blah blahb albh

[WalkerInTheWoods]

Are there wrong ways and right ways? Or do all paths eventually lead to the same place, only some paths are much longer or much harder than others? Are the longer and harder paths wrong?
I may wish to go to a town that is 5 miles north of me but I start walking south. If I continued on my course I would eventually reach my destination after circling the world, but it would take a lot longer than if I had gone north. Is this way the wrong way, or is it the more difficult way?

Are there spiritual leaders that are as great as in the past? Well how do you measure the "greatness" of a "spiritual leader"? Is one great if they form a religion? Or write a book that many accept? Or proclaim an idea that most consider insane? To me spiritual leaders are not great. Where are they leading us? On the other hand I would consider a spiritual teacher more useful. Maybe I am nit picking here with words but I see a leader as one who leads and tells others what to do where as a teacher teaches others how to be their own, shall we say, leader and thinker. A leader is one with power, which I think we all know in the hands of humans corrupts the one with power. But one who shares the power is then liberated from the such curruption by not trying to be over others but instead help them.
So do I think there are great leaders today, no not really. Do I think there are great teachers today, I would say yes. Why are they not as known today as their past counterparts? I wonder if those great spiritual leaders of the past were actually well known during their time, or were they only known in their area and as time has progressed their ideas have spread and then become well known over centuries. (Note this is measuring greatness in terms of being well known, which seems to be how you are measuring those of the past.) To actually know if anyone during our time is a great spiritual leader or teacher we may have to wait centuries to find out. But if we measure greatness in terms of helpfulness then there maybe many on here that know of many of "greatness".
Another reason why we may not see many great leaders of today may well be a cultural issue. In the past people were use to leaders and looked to others to lead them. I think today we are more independent and seek less leading and more liberation (well for some anyway). So instead of us seeking Bubba of Tennessee to lead us to Enlightenment we seek ideas, which flow rather freely in our age, that we can work into our own beliefs and ideas to seek our own Enlightenment.

[fredhedd]

it seems as though we are at great benefit compared to our ancestors when it comes to reference material on the 'how to' in spiritual evolution.   it is probably true that many of us wouldn't be where we are today in terms of spiritual development if it weren't for the endless source of material we have to aid us.  it seems the more we learn the easier the path becomes, but is it really so?  the more we learn about what and how to do something, the more we learn about what and how not to do it too.  here we have 'the right way', which makes for a great deal more of 'wrong ways' to choose from.  

is there anyone alive today that can be compared to the spiritual leaders of then that developed their greatness w/out the use of books?  it seems as though they were actually a step ahead by achieving more so through direct experience.  maybe even some of those books that were first written wouldn't have been w/out the ignorance of others to call for them.  sometimes the question comes to mind if it's possible  to learn too much.  does and if so when does learning start to hinder in certain areas?