The Need For Genuine Understanding.....

A wise Sufi master once said " A donkey carrying a load of Holy books is still a donkey"

What this means is that no matter how much knowledge you are gathering, if you are not putting what you learn into action...then you are still ignorant....it is all wasted. It also means that no matter how much information you are gathering, if you do not have the appropriate understanding and view of the teaching then you still know nothing.

In todays modern world, the esoteric mystery schools have been transformed into expensive over priced retreats by New Age teachers who sometimes do not understand the appropriate view of the information they borrow from authentic paths or the motivation required for walking the paths themselves before teaching others. They sell knowledge. They sell psychic activations. But in truth, both these things are not enough to taste the genuine wine of the Gnostic experience.

The difficulty seems to be that most people do not know how to differentiate between true teachers, authentic paths, and those who peddle self improvement that is masquerading as the genuine article.
It is difficult to tell the difference, simply because these retreats are often 'love filled enviroments' where people feel all fuzzy and warm. But as any student of an authentic master will be quick to point out...on a genuine path, you are confronted by your ego...it is distinctly uncomfortable battling your own demons.
Very often you feel worse before you get better. And this is to be expected, simply because very few people go through life without thinking or doing bad things. They may not see themselves as in need of correction...but when they are on a genuine path, all the defects come up in order to be corrected.

What happens when we seperate the exoteric from the esoteric? And why is it important to keep both of these unified?
If you rely simply upon the exoteric...the dogma...it is reduced to 'do's and dont's'. The exoteric without the esoteric becomes more like a 'club'. The rules of the club become more important than the essense of the path itself. And this does not lead to Gnosis.
Likewise if you rely purely upon the esoteric without the exoteric, then unfortunately this is like practising magic without any moral or ethical guidelines in place. It is the exoteric that teaches those on an esoteric path the important moral and ethical conducts that prevent them abusing their power.

If we look closely at the motivation for walking a genuine path....we see that it differs dramatically from the motivation offered by many psuedo paths.
Genuine seekers of enlightenment seek to annihilate their ego and attain unification ...non dualistic perception. They seek to become 'selfless',
But many modern paths teach the opposite. They focus instead on self fixation. They teach the student to focus on what they themselves can get out of the experience. This often leads to development of a super ego...which is in opposition to no ego. It is very narcissistic and does not support selfless service to others in equanimity.

It does not matter what religion you are following. The mystery schools of genuine religions all follow the same basic guidelines when laying the foundations of the path. They teach humility, compassion, equanimity, selflessness, loving kindness, and other virtues.
But many modern teachers of the New Age teach the opposite. They teach their students that they are worthy and deserving of abundance...they teach them how to manifest what they want for themselves, rather than focussing on the unfortunate people out there who need help and support. This is not how Jesus did it. In fact he taught the opposite.

Spiritual materialism is rife in our modern times. Genuine seekers of truth have a difficult job when seeking for a teacher that knows exactly what they are doing. The main thing to remember is that true enlightenment is about becoming more authentic...it is about reality. It is not about feeling better...or being more abundant...it is about dying before death. The annihilation of ego in order to serve others in wisdom with a pure heart.