Do You Need a Guru?: Understanding the Student--Teacher Relationship in an Era of False Prophets

by Mariana Caplan

The author of Halfway Up the Mountain shares her experiences with Hindu gurus, shamans, and witches to outline the rules for setting up a student-teacher relationship in the West.

Genres: Spirituality

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 2002

Reviews

[St Fu · Rating 3 out of 5]

When reading a book about how to evaluate spiritual authority, it seems natural to inquire about the authority of the author of that book. The reason I began reading it in the first place was because I'd heard of it through discussion among my colleagues in the world of psychotherapy. Yes, I am (sometimes) a psychotherapist, a profession that, in the West, where the authority of science has successfully, for the moment, fought off all challenges to its position as ultimate arbitrator of the truth, has replaced the priesthoods in many of their functions.

Psychotherapy bestows judgments of health or sickness on behaviors that in the past were praised or condemned morally. It specializes in evaluating relationships, so why not aim its critical lens at that of student and teacher? Of guru and disciple? Mariana Caplan, PhD, is a psychotherapist, though this truth escaped me at first because she didn't make a big deal out of it in the first few chapters. Then, when she referred to transference/countertransference and mentioned Heinz Kohut it jumped out at me that putting a PhD after one's name is a convention of the psychotherapy world and then she mentions it in passing.

The border, if any, between psychotherapy and spiritual practice has been a much discussed topic for years now but this is the first book I'd seen that actually brings a psychotherpeutic sensibility to the selection of a guru. Disguised as a shopping guide for the seeker, it is actually less that than a "lessons learned" compendium of cautionary tales and survey of the reflections and considerations of seeking with a mix of the psychotherapeutic and spiritual points of view without clearly specifying where one begins and the other ends.

If for no other reason than the absence of anything remotely similar (I'll admit this might be my failing to know what is out there) I will have to give this book credit for tackling this topic. On the down side, however, the book is often repetitious, cliche-ridden, and unconvincing. There are those who would benefit from it but I already know too much to be one of them. Her ultimate argument could be phrased as "Don't be stupid about it, but really, who are we to judge?" which, though good advice about pretty much anything, is ultimately no advice at all. If I am to, as she suggests, try not to judge the teaching by the faults of the teacher, I'll admit that I don't like her (the 'her' revealed in this book--I've never met her) and that might make me more negative than the book deserves. It is admirable that she doesn't mind revealing enough about herself that I am able to have such a dislike, though, maybe she isn't aware that this is what she's doing.

Much of her hints for the guru shopper would serve as well for someone seeking a therapist, including the rarely-offered advice that you're not looking for perfection but for a good fit with who you are. Since this can also be applied to choosing a book, ignore my rating and see if it resonates with you.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

K, I haven't read this whole book I admit... Mariana is one of my dearest friends and I have read excerpts... she is a brilliant, creative, great writer and everyone should read her books!

[Salvatore Familia]

Few arenas in the field of contemporary spirituality create as much challenge, confusion and provocation as that of the student - teacher relationship. In the 21st century, Mariana Caplan predicts, there will be a shift back to the student-teacher relationship as we realise the limitations of trying to do it on our own. However, this teacher-student relationship will have to be created anew to reflect our new awareness.