Sarlo’s Guru Rating Service
Sarlo, a Canadian Oshoite, has performed signal service by
listing and rating over 1,500 spiritual leaders of one kind
or another. The website (www.globalscene.net) is enormous
fun for one and all, be you cult buster, devotee or seeker.
It’s really not badly done at all, given the complexity
of the subject, if not impossibility of the task and considering
where the compiler is coming from as a declared sanyassin.
The site concentrates mainly on teachers of Eastern religions
and the various Western branches of these that have sprung
up over the years. “D” stands for Devotional,
“A” is for Advaita, “M” is for Middle
Path and “F” is for Fringe.
Of course many of the calls are downright bizarre and bound
to enrage lots of true believers. But given the rather generous
and curious logic of the compiler there is still a sort of
sense to it. All the same it’s interesting to see the
Dalai Lama classified as “limited, not yet full stature”
and Jesus as “very limited, narrow approach & still
developing”(!), and compare that to Osho, Sailor Bob,
Beedie Baba, and Eckhart Tolle, who are described as The Greats,
a category that does at least allow Sri Ramana and Ramakrishna
to be included. But quite where that puts The Buddha himself,
and the Prophet Mohammed, who are omitted, is an interesting
question......
The financial and sexual hypocrisies are reflected in the
low ratings of the likes of Sai Baba, Muktananda, Maharishi,
and their emulators or successors. Tantric masters, accomplished
magicians etc. do not avatars make and this is reflected in
the listings. All sorts of interesting characters are in there,
some you’ll know of and many you won’t. Included
on the website but not in the guru listings you’ll find
all the other interesting characters in the field of transpersonal
psychology as well.
The Greats, Helping Many
Adyashanti (A) aka Steven Gray; Ammachi (D) aka Sudhamani;
Babaji (M) aka Nagaraj; Ramesh Balsekar (A); Bodhidharma (M);
Gangaji (A); George Gurdjieff (M); Jean Klein (A); Jiddu Krishnamurti
(A); Neem Karoli Baba (D); Nisargadatta Maharaj (A) aka Beedie
Baba; Osho (M) aka Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh; Papaji (A)
aka H.W.L. Poonja; Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (D); Sri Ramana
Maharshi (A); Shri Ranjit Maharaj (A); Richard Rose (M); Sailor
Bob (A) aka Bob Adamson; Seung Sahn (M); ShantiMayi (M); Shri
Samartha/Sadguru; Siddharameshwar Maharaj (A); Eckhart Tolle
(A).
Limited, Not Yet Full Stature
Robert Aitken (M); A.H. Almaas (M) aka A. Hameed Ali; Sri
Atmananda (A) aka Krishna Menon; Yogi Bhajan (M) aka Sardar
Bhajan Singh; Dalai Lama (M); Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati
(A); Ganga (A) aka Mira Decoux; E.J. Gold (M); Baba Hari
Dass (D); BKS Iyengar (M); Philip Kapleau Roshi (M); Byron
Katie; Swami Shanti Kristian (M) aka Kristian Dahl-Madsen;
Wayne Liquorman (A) aka Ram Tzu; Lee Lozowick (M); Meher Baba
(D) aka Merwan Sheriar Irani; Toni Packer (A); Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar (M); Shirdi Sai Baba (D); Sri Swami Sivananda (M);
Thich Thanh Tu (M); Paramahansa Yogananda (M).
Very Limited, Narrow Approach or Ideology, or Still Developing…..
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti (D); Sri Aurobindo & The Mother
(M); Swami Chinmayananda (A); Jesus Christ (D) aka Prince
of Peace, Lamb of God; Andrew Cohen (A); Let Davidson
(A); David Deida (M); John de Ruiter (A); Eli Jaxon-Bear (A);
Marshall Govindan Satchidananda (M); Douglas E. Harding (A);
Paramahamsa Hariharananda (M); Maharishi Sadashiva Isham (M)
aka Robert Abrams; Ishvara (A); Sant Kirpal Singh (M); U.G.
Krishnamurti (A); Shri Paramahamsha Mahendranath (M) aka Dadaji;
Mother Meera (D); Franklin Merrell-Wolff (F); Neelam (A); Yug Purush Acarya;
(Maha)mandaleshwar Swami; Parmanandji (M); Prahlad Chandra
Brahmachari (D); Alexander Smit (A); Lama Surya Das
(M) aka Jeffrey Miller; Swami Tejomayananda (A); Thich Nhat
Hanh (M); Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche (M); Vartman (A);
Vernon Kitabu Turner (F); Lama Thubten Yeshe (M); Metta Zetty
(A).
Suspect, But on Balance Positive
Bubba Free John, aka Franklin Jones; Acharyaji (M) aka Fr.
Anatole Ruslanov; Aja Thomas (A); Arjuna Nick Ardagh (A);
Pujyapad Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu (D); Shri Haidakhan Babaji
(D); Suma Ching Hai (M) aka Supreme Master CH;
Deepak Chopra (F); Dadaji (D); Dadashri (A); Swami Guru Devanand;
Saraswati Ji Maharaj (M); Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda; Swamiji
(D); Joel S. Goldsmith (D); Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath (M); Hazrat
Pir (M); Vernon Howard (M); Catherine Ingram (A); Leonard
Jacobson (A); Sri Jinendra Swami (A); Jagadguru Shri Kripalu
Ji; Maharaj (D;) Shri Swami Lakshman Joo Raina (M);
Barry Long (A); Master Mantak Chia (M); Sri Narayani Amma
(D); Shri Parthasarati Rajagopalachari (D); Sant Rajinder
Singh (M); Yogi SAA Ramaiah (M); Ram Dass (F); Baba
Bhagwan Ramji (D); Hazrat Khwaja Salahud-Din Shah (D); Helen
Schuman (M); Isaac Shapiro (A); Russell Smith (A) brother
of Nome; Rudolph Steiner (M); Pak Subuh (M); Vasant Swaha
(M); William Thetford (M); Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan (M); Neale
Donald Walsch (M).
Suspect
Swami Sri Adhyatmananda (M); Adnan Sarhan (M); Omraam Mikhaël
Aïvanhov (F); Sri Sri Sri Appaji (D); Helena (Madame)
Blavatsky (F); Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati (M); Master Charles
(M): GrandMaster Choa Kok Sui (F; Aleister Crowley (F); Gurudeva
(D) aka Bob Hansen; Anand Murti Guru Maa Ji (D); Steven Harrison
(M); Jetsunma Ahkön Norbu Lhamo (D) aka Catharine Burroughs;
Swami Kaleshwar (D); Sri Kalki Bhagwan (D); Karunamayi (D);
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (M); J. Z. Knight (F) aka Judith
Hampton; Dr Ilchi Lee (F); Li Hongzhi (F); Paul Lowe (M) aka
Swami Ananda Teertha; Lubavitcher Rebbe (F); Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi (M); Drunvalo Melchizedek (F); Richard Miller (A) John
Morton (F); Muktananda (M); Sri Nithyananda Swamigal (D);
Mahamandaleshwar Swami; Nityananda (D); Nome (A) aka Jeffrey
Smith; Harry Palmer (F); Swami Prakashanand Saraswati (D);
Sri Swami Rama (M); Andrew Rymer (F); Sangharakshita (M) aka
Dennis Lingwood; Saniel Bonder (M); Sri Swami Satchidananda
(M); Phil Servedio (A); Sri Michael Turner (M); Prem Tyohar
(D).
Bogus - but could have some Positive Value. Who Knows?
Amon Ra (F) aka Claude (Corky) Rex Nowell; Christian Anders
(F); Michael Barnett (M); aka Swami Anand Somendra;
Rabbi Philip S Berg (F); Paramahamsa Thakura Sri Srila Badrinarayana
Bhagavata Bhusana Guru (F); A.C. Bhaktivedanta (D);
Sri Chinmoy (F); David (F) aka David Hoffmeister; Huzur Dayal
Sahab (M); Avatar Louix Dor Dempriey (D); Werner Erhard (F);
Lord Gourasana (D) aka David Swanson; Sri Darwin Gross (F);Gurumayi
Chidvilasananda (D); Anne Hamilton-Byrne (F); Hilarion (F);
L. Ron Hubbard (F); Daisaku Ikeda (D); INRI Cristo (D); Ma
Jaya Sati Bhagavati (D) aka Joyce Green; John-Roger (Hinkins)
(F); Kalindi (F) aka Carol Seidman; Sri Harold Klemp (F);
The Lady (D) aka Nancy Exeter; Frederick Lenz (F); Grand Master
Lu Sheng-Yen (F); Maharaji (D); Maitreya (D); Maitreya Ishwara
(M); n0by (F) aka Bhagwan Beast; Satyam Nadeen (A) aka Michael
Clegg; Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (D); Sri Gary Olsen (M); Dave
Oshana (F); Swami Sri Premananda (D); Elizabeth Clare Prophet
(F); Robert Rabbin (F; Raël (F) aka Claude Vorhilon;
HH Srila Ramakrishnananda Swami Vishnupada (D) aka (Rabeinu)
David Har-Tzion; Lobsang Rampa (F) aka Cyril Henry Hoskins;
Judi Rhodes (F) aka Jai Hari Kaur; William S. Sadler (F);
Sathya Sai Baba (D); Swami Deva Sarlo (F); Dr. Donald Schnell
(F) aka Prema Baba Swamiji; Dr. Vijai S. Shankar (A); Swami
Shyam (M); Jose Silva (F); Sri Siva (F); Swami Sri Sudip (F);
Edward Tarabilda (F); Tathagata (F); Sant Thakar Singh (M);
Paul Twitchell (F) aka Peddar Zaskq; Umi (F) aka Tom Lodge.
Worse than Bogus - No Redeeming Value
Marshall Herff Applewhite (F) aka Bo; David Brandt Berg (D)
aka Moses David; Shoko Asahara (F) aka Chizuo Matsumoto; David
Icke (F); ;Jim Jones (F); Rev Sun Myung Moon (D); “The
Teacher” (F); Karen Elva Zerby (D) aka Katherine Smith,
Mama Maria, etc
Well, there you have it. Have fun, but be careful out there......!
