspire thousands and cause these outstanding thinkers to be placed upon pedestals and basically worshipped as gods on Earth. Every culture has abundant legends and stories about certain of their own or some unusual outsider who has appeared to be "anointed" in some way by the "Creator," and who has instituted a presumably new manner in which said "Creator" is supposedly dictating to "his" creatures.

Each time one of these creator-inspired visionaries appears upon the planet there seems to be a break from the old philosophies and religions, and the creation of an apparently radical style of living, one that the followers believe is somehow closer to "God," as revealed through the godman or woman. Because these spiritual people appear to be or represent themselves to be closer to God and more worthy of "his" "grace," other people who think themselves less evolved will seek such grace through such "masters" on Earth. Because the followers believe that there is an anthropomorphic god somewhere "out there," they are open to the concept that "he" will allow for some of "himself" to incarnate in and through the various "great ones," who likewise generally go along with the designation that they are indeed "sons and daughters of God," or gods themselves.

The scenario that develops out of such a designation is the virtual and outright worship of the godman/prophet as God on Earth, along with the following of his or her dictates as the "Will of God." This leads to the establishment of a "foundation" or some such organization to spread the "word" of the godman or woman throughout the world, with each organization claiming that its particular godperson somehow knows with greater surety and insight the mind and will of God. Sometimes the organization surrounding an original thinker develops into a cult/religion, where the founder is not only God's representative on Earth but also God "himself!" Therefore, if one is to follow God's will, one must listen completely and with utter surrender to the commandments of the godman/prophet on Earth, never doubting or questioning his word, and changing one's lifestyle according to the decree of the master.

In finding and obeying such a reputedly godly person, the seeker or religious neophyte will feel relieved that he need no longer worry about whether or not his actions are righteous or just, and whether or not some god person in the sky is then going to be pleased or angered by such actions. Indeed, the seeker who surrenders to the god on Earth is often relinquishing responsibility for his or her life to the master, who will oversee, whether directly or esoterically, the spiritual and psychological growth and well-being of the acolyte.

Surrendering to the Master

This "surrender to the master" is very common in Eastern countries, where godmen abound. Although Westerners unknowingly also surrender to a master, i.e., Jesus Christ, many people in the West look aghast upon the spiritual practices common in Eastern countries. Such believers are very smug in their attitude that there has been and will always be only one real master who has ever set foot on this Earth; therefore, they will not ever accept the supposed divinity of anyone else.

This complacent attitude is a very easy to take, because the godman to whom many Westerners surrender is an easy taskmaster, being long dead and unable to truly make them work, as living masters do with their disciples. How many Christians - in other words, those who have surrendered to Christ as their master - really live according to the dictates that they presume Christ mandated? Most "Christians" fail to live up to the standards that the mythical Christ purportedly established. Surrendering to a dead master (or, more appropriately, one who never existed) is much easier than surrendering to a live one.

Now, this is not to say that anyone should surrender to a master in the first place, although the actual meaning of the phrase "surrender to the master" is not as ominous as it sounds or as past "masters" have made it appear. In a pure, spiritual sense, to "surrender to the master" does not refer to giving your power away to a man who is pretending to be God and who will then abuse you in an unkind, egotistical and tyrannical manner. To "surrender to the master" actually means that one admits that someone or something is more advanced in some manner and that one desires to absorb that advancement or excellence. In other words, if we recognize that a bird can sing a birdsong better than we do, and we wish to learn how to emulate a birdsong, we can "surrender" even to a bird in order to learn that bird's talents. Surrendering to a master does not have to refer to a man or even a human being, but it can. When an apprentice to a master of any sort learns the trade and eventually becomes master him or herself, that is also surrendering to the master. In this way, in the true sense of the phrase, to surrender to a master - whether human or otherwise - is to gain in power, not to give it away. One could even surrender to a plant in order to learn how a plant functions. This beneficial type of surrender has been done by many people over the millennia. There are people who are so adept at "surrendering" that they become extremely omnidimensional; in other words they are able to do many things extraordinarily well.

True surrender to a master, then, is a way to learn and to become empowered, not to become a dog and disempowered. That last part is the false concept that has come to be associated with surrendering to a master because many people over the centuries who have claimed to be masters are in actuality grand egotists who indeed wish to treat others like dogs and have them serve them. This list of egotists would include priests and the like, who have determined that they hold the keys to some nebulous god person and will dangle them over their parishioners' heads in order to control them and gain economic benefit.

Many "Masters" Are But Egotists

For the most part, surrendering to the master has gotten a bad name precisely because of power-hungry egotists who have set themselves up as gods on Earth. These people have not had their disciples', apprentices' or followers' best interests in mind at all; they have only had their own agendas. In the spiritual world, a true master is interested not in holding things above his or her disciple's head but in enlightening the disciple to the ultimate truth so that the disciple can then become his or her own master. The definition of a true master is not to enslave a follower to some rigid dogma or doctrine but to free the disciple from all outside authority, to allow the follower to find his or her own autonomy. Hence, a so-called spiritual leader who exhorts his followers to obey anyone, whether the leader himself or a father-figure in the sky, is not an enlightened being but a deluded egotist. No true master has a father-figure who dictates what he or she must do. No genuine master has any parent of any kind, whether on this earth or in heaven. A real enlightened master is a person whose authority comes from his or her own realizations, his or her own internal being, which through the enlightenment process has become united with the creative life force that pervades all things.

Any person whose interest is in establishing him or herself as God on Earth and in acquiring little peons all around who will do his or her bidding is not a true master but an egotist on Earth. Anyone who thinks he or she alone knows the true nature of God and then presents this god image as a giant creature that no one else can know is not a real enlightened one but a charlatan. True mastery comes when one knows that omnipresent divinity exists all around and is not localized, extending to the smallest creature, which is then to be cherished and respected.

The Gospel According to Acharya S

Egotists on Earth

Surrendering to the Master

Many "Masters" Are But Egotists