QC

’That is, it’s not nearly as important how true or false a belief is as how certain one is of it.’

‘No wonder it is not unusual to hear people say wistfully, “I really wish I could still be a Catholic [or a Jew or Protestant] as I once was.” What they’re wistful for is certainty, with clear-cut rules and roles that are more relaxing and comforting than living with ambiguity.’

‘It is not that we doubt that some who are considered gurus have deeper insights than their followers...’

...Yet even with the best intentions, assuming the role of spiritual authority for others sets in motion a system of interaction that is mechanical, predictable, and contains the essence of corruption.’

‘Another purpose of this book is to show that corruption is not simply the failure or weakness of a specific individual, but is structurally built into any authoritarian relationship, and less obviously, any renunciate morality.’

‘The guru/ disciple relationship contains an essential assumption that makes it particularly susceptible to abuse: namely, that it is possible for a person to be totally immune from the corruptions of power....’

‘...What this must also mean is that such a person is totally free of all self-interest, for self-interest necessarily entails the possibility of corruption.’

‘It is difficult for an intelligent, caring person to look clearly at self-centeredness without experiencing some discomfort. Obviously all the judged inequities in the world are a product of it, and the ways we hurt each other contain it.’