(This article is not about spirituality in entrepreneurs but about entrepreneurship in spirituality.Both are very different.)
Despite the enormous impact we have had in the global arena of science, technology, research etc. in the last two decades, the first thing that comes to the mind of an average westerner when they think about India is Spirituality. Thanks to Vedanta, our ever-relevant treasure of wisdom, India has always been, and will continue to be, the land of Spirituality.
Vedantic wisdom is so powerful that once internalized, it can transform one’s life into a blissful existence. However, this highest form of wisdom is not easily comprehensible for average men. They need Gurus who would guide them in the path of this ultimate knowledge. The spiritual journey is an ongoing, and for most, never ending process. Gurus are like street lights which help you to walk from one point to the next in the spiritual path until you no longer see darkness.
India has had several great spiritual Gurus. Many known only to the real seekers and many visible and accessible to the common man. Millions of people have benefited from these Gurus. But, why do many of them come under criticism for commercial wrongdoings, sexual misdeeds and violence? The most recent one being revelations of a former disciple and close aid of Mata Amrtanandamayi.
Indeed, the accusations of sexual misdeeds and violence in spiritual organisations are hard to prove. And unless proven, the Gurus enjoy the benefit of doubt. However, history shows us that oppression and violence are always associated with two things: money and power. Where there is money, there is fight for power. Where there is fight, there is violence. And where there is power, there is oppression.
So, the fundamental problem lies in the fact that today’s spiritual Gurus deal with money. It could be in the name of charity but, money has a overt distinction of attracting bad people. Why is today’s spirituality associated with charity? A spiritual person indeed should be charitable but should a spiritual Guru run hospitals and schools, receiving money from the rich and giving it to the poor? (It is this argument that the spiritual organisations use to counter any allegation.) Is charity work and spirituality anyway related?
They are not. (If you say "yes" then you would be disqualifying some of our greatest spiritual Gurus.) If a spiritual Guru deals with money - in whatever name - he needs to operate in certain manner which is not characteristic of the spiritual guide that he claims to be. He needs to operate like an entrepreneur running his business. That’s why these Gurus create brands. They have marketing strategies. They have targets and performance reviews. They have competition. They have profit and loss. They have balance sheets. In effect, they are "Spiritual Entrepreneurs".
Now, is it wrong to run a charitable organisation or for that matter a business? Absolutely not. Neither is it 'un-spiritual'. But, a spiritual Guru has no business to run hospitals and schools and social welfare programs. It is best left to people who specialise in it. There are many honest and highly committed social entrepreneurs whose goal is not name and fame, who just follow their passion. Can’t the spiritual Gurus help social entrepreneurs perform in their chosen field of activity by redirecting all the contributions they get and confine themselves to their own chosen field of activity, that is, Spirituality? For that, they should place spirituality before entrepreneurship in the order of priorities.
Where there is money, there is fight for power. We have seen the fight for power come in open when Sri Sai Baba died. It came out because it existed before. It always existed and is existing - in all spiritual organisations. Fight for power exists because power exists. Therefore, it is not illogical to assume that violence and oppression exist too.
The biggest casualty of Spiritual Entrepreneurship is spirituality itself. Spirituality has no brand. Brand colours the light the Guru throws on the spiritual path. A Guru’s disciple is trained to believe in his brand and has a coloured perspective of the spiritual path. There are competing Spiritual Entrepreneurs promoting their own brands. They paint the spiritual path in different colours deceiving the seeker, denying him the real perspective. Like any brand, once addicted, it is hard to liberate.