Guru

. 2004- R.U.L.E. Gold (as of 01/04/05). The Indian skeptic Basava Premanand toured around in the villages of India to educate people by debunking gurus and fakirs whom he considers frauds or self deceived. 2003- Blood In My Eye Gold. Some believe that this rule has the drawbacks that one should know what is good and bad in the first place and that one cannot possibly know all acts and their corresponding fruits of a guru. 2002- Last Temptation- Platinum. [3] (http://www.biblebell.org/proph/prophecy1.html) . 2001- Pain Is Love- 3X Platinum.

According to the Bible, Jesus said that one should judge a prophet by his fruits, though it is not not clear whether this rule of the thumb also includes gurus. 2000- Rule 3:36- 3X Platinum. The history of various gurus, religions, sects, new religious movements and cults has shown that the question how to assess the authenticity of a guru is difficult, especially when the guru is still young. 1999- Venni Vetti Vecci- Platinum. Lane wrote that a charlatan who cons people is not as dangerous as a guru who really believes in his delusions, and that 'bigger' the claims a guru makes, the bigger the chance that he is a charlatan or deluded. Ja Rule has co-starred in a number of action movies such as Half Past Dead, The Fast and the Furious, Scary Movie 3, and Assault on Precinct 13. The scholar David C. and Tupac Shakur, though most in the rap community, including Lil' Mo and several others of the aforementioned victims of Ja Rule's bashing, have expressed hope that all rappers could learn a lesson from what happened to Biggie and Tupac and stop serious feuds before someone ends up hurt.

He also wrote in the book that the gurus who are eloquent are the ones who are more likely to be unreliable and dangerous. It remains to be seen whether this 'dispute' will elevate to the level of Notorious B.I.G. Storr includes people who are not normally labelled as a guru, such as Ignatius of Loyola, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung. Dre and Eminem were gay lovers; suggested Dre's newest female protege, Truth Hurts, might be a transsexual; and even claimed that Eminem's young daughter would end up a prostitute. This belief system persists after the psychosis has gone away. He referred to Lil' Mo as an ungrateful bitch who had never had a hit single without his help; alluded that Dr. The belief system was developed during the psychosis to make sense of the guru's own mind and perceptions. Dre, Lil' Mo, Truth Hurts, and Eminem's 6-year-old daughter, Hailie Jade, along with 50 Cent on a single track.

He argues that the belief system that gurus hold developed in some cases from a period of psychosis. The feud eventually escalated to such a level that Ja Rule mocked Eminem, Dr. being loners without friends) and that some suffer from a mild form of schizophrenia. Initiated by 50 Cent's labelling Ja Rule, among others, a "fake" gangster, or a "wanksta", because of their pop sensibilities, the two rappers exchanged insults and disses in a series of singles and underground mixtapes. The British psychiatry professor Anthony Storr argues in his book Feet of clay - A Study of gurus that gurus (in the non-Hindu usage of the word) share common character traits (e.g. In 2003, it was this very dichotomy which started a rap war between Ja Rule and fellow MC 50 Cent. See French legislation on cult abuses. "Always On Time" with Ashanti, "Put It On Me" with Lil' Mo, and "Between Me And You" with Christina Milian are just three examples of such songs, which have married his thuggish image with more sensitive, relationship-minded topics.

Critics of these legislations interpret these measures as limitations of freedom of religion. Despite culling a gangster image, Ja Rule's biggest hits have, to date, been hip-hop inspired ballads, all of which have contained at least one female singer on the chorus. Some countries have enacted legislations that protect individuals with specific vulnerabilities due to physical or psychological deficiencies. in 2001. That label has been extended to any leader seeking to exert his domination over adepts of a secular, religious organization or school of thought, or to receive inappropriate benefits under the pretense of promoting among them a certain belief system. This led Mo to leave Murder Inc. The guru and guruism labels have acquired a rather negative connotation in western countries, especially in France, likely due to the prominence of several self-proclaimed "gurus" in the US and during the 1960s and 1970s "New Age" movement, who used Hindu terminology without necessarily having much in common with mainstream Hinduism. Some of these gurus, were found to be abusing their status and to be charlatans, self-deceived, businessmen pretending to be saints, cult leaders or a combination of this. With Ashanti's career on the rise, Mo felt that Ja and Irv Gotti were ignoring her and focussing unfair amounts of time and money on Ashanti.

Many gurus claim that they can bring people closer to God, facilitate enlightenment, moksha, or nirvana, or can help people to achieve good karma and a correspondingly better next incarnation. Lil' Mo, Ja Rule's former friend, had a falling out with Ja shortly after they released the "I Cry" music video together, in 2001. Some gurus offer a belief system that offers fulfillment and purpose and sometimes promises of a peaceful happy life. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other people who have traditional beliefs seek to intensify their religious life and see a guru who can help her or him with this. It peaked at No. Gurus provide answers to the meaning of life, often free from the intellectualism of philosophy. It debuted at #1 in the UK Singles Chart, giving him his biggest single of his career there (even though at the same time it broke the record of the lowest selling #1 debut single ever).

The most common is that people look for the meaning of life and are disillusioned in traditional religions. Kelly and Ashanti. There are several reasons why people in Western cultures are attracted by gurus. The first single from this album, "Wonderful", has been released, and features R. (The definition is from Jargon file.). On November 9, 2004, Ja Rule released his next album entitled "R.U.L.E." The album features several guest appearances (such as Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Trick Daddy and many more). Less often, used (with a qualifer) for other experts on other systems, as in VMS guru. The song's video, which was dark and simple and featured a bulked-up Ja Rule, contrasted deeply to the colorful, happier scenes in videos such as "Always On Time" and "Mesmerize".

Nearly synonymous with "wizard", but additionally implies a history of being a knowledge resource for others. Arguably his grittiest single yet, it seemed intended to challenge 50 Cent's comments about him. In hacker culture, a guru is an expert of legendary proportions. Ja Rule returned in November of 2003 with the new single "Clap Back", on the album Blood In My Eye. The term guru has also passed into an even wider metaphorical use. The female vocalist who sang the chorus of "Murder Reigns" was not credited as a "featured" artist, though she appeared in its music video. Gurus often claim that they have achieved enlighment, moksha, that their teachings were channeled or that they have received a revelation. The song also had received criticism for its sampling of Toto's "Africa", something that had just recently been done on another rapper's most recent album.

Often, dependent on the teachings of the guru, the followers will see the guru as a prophet, saint or avatar. MTV and other music video channels only played the video with the censored title of "The Reign", and with the word "murder" removed from the chorus' lyrics. On the other hand, Kranenborg accepts the word guru for Jesus. The album's final single, "Murder Reigns" also failed to become a huge hit, especially at pop radio, most likely due to the controversial song title. Sometimes Christians use the word guru as a pejorative label. In late 2002 and early 2003, as Ja Rule ruled mainstream radio with "Mesmerize", another single of his, which featured Ashanti and Nas, "The Pledge", was released to radio, but failed to gain pop support. In more recent usage of the word guru, it means anyone who propagates a philosophical or religious belief system independent of an established school of philosophy or religion and attracts and accepts followers because of this, especially when the veracity of the belief system hinges around the reliabiliy of the guru. "Mesmerze" featured Ashanti on vocals and was another smash pop and urban radio hit--and an enormous MTV and VH1 video hit--for the duo.

The original meaning has evolved to a broader one. The second single from The Last Temptation, "Mesmerize", followed the pattern used in "Always On Time", hoping to repeat its success; it worked. According to van der Lans, the deification of a guru is a traditional element of of Eastern spirituality, but detached from the Eastern cultural element and copied by Westerners, the distinction between the person of the guru and that what he symbolizes is lost and it degenerates into a boundless, uncritical personality cult. Thus far, Rule seems to have changed his mind. The late Dutch professor in psychology of religion Jan van der Lans at the Radboud University Nijmegen has mentioned three dangers when the personal contact between the guru and the disciple is absent. Around the time of The Last Temptation's release, Ja Rule started saying that it would likely be either his last or second-to-last album, after which he would concentrate solely on other aspects of his life, such as his acting career and the managing of Murder Inc. Reender Kranenborg, member of the board of CESNUR, who specializes in Hinduism and new religious movements at the Free University in Amsterdam, distinguished three types of gurus,. Brown's attempted return to mainstream music with the single did not succeed.

The Dutch theologist Dr. Despite "Thug Lovin'"'s being the first single from Ja's fourth album, The Last Temptation and Brown's "comeback" appearance on the song, it was relatively unsuccessful compared to many of Ja's previous singles.
. Ja then featured Brown, Murder Inc.'s newest artist, in his next single "Thug Lovin'" in the fall of 2002, as he had done previously with Baltimore, Lil' Mo, and Ashanti when they were the newcomers. See also:. did shortly sign Bobby Brown. The most important is the Guru Granth Sahib, their holiest book. Following all this, Murder Inc.

Sikhism says we are all the children of God and by deduction, God is our mother/father. There was even talk that Michael Jackson had enlisted the help of Irv Gotti and Ja Rule and was in the process of signing a contract with Murder Inc. For Sikhs, the Gurus were not in the Christian sense “Sons of God”. at the time. This procedure was continued, and the tenth and last Guru, Guru Gobind (AD 1666–1708) initiated the Sikh ceremony in AD 1699. Some dismissed the claims as rumors, since it seemed that everybody in the industry wanted to be affiliated with Ja and Murder Inc. Before his death he designated a new Guru to be his successor and to lead the Sikh community. and was preparing to released a long-awaited comeback album.

His followers referred to him as the Guru (teacher). Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston had cameos in the video and speculation soon arose that one or both of them had been signed to Murder Inc. Guru Nanak, the first guru of Sikhism, was opposed to the caste system prevalent at his time in India. The "Down 4 U" video was a hit at MTV in the summer of 2002 because of its beach setting and its party theme. Indeed, the Sikhs carried the meaning of the word to an even greater level of abstraction, while retaining the original usage, to apply to understanding of imparted knowledge through any medium. The remix of "Down Ass Chick", called "Down 4 U", fared slightly better at mainstream radio, thanks once again to a chorus sung by Ashanti, in addition to raps from Baltimore, Rule, and Vita. The title Guru is extremely fundamental to the religion of the Sikhs. The song heralded the return of Charli Baltimore--who was a "featured" rapper on the track--to the music industry after a five year absence.

The term vajra is also used, meaning 'master'.




. In spring of 2002, the third single from Pain Is Love, "Down Ass Chick", was far less successful at pop radio than its two predecessors had been. A guru is someone who is not necessarily a Buddha but is heavy with knowledge. "Rainy Dayz" became yet another successful song in which a female vocalist's singing complimented Rule's own unique style of rapping. In Tibetan, the operative word is 'lama' which means 'guru'. Blige invited Ja Rule to record a song with her, called "Rainy Dayz", which was added to a 2002 rerelease of her most recent album, 2001's No More Drama. According to the Dalai Lama, the term 'living Buddha' is a translation of the Chinese word 'ho fu'. Looking to capitalize on the same type of strategy, Mary J.

The Dalai Lama speaking of the importance of the guru, said: "Rely on the teachings to evaluate a guru: Do not have blind faith, but also no blind criticism.". The only exception to this was American VH1 which played the original pop versions of the music videos rather than the hip-hop versions. The importance of a guru-disciple relationship, is demonstrated by ritual empowerments or initiations where the student obtains permission to practice a particular tantra. Both remixes featured vocals and rap verses from Ja Rule and both far outperformed the song's original versions, in mainstream radio, urban radio, and music video channels, in America and Europe alike.
In tantric Buddhism, a guru is essential for the initiation,practice and guidance along the path. In early 2002, the formula was repeated with Lopez' next single, "Ain't It Funny". The disciple regards the guru as the embodiment of Buddha or a Bodhisattva, and as such he shows devotion and great appreciation toward him. The "Murder Remix" of "I'm Real" contained vocals by both Lopez and Rule and went on to become one of 2001's biggest hits.

In this foundation the disciple can continue in their experiential path on the true nature of reality. Lopez had enlisted the help of Ja Rule and Irv Gotti in the production of an urban remix for her unsuccessful, pop-sounding song "I'm Real". The guru's blessing is the last of the four foundations in Vajrayana Buddhism. Ja's popularity in the hip-hop industry was cemented even further in the summer of 2001, thanks to a hugely popular duet with Jennifer Lopez.
. Christina Aguilera, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Destiny's Child, Jennifer Lopez, and Gaye's own daughter, Nona, among others, sang the original lyrics to Gaye's song.
. He, along with Nelly, Eve, and Fred Durst, added their own original rap lyrics about the disease to the song.

It is worth noting that in all sects with a disciplic succession or parampara, both guru and disciple affirm to be servants of the divine. Ja Rule had a memorable part in the song. To illustrate the elevated status of a guru, some saints and poets have sung the glory of the guru:. The song went on to become associated with the terrorist attacks and the subsequent war in Afghanistan more so than with AIDS. However, in December, the song was rereleased as planned, with several new versions/remixes of both the song and the video, in order to benefit AIDS charities as originally planned. Indeed, there is an understanding in some sects that if the devotee were presented with the guru and God, first he would pay respects to the guru since the guru had been instrumental in leading him to God. After 9/11, however, the song was rush-released to radio and to MTV; its video having been hastily thrown together "home-movie" clips from the very recent studio recording of the song. The origin of guru can be traced back as far as the early Upanishads, where the conception of the Divine Teacher on earth first manifested from its early Brahmin associations. It was to be released in December.

Other gurus whose legacy of continuing the Hindu yogic tradition grew in the 20th century were luminaries like Shri Aurobindo Ghosh, Shri Ramana Maharshi, Swami Sivananda and Swami Chinmayananda. Just days before the tragedy of September 11th, around the same time that "Livin' It Up" was breaking big, the American supergroup lineup known as the "All Star Tribute" was recording a cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", in order to raise international AIDS awareness as well as money to combat the disease. Some influential gurus in the Hindu tradition (there have been many) include Adi Shankaracharya, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Shri Ramakrishna. The song and video were also notable because they provided MTV viewers and listeners of mainstream radio the first introduction to singer Ashanti, who was the featured singer on the single's chorus. In some more mystical Hindu circles, it is believe that the guru could awaken dormant spiritual knowledge within the pupil, known as shaktipat. The followup single and video, "Always On Time", was released in December of that same year and was even bigger than "Livin' It Up", becoming Ja Rule's biggest pop radio hit to that point. Indeed, it is now a standard part of Hinduism (as defined by the six Vedic streams and the Tantric Agamic streams) that a guru is one's spiritual guide on earth. The song, which featured guest vocals by R&B singer Case, went on to become another smash hit for the rapper thanks in part to its familiar sample of Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do".

The role of the guru continues in the original sense of the word in such Hindu traditions as Vedanta, Yoga, Tantra and Bhakti sects. In the fall of 2001, after "I Cry" had run its course, Ja Rule released "Livin' It Up", the first single from his third album, Pain Is Love. Some Hindu denominations like BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha hold that a personal relationship with a living guru, revered as the embodiment of God, is essential in seeking moksha. The album's third single, "I Cry", also featured singing from Lil' Mo, but the song failed to blow up as the two prior singles had, even despite getting respectable video play on MTV2. In the traditional sense, the word guru describes a relationship rather than an absolute and is used as a form of address only by a disciple addressing his master. In late 2000, Rule released his second album, Rule 3:36, which spawned the huge hits "Between Me And You", featuring young newcomer Christina Milian on vocals, and "Put It On Me", featuring his label-mates Vita and Lil' Mo. The lineage of a guru, spread by worthy disciples who carry on that guru's particular message, is known as the guru parampara or disciplic succession. He later started his own record label, with friend Irv Gotti, called Murder Inc.

Often a guru lives in an ashram. The same year, he released the "How Many Wanna" single off of a movie soundtrack. The disciple of a guru is called sishya or chela. It spawned the singles "Holla Holla" and "Daddy's Little Baby", which only achieved minor success compared to his later singles. Compare also Swami. After his auspicious start on "Can I Get A...", Ja wasted little time preparing and releasing his debut album, Venni, Vetti, Vicci, in 1999. In the sense mentioned here above, guru is used more or less interchangeably with "satguru" (literally: true teacher) and satpurusha. Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976, Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule, is a rapper who made his name on several tracks of recordings by his mentor Jay-Z, the most notable of which was the smash 1998/1999 hit "Can I Get A...".

Another popular etymology claims that the syllables gu (गु) and ru (रू), stand for darkness and light, respectively, providing the esoteric meaning that the guru is somebody who leads the disciple from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge [1] (http://www.dharmayoga.org/onlinestudy/dictionary.htm) [2] (http://www.samadhi-yoga.com/jai/reflect.htm). Ja Rule News (http://www.bandnews.org/Ja%20Rule/). Another etymology claimed in Hindu scriptures is that of dispeller of darkness (wherein darkness is seen as avidya, lack of knowledge both spiritual and intellectual), 'gu' meaning darkness, and 'ru' meaning dispeller. Fansite (http://www.murderinc-online.com/). The word comes from the sanskrit root "gru" literally meaning heavy, weighty. Biggest unoffical Murder Inc. It originated in a Hindu context and holds a special place in Hinduism, signifying the sacred place of knowledge (vidya) and the imparter of knowledge. Ja Rule Official Site (http://www.defjam.com/jarule/).

The word guru means teacher in Sanskrit and other Sanskrit-derived languages like Hindi, Bengali and Gujarati. Fat Joe & Jadakiss) #44 US.
. 2004 "New York" (feat. In further metaphorical extension it means simply a person with the status of an authority by reason of special skill, training or knowledge. Kelly and Ashanti) #5 US, #1 UK. In a Western context, the term Guru has extended into anyone who makes religious or philosophical statements and has followers because of this, in some cases in negative contexts. R.

Guru is widely used in contemporary India with the universal meaning of the word "teacher". 2004 "Wonderful" (feat. Indeed, in Indian languages like Hindi, 'Thursday' is called either Brihaspativaar or Guruvaar (vaar meaning period or day). 2003 "Clap Back" #44 US, #9 UK (double A-side with Reigns in the UK). Guru is also the Sanskrit reference to Brihaspati, a Hindu figure equivalent to the planet the Greeks named Jupiter; in Vedic astrology, Jupiter/Guru/Brihaspati is believed to exert teaching influences. Ashanti) #2 US, #12 UK. Till today in India and among people of Hindu or Sikh persuasion, the title retains its significant hallowed space. 2002 "Mesmerize" (feat.

It is based on a long line of Hindu philosophical understandings of the importance of knowledge and that the teacher, guru, is the sacred conduit to self-realization. Bobby Brown) #42 US, #15 UK. A guru (गुरू Sanskrit) is a Hindu religious teacher. 2002 "Thug Lovin'" (feat. There is also a 2002 movie titled The Guru. Case - re-release) #5 UK. There is a 1990s alternative rapper named Guru. 2002 "Livin' It Up" (feat.

Adi Da. 2002 "Down 4 U" (Irv Gotti presents The INC featuring Ja Rule, Ashanti, Charli Baltimore and Vita) #6 US, #4 UK. Swami Roberto. Charli "Chuck" Baltimore) #21 US. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh or Osho. 2002 "Down Ass Chick" (feat. Meher Baba. Ja Rule) #12 US, #17 UK.

U.G.Krishnamurti. Blige feat. Gurdjieff. 2002 "Rainy Dayz" (Mary J. I. Ja Rule and Caddillac Tah) #1 US, #4 UK. G. 2001 "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" (Jennifer Lopez feat.

Aleister Crowley. Ashanti) #1 US, #6 UK. Note: Maharaji dropped the title "guru" from his name in 1980s together with other Hindu trappings. 2001 "Always On Time" (feat. Maharaji, born under the name Prem Rawat. Ja Rule) #27 US, #6 UK. Madame Blavatsky founder of Theosophy. 2001 "What's Going On" (All Star Tribute feat.

Shoko Asahara former guru of Aum Shinrikyo. Case) #6 US, #27 UK. Benjamin Creme. 2001 "Livin' It Up" (feat. Marshall Applewhite leader of Heaven's Gate. Ja Rule) #1 US, #4 UK. Mysticsm and critical thinking should go together. 2001 "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" (Jennifer Lopez feat.

it increases the chance of false mysticism. Lil' Mo) #40 US. meditation should be performed under personal support by the guru to keep emotions under control and to prevent psychological harm;. 2001 "I Cry" (feat. it increases the chance of idealization of the guru by the student (myth making and deification);. Lil' Mo and Vita) #8 US. the avatar, a guru who claims to be an incarnation of God, or to be God-like, or an instrument of God, for example Sathya Sai Baba and gurus from the Sant Mat lineage. 2001 "Put It On Me" (feat.

This type of guru asks for unquestioning obedience and can have Western followers and even Westerners have become one, for example Andrew Cohen. Christina Milian) #30 US, #26 UK. the enlightened master who derives his authority from his experience, such as achieving moksha. 2001 "Between Me And You" (feat. the spiritual advisor for higher caste Hindus who also performs traditional rituals and who is not connected to a temple (thus not a priest). Amil and Ja Rule) #27 US, #24 UK. The Ten Gurus of Sikhism. 1998 "Can I Get A..." (Jay-Z feat.

Sikhism. Swami Vivekananda. Swami Shyam. Swami Ramatirtha.

Swami Premananda. Swami Dayananda. Sriram Sharma Acharya. Srila Gurudeva, (Tamala Krishna Goswami, Prabhupada's)disciple).

Sri Shankaracharya (Advaita philosophy). Sri Yukteswar Giri. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji.

Sri Chinmoy. Sivananda. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (founder of the Saiva Siddhanta Church, Hinduism Today (http://www.hinduismtoday.com) magazine). Saradamani Devi, the holy Mother.

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar, founder of Ananda Marga (AMPS). Shri Aurobindo Ghosh. Shirdi Sai Baba. Sathya Sai Baba.

Ramana Maharshi. Ramakrishna_Paramhansa. Ram Dass (Richard Alpert). Paramyogeshwar Sri Devpuriji.

Paramahansa Yogananda. Nisargadatta Maharaj. Neem Karoli Baba. Narayana Guru.

Muktananda. Mata Amritanandamayi or Ammachi. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Lord Basava.

Gurudeb Rabindranath Thakur. Dharmsamrat Paramhans Swami Madhavananda. Dayananda Saraswati. Chinmayananda.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Bhakti-Yoga-Rasavatar Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. Akhandanand Saraswati Maharaj. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the Hare Krishna Movement (ISKCON).

A.C. Sahjo Bai. Brahmanand. Kabir.