A lie is an intentional misrepresentation of a known fact in order to distort truth.
There are some people who are in the role of a spiritual master and others who wish to be in the role of a disciple that feel that the master not only has permission to lie but that their lies ultimately serve morally good ends. Often paired with this is the idea that a disciple should never lie to their master or if they were to ever do so, it would be morally wrong.
The rationale for this seems to be based on viewing a spiritual master as having esoteric means of perception which transcend that of ordinary reason or morality and that their enlightened intentions are only capable of being good. The master’s goal is to positively transform their disciple and lies are simply a tool to get this job done. While the master remains shrouded in mystery due to their superior means of perception, the disciple needs to make themselves as transparent as possible in order for the master to do their work. Therefore to lie to the master is to disrupt the spiritual relationship.
How can we test the validity of the idea that a master’s lies are benevolent because they are means to a desirable end?
Well, we’d need to know what that end is and then see if lies are productive in getting someone there.
If the goal includes spiritual knowledge or truth, then the spiritual master’s role is that of a teacher and to provide untrue or misleading information is contrary to that goal. Perhaps the goal of enhanced awareness includes wisdom that transcends the rational mind and it could be said that the lies are to get the disciple to let go of their mind. However, a more useful technique for this is paradox such as Zen Koans. There is a difference between the irrational and nonrational. Irrational is that which is proved false by reason and nonrational is that which cannot be explained by reason. Lies influence in the direction of irrationality, reducing awareness. To increase nonrational modes of perception, other techniques are better employed that do not contain lies.
If the goal is for the disciple to become like the master, then transparency, sincerity, and honesty on the part of the master would be the principles to operate on. An ideal strategy would be for the master is to lead by example. For a master to lie to their disciple is to deceive them, presenting a false image of who the master is, what they think, feel, or how they see or deal with the world. If the master is expected to lie and the disciple is expected to never lie, this is a double standard that creates a contradiction – someone who is asked to never lie is also asked to become like someone who lies.
The defense is sometimes given that below a certain spiritual attainment you should never lie and above a certain level, it’s fine. If there are divine or eternal truths, values, or principles to live by, would they not by definition apply on all levels? If truth is relative until enlightenment, why would an enlightened master increase relative falsehood?
If the goal is love or the experiential merger of self into some greater collective, lies would also be a poor technique. A lie is a disruption, creating two oppositional elements – the actual and the lie. This creates an obstacle to the goal of oneness through love which involves removing boundaries and categories. The lies of a master to a disciple on this path can be particularly dangerous since the disciple will tend to cast away their defense mechanisms and trust more in things outside of themselves. They are more vulnerable to being taken advantage of and exploited.
I’ve argued here for a moral principle – that lies should be avoided by those claiming to be spiritual masters. We should not change our moral principles until our own reasoning can see something more superior. A true teacher should get us in better touch with our own ability to see things clearly and to learn. We should not abandon our principals out of faith in a master, especially if they are a known liar. Trust in our own reasoning will do more for us than faith in a liar. If someone is lying to you or asking you to lie in order to “test” your faith in them, this should be a red flag.
