Obvious pun aside, the real danger to any spiritual-teaching comes from getting so lost in your own hype that you fall victim to not even listening to your own teachings in the first place. How does one become a real spiritual teacher if they also have the potential for becoming a total false idol? The answer: you can’t.

A true teacher is one who will only show you the way through their own way; one who will point you in the direction of the path that they have just walked, in hopes that you may also find your own way to wherever it is that you want to go.

The controversy and the contradiction comes when one bears claim to being a true (though, more like false) idol [side-note: yes, Moses did warn us about this one…], when in reality that person is no better than you or I. Beyond the fancy robes, the decorated thrones, the “holier-than-thou” attitude, people are just people. We all eat, we all sleep, we all go to the bathroom, and we all most certainly will die someday.

Understand that enlightenment is not some far-off or illusive state that comes with flashing lights and dry ice. No, it is simply the realization that you are more than just "you" in a world that is greater than yourself. And do you know who is the one creating these class distinctions and the pursuit of "becoming the best"? Your mind.

Why is the person on TV any better than you? Your mind told you so. How can it be that the person in front of the altar has somehow transcended beyond humanity? Because your mind believed it to be so. When can you become like everyone that you admire? When you realize that it is your mind creating the separation in the first place.

The real problem begins when you stops looking at the non-separation and start affixing yourself to the grandeur of "becoming great”.

Who thinks you’re great? Your mind. Who believes you have transcended? You do. How can you be so above everyone else, almost as if to be floating, in such an enlightened state? Because you’re a fool.

No, true greatness does not come from creating more and more separation, it comes from realizing that you, yourself, are your own purveyor of your own “identity” amidst others who can also do the same.

So, understand your worth; understand you mind; and realize that people are all just people — some of us simply have a better time at bullshitting than others…

Believe that.
—or not...