Beware the audio guru

@david_ten - very Zen. If you think you are enlightened, you are wrong. 
Trust no one, not even yourself. :)

@cleeds- probably a fair warning to the uninitiated, but my sense is that most people that stay on this site (as opposed to the person who posts as a newbie saying "I just inherited X, how does this work or is it any good?" and then disappears) are already familiar with the audiophile landscape.
I think most people are sensible enough to put things to the test in their own systems or will take the risk on some equipment that seems to get consistent, positive remarks from fellow users and professional reviews. And, to the extent the manufacturer is a direct seller, an unfettered right to return for refund within a limited time is essential in my estimation ( a modest repacking charge would be ok with me).
Safe to say, there are few posts of the purported guru that go unchallenged here, right? And if you are here for a while, you can sort the informative from the hype.
I recognize that there are certain rifts or areas of disagreement that probably won’t be bridged. At that point, it’s pick your preference.
I’ll obviously pay more attention to a post from someone who had long term ownership experience and has made considered comparisons, rather than flavor of the month or hype or techno-speak. (Not to say there isn't science and technology behind some of this but the harder it is to decipher, the less likely I am to be persuaded. Perhaps I'm technically less astute than some here, but I do defer to those with solid knowledge in circuits, electrical, etc. and they are pretty well known here). 
I think people generally have more sense than we give them credit for, at least when it comes to spendy stuff and their own funds. User preference/bias still remains an issue, even if someone has no agenda.
In my career, the more I did, the less certain I was about certain things. It’s healthy to have the conventional wisdom challenged occasionally. Nothing is as easy as it appears.

I took the Buddhist thing to mean humility and open-mindedness, not anti-science. To me, the true sign of an expert is someone who is willing to take account of multiple, conflicting views, reconcile them to the extent that is possible and be able to recognize that decisions and judgments are almost always made on the basis of incomplete information (whether we know it or not).  In that respect, our hobby should be a collaborative effort- the sharing of knowledge and information without ego. An ideal, given human nature, I know, but one worth striving for, in my estimation. 

@frogman - re your observation #2, I think it underscores that all the gear fiddling is a hobby for its own sake and may be related to better sound reproduction in a "test" setting, but is not necessarily connected to the enjoyment of music. In fact, the two pursuits (gear and music) may sometimes be at odds: for example, believing a tweak makes a system quieter, and thus correlates to improved performance. Often, I’ve found the opposite to be true- the deadening of components against electrical and mechanical interference often robs the system of musical life. But, I say that in passing as one of several experiences I’ve had over the years, and hardly an "absolute" given the infinite number of variables in various systems. (I’m not anti-tweak, but do find that one has to consider the cumulative changes that are wrought by multiple tweaks in a system- we add one to another and don’t often judge their impact standing alone).

As I have aged, I’ve become less interested in gear for gear-sake and more interested in listening for enjoyment. They are two related but not congruent pursuits. The equipment is merely the vehicle to transport you, rather than an end unto itself. (Though I totally understand the interest and obsession with gear- it is fun in its own right, but to come back to your observation #2, not necessarily connected to music).