July 29, 2012 The guru experiment.
Daniel and I are currently house sitting in San Jose. I’m going to yoga school, he’s digging through our storage unit, gardening, and taking care of Daisy (she’s such a sweetheart). We’ve been indulging in television since we don’t usually have it, so basically we’re watching The Food Network, Animal Planet, and Antiques Roadshow. Go figure.
Miss Daisy
We were watching The Colbert Report the other night, although I think it was an old one, and there was this guy that came on and spoke about a documentary film that he made in which he posed as a guru named Kumaré.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGIkf3vo2dw
Kumaré basically believes the same same thing that the actor/film maker believes: that every individual has the power to be his or her own guru (guru is sanskrit for teacher or master). Although there were a lot of mixed reactions to his little experiment, a lot of Kumarés followers were empowered by the message that he delivered, which is that each of us has the powers within in us to heal ourselves and become our own masters.We don’t really need to follow “gurus” or other religious leaders in order to gain the type of fulfillment that we seek.
This doesn’t mean that our teachers aren’t vital; we all have room to grow and we can all serve as teachers for one another in some manner. I think that it is important to understand that we all have the ability to lead the type of life we want.
This got me to thinking about how differently I would live my life if I had people following and emulating my every move. I guess having children is similar in some ways, although children rarely follow every action of their parent. But in a scenario where a person is responsible for truly leading and living by example… well that would probably change some of my behaviors.
So I’m challenging myself. I’m going to start with one week where I am going to try to live my life as if I needed to be a constant example for others. If what I am doing is not something I would encourage others to do, then why would I do it myself? The main areas I think will be impacted by this are my eating habits and the way that I nurture my mind and body. Who knows though? I’m sure there are plenty other aspects of my life that could be influenced with this kind of challenge. I’m not claiming that I will be living in some perfect, enlightened state for the next week, but I hope to gain some perspective on the idea that we are each our own guru. That each of us can be a positive reflection for the beings around us.
I’ll keep you updated on my guru experiment, and I encourage anyone reading to try the same- even for just a day. Let me know how it goes!
♥ /☼
Amanda
- 5 comments
- Posted under Animals, Philosophy, Pseudo-narcissism, Rambling
Helm of the Heart 
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Jamie Johnson
said
I completely relate to this, Amanda. I have been trying this with my Avery and Holden. I realized that instead of trying to control their behaviors constantly I should focus on being an example and living my life the way I would want them to live theirs. There are a lot of things I worry about how to teach them – self-control, self-esteem, kindness, taking care of themselves, etc – and I realized if I don’t practice those qualities myself I will never be able to teach it to them. Not to say I’m going to let my 2 and 4 year olds run wild and do whatever they want but at the end of the day the only person whose decisions and actions I can truly control are my own.
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pandasana
said
I have a very similar perspective to you on parenting. Obviously at this point it’s all in theoretical, but from what I’ve learned from teaching, leading by example is the most effective way. You have to be authentically yourself. Children are born so perfectly honest and open to life- they need stable, honest, consistent people to model the most functional/beneficial way of behaving. It makes you want to be a better person because ultimately, we all have to parent ourselves in a way, and they need to learn self-awareness.
The things you worry about are the same things I worry about with children because a lot of those qualities are influenced by other elements in their lives. Something that really helped me connect with my students was admitting when I was wrong about something, and almost celebrating my mistakes and theirs as opportunities to grow. I think a lot of parents and teachers feel as though they have to have all of the answers or seem “all-knowing”, otherwise they might not be respected. I think that children appreciate honesty and compassion and when you are able to show that you are not ashamed, they often mirror those behaviors.
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Jeremy Nathan Marks
said
I like this a lot.
What you are talking about doing reminds me of Immanuel Kant’s “Categorical Imperative.” Kant put it this way:
“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.”
I find this a fascinating idea to think about because it challenges a core dictum of the religion I was brought up in: “Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you.”
To me there is a significant difference between “doing” and “not doing” unto others, but I don’t want to get off topic here.
What I take from what you are saying and the example that you use is that we are social beings who live in a world where our every action has an impact. I think this is true whether you think your judge is God, your neighbors, the State/the law or even your own conscience. If we are our own teachers/masters than how could we not be fully responsible not only for ourselves but also for the world we influence and we have a part in making?
And as Jamie said too, I think this is really significant where children are concerned. They not only learn by watching they also inherit what we make. Michelle and I think and talk about this all of the time.
I like the idea of taking full responsibility for ourselves by saying essentially that “if I am going to learn anything then I must to be the one to seek knowledge.” And if I am going to be taught anything I have to assume that I have the power to teach myself rather than wait to be taught.
I think you know better than most, because you study yoga and because you are a teacher, that teaching is guidance but learning itself is up to the individual.
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pandasana
said
I think that there is a significant difference between “doing” and “not doing”. In yoga, the word “ahimsa” means “do no harm” which is central in that you are to do no harm to your self or to others. In a sense, it’s a beautiful concept when you expand it, but I think that there is more that is needed to be a citizen of humanity.
I try to view myself as a person that is “in service to others”. I still have needs of my own, obviously, but it’s my general world view. The other option would be more dominant towards “service to self”, and many people fall into this side of the spectrum.
A part of my perspective pushes me outward to act in favor of others that are not able to act for themselves, or to try to positively influence my environment. I see my learning as a gift that I can potentially exchange and give to others, should they seek it.
I love playing with the idea that there will come a day when we do not require laws and prisons, that we could be a society with true individual responsibility in the interests of every living being on the planet.
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Jeremy Nathan Marks
said
Reblogged this on The Sand County and commented:
I thought many of you would appreciate this too.