Dude,

I used to think the same thing (see below):

Even a bum, crawling in the streets, begging for money, burned out by a greedy consumer society, down and out, teeth rotting, miserable, drunk... has something to teach. He's telling us something, look in his eyes... why is he in this condition? What is he teaching us? He is Christ. He is the Buddha.

You know, young worldly one, I volunteered at a homeless shelter for awhile and I really found out all about those saintly bums crawling on the streets.  I saw the underbelly of the bum crawling on the street, my friend.  And, you know, they ain't saints.  No, not by a longshot.

Listen, those saintly sadhu bums are all either mentally ill or terminal alcoholics or drug addicts.  It's not pretty.  And they ain't Jesus and they ain't Buddha, bud.  They're just plain-old sorry and fucked up.  And they could be you.  That's the thing.  None of us are immune from falling all the way from our uptown apartments, condos, or suburban bedroom communities or (wink, wink) from living with Mom and Dad to living on the fucking STREETS.  You have no fucking idea.  No idea.  Not a fucking clue.  NAFTA, yeah you betcha.  You bet you're gonna lose your little barista job to somebody in a sweat shop overseas.  You're gonna have to suck up and get McJob like all the rest of us honkies.

Just try.  Try and really let go.  Try to be the fool and walk off and live with no job and find yourself on the streets.  Are you still living at home?  You got a job?  Are you going to school?  You got a trust fund?  Hey, you got a trust fund, huh?  Well, surrender and hand it over to Maharaji, boy.

It's all gotta come from somewhere.  And "it" is like those pesky details called food and shelter.  Your fucking basics.  You got them covered?  How covered do you have them?  Is it really going to work out for you?  Is Maharaji gonna take care of you in the end?

You know, LD, I met heroin addicts who were living under bridges above the Interstate.  This was in the winter and up north where it's cold.  The only thing they gave a shit about was getting another fix.  They didn't have sleeping bags or nothing.  They just had cardboard boxes and their syringes.  Now, that is DEVOTION.  They were so devoted. They were 110% devoted. You just don't have any idea of what devotion and need is about until you need another fix.  Think about it.  That's what those people are doing on the streets.  Don't delude yourself with some kind of beauty or nobility or some kind of sainthood.  It's simply not true.  These are the guys who will push you into a dark alley and push you up against the wall and knee you in the groin and when you buckle in pain they grab the back of your head and pull it down on their their knee and smash your face.  And they're doing this for the fucking 7 dollars and change you got in your pocket because it's raining outside and they are a few hours late for their fix and they are starting to cramp up.  No, doofus, they ain't fucking Jesus.  They is your killer.  They are gonna snuff your stupid white ass.  You are such a dumbshit. Am I scaring you, yet?  You getting the picture, Fool?  I fucking know.  I was just like you.  I was just like you and Jack Kerouac and Neal.  And all the rest of them bums.  Been there, done that.  Been there, done that X 1000.

The whole "Fool" thing coupled with thinking that Maharaji's watching your pretty ass is gonna end up causing you to waste your life away.  Or worse you're gonna land in jail and get yourself punked.  And there's no coming back from that, my friend.  It's a way scary world today.  I pity you.

But, check this out: Maharaji is bogus.

He's a selfish greedy pig.  Look at his house, one of many. Malibu  He really doesn't give a rat's ass about you.  If his money scene broke down and he couldn't afford his nut it would be so fucking ugly.  Maharaji is so fucking high maintenance.  All your good efforts in the form of money to spread Knowledge end up supporting his absolutely obscene lifestyle.  He really doesn't give a shit about people.  He cares only for himself.  Read the stuff by his closest aides.  They all left him and they all said the same thing.  Be wise and read the writing on the wall.

If you wanna do good, go join GreenPeace or PETA or whatever.  Anything is better than Maharaji.  He's sick.  He's been an alcoholic since he was 15.  He's not faithful to his wife.  He's had his honcho's get women for him. He considered using prostitutes.  And this is all while he's married with kids.  What kind of FUCKER is HE?  He's a bad motherfucker.  He is not worthy of YOU.  You're too good for him.  Be something.  Be anything other than a sucker for Maharaji.  Believe me the Rainbow People know that he's bullshit.  Everybody who is hip knows he bullshit.

You have no real experience in this World to say what you are saying.  You are sweet and you are very naive.  Yet, you don't have a clue.  Wisdom is listening to the reports from fellow travellers who are coming the other way and who have been down the trail that you on.

You ever do any mountain climbing, LD?  Dangerous stuff where your ass is in a sling and you're hanging 1000 feet above the deck?  Yeah, thought so.  Well, I have and I'll tell you that you do a little recon before you go.  You train, you read route books, you familiarize yourself with your gear, you talk to people who've been there and have done that.  If there's other climbers coming down the climber's trail you ask them about the conditions up top.  You ask questions and you listen.  You don't go off telling them about the approach trail that they've already been on hours or days ago.  They already know that.  It's your opportunity to learn from them, but you need to be humble.  And I'm not talking that bullshit Armani suit humble that Maharaji talks about.

And on the real mountain of life you take it seriously for once in your life because you could get killed due to your ignorance and arrogance.  It's for real and it's not for fools.  I'd never take a fool like you climbing with me.  Never.  The fool walks off the cliff.

Let's get back to this thing you got about Dharma Bums, LD.

No, LookingDistant, the bum/addict/schizophrenic on the street is teaching us about the consequences of being The Fool and the Fool is the following:

You begin as the innocent Fool, ready to plunge into action with the attitude of folly.

The FOOL does not view life with great seriousness. practical problems have no place in his cosmology.

The FOOL lacks physical roots and does not worry about survival.

The FOOL wanders the planet, ignorant to the pitfalls of life. he is unaware of disaster and barely acknowledges the dangers of existence.

LD, you're 21 or so, right?  It's time to grow up.  Don't waste your life being the fool.  Listen to those who've been on the mountain.  The holds are all covered with ice-covered moss.  And if you manage to get to the summit the Guru is not only false, but insane.

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
You're only dancing on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your daddy's best jeans
Denim Blue fading up to the sky
And though you want them to last forever
You know they never will
You know they never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
There'll never be a better chance to change your mind
And if you want this world to see a better day
Will you carry the words of love with you
Will you ride the great white bird into heaven
And though you want to last forever
You know you never will
You know you never will
And the goodbye makes the journey harder still

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
You're only dancing on this earth for a short while
Oh very young
What will you leave us this time

Cat Stevens

P.S. Looking Distant, I'm writing this post to myself 30 years too late.  It's for me.  It's for the part of me that I lost when I surrendered my soul and gave my mind to Guru Maharaji.