(Opinions of the present–as always subject to change and perhaps wrong, this is presently where my personal road signs are pointing)
Noone has a lock on your path towards truth or even what your view of reality might be. Not old school gurus, not Team Light, not anyone,
we are all sovereign humans and part of that is having to figure it out for ourselves
Part of this figuring out may mean we subscribe to someone else’s viewpoints for moments, months, or years but we learn from them…but when we do so if we accept their interpretation of what our path could be over our own internal guidance (when there is a conflict) then we are not being true to ourselves
Everybody has a piece of the puzzle, none has an ABSOLUTE lock on the truth, that does not mean that we can’t learn from each person, we can..each person’s outlook can only strengthen ours if we are open to it (perhaps even more so, if we rail against it)
The Absolute is bigger than we CAN conceive–not bigger than we do conceive but bigger than we are capable, anyone who claims to have absolute understanding is to put it mildly mistaken, at least in that regard tho they may have wisdom in others
Likewise….anyone who puts down another’s path and says it is COMPLETELY wrong is mistaken…
At the same time it is easier to advance along a spiritual path by following the way of a teacher , most paths tend to be hierarchical tho eventually any path that is not one’s own will either become less and less of a fit or you will stray further from yourself the longer you are on it..
Getting off a path that no longer works for you is not a bad thing. Trashing it for not being an exact fit does disservice to you and the path.
Actually trashing anyone else’s path tends to be nonproductive.
The only prize that seems worthwhile would be greater self-awareness, self-actualization, How one gets there whether through diksha, initiation, ascension or some other form of transcendence seems less then important.