When a Spiritually Realizer teacher (Guru) departs, the loss to his or her community (and beyond) is not merely the absence of their physical presence but the loss of the direct, living Transmission that only the teacher embodied, fully. This Transmission, an awakening power is the immediate, transformative energy that flows from the teacher to the devotee, something profoundly subtle, experiential and unmediated. However, after the teacher’s passing, the community begins to rely on the words and interpretations of devotees who now represent or stand AS that transmission. This marks a significant and often problematic shift, as the reliance moves from the living teacher’s direct influence to the interpretations offered by those who remain, without the ultimate checks and balance.
A key issue in this transition is the inherent difference between the teacher’s direct Transmission and the words of the devotees who now assume the role of ‘Transmission holders.’ Even during the teacher’s lifetime, there were continued instances where the teacher would challenge or critique those who claimed to feel or embody the Transmission. The teacher often cautioned against such claims, knowing that devotees could misinterpret their experiences and project their own understandings as being equivalent to the teacher’s realized state.
Now, without the living teacher’s ability to correct or balance these claims, a new risk arises. The current ‘Transmission holders’—whether consciously or unconsciously—present their understanding as being synonymous with the teacher’s enlightenment. The absence of the teacher to directly guide and correct this tendency creates a situation where the devotees’ words and interpretations become the main source of authority. This shift can lead to a subtle, and profound, distortions of the original teachings.
In this inevitable development, the checks and balances that were once in place—the teacher’s ability to discern and redirect the devotees’ misinterpretations—are gone. What remains is the word of the devotees, as mentioned earlier, most likely lacks the critical, living energy of the teacher’s Transmission. Thus, while the ‘Logos’ of the teacher becomes central, it is now filtered through the understanding of those who claim to hold the Transmission. This can result in a community that unconsciously elevates individuals who believe their understanding is equivalent to the realized state of the teacher, leading to potential deviations from the depth and authenticity of the original realization.
In this way, the transition from a living tradition to a managed, interpreted one can lead to significant challenges. The words of the devotees—who, however sincere, lack the full capacity of the realizer—become the new authority. The emphasis shifts from the living, spontaneous interaction with the teacher to a reliance on intermediaries, whose understanding may never fully embody the true depth of the original transmission.
After Mahasamadhi – How Direct Intimacy Will Manifest – Julie Anderson Asks Adi Da Samraj