[j45]

Same goes for how things like Yoga have been appropriated and commercialized. (Please read my last sentence if this comment upset you).

While it generally costs more to live in the west than the east, it seems to upset a lot of new yogis that Yoga is not traditionally paid for transactionally in India, in the westernized model. Nor is India a country of 1 billion Yogi's.

I'm very happy for people who find any kind of practice, exercise, etc that improves their life. Excluding people from that on the basis of money alone is something that I have not been able to agree to agree with.

[brango]

No but it was "paid for" by the student living with/spending significant time with the guru doing chores for them. I'd rather pay a few bucks per month to avoid that.

[j45]

I'm not sure I'd call or accept that behaviour as being one Of 'guru'.

The difference is similar to parents who raise adults to remain children and subservient vs. parents who want to raise children to be adults.

The same can be said for "gurus". True gurus want to raise equals so the student surpasses the teacher.