Lord Buddha said "Test everything I said for yourself, don't just accept it at face value, if it works for you, then use it."
Traditional Tibetan Buddhism teaches "if your lama says "jump!" you should only ask "how high?" as you leap.
Which is the path to truth?
One sounds real to me, the other sounds like a cult. We all have to ask questions of ourselves because we can not give up our spiritual sovereignty, not really.
Giving up spiritual sovereignty is an illusion. We come and go alone depending on the kindness of others always. Wanting things to be easy is the reason fundamentalism exists. It's easy. One knows who is responsible and what all the rules are, or at least who to ask.
Do whatever your lama says is Buddhist fundamentalism, it's old school but not necessarily good school. For those who have taken truly mistaken paths, and can not love nor listen to others, the path of placing the lama first is a good, tried and true path, such as for Milarapa...
But really we do know, we just have to be patient enough to inquire and wait for the answers to appear. A highly qualified guru makes the light and dark spots clearer, and the path quicker.
Any where there is enough great food, the leaders should eat last, not first, so as to make sure everyone is provided for.
