Spartacus wrote: "Okay, here's a good laugh for everyone. The maniacal Sgcult defender over on Reddit is so detached from reality, he actually said that this forum (cult education institute) IS A CULT !!! BWWWWAAAAAAA!!!!! " Guys, this slur has been around for a long time. Kid you not. We've been referred to by pro guru types as the 'Rick Rossers' and yes,
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I to was a member of this group for over twenty years..I started just after the sexual scandal came to light and was unaware of it for a long time.When it came to light for me it was downplayed a lot and spoken of very little.It is hard when someone you look up to is not what you thought.Over the years I have had many feelings on the subject,ultimately for myself the practice and great teaching w
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Having spent some serious time on Korea myself as a child, due to the association with Kwan um and who my parents are.... I can say Iko is correct. It is a different cultural norm. In Korea, many monks do not become monks because they choose to. In Korea, they have a different system. The monastery takes care of the ones who can not care for themselves. Part of getting that help or being allo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Sorry, I do not mean to excuse the behavior of Seung Sahn. He is Korean, in korea there is still a strong confuscious style buddhism that emphasizes personal relationships. For a korean man or monk, a sexual encounter can be explained the way Seung Sahn says, because that is a very Korean style and would be accepted in Korea. Although, that is becoming old fashioned in Korea as the country is b
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hello everyone! I am excited about this discussion everyone is having about Zen. I apologize if my grammar is a bit off, I am a Japanese citizen but I have been college educated in the US. I am working on becoming a citizen of the US and I enjoy the many differences this country offers. Soto tradition has been practiced by family for a few generations. There are many forms of zen practice in Japa
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Lubos, I am really sorry you had that kind of an experience. It makes me sad. Because it wasn't cool. I have never seen anyone hide the reality of what Seung Sahn did. Until now i have never even heard of it. I am sorry you were lied to. And that is really a shame. Because that isn't the Kwan Um that i know and that i grew up in. I don't think they need to stick the information up
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

blablabla wrote: Quote. I prefer total freedom from rituatlized anything. And so i have chosen that for myself. I am married to a PhD in theoretical physics. My home is frequently the gathering place of some of the greatest minds of science. Spell Check: The word is actually spelled with ' 'ritualized' (American English) or 'ritualised' (British English) Qu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I am not a lifer. Members of my family may be. But actually I am not. I prefer atheism. I prefer total freedom from rituatlized anything. And so i have chosen that for myself. I am married to a PhD in theoretical physics. My home is frequently the gathering place of some of the greatest minds of science. I am opposed to believing in anything without proof. I am opposed to even believing there is
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"Zen master Seung Sahn was a fraud." That statement is not entirely incorrect. You don't get to have sex with women or men or children for that matter while you are claiming to be a celibate monk. That IS fraud. Zen master Seung Sahn, was also just a man. He was slave to the same bodily functions needs and human weaknesses as the rest of us. He taught about dealing with and accepti
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

blablabla, thanks for sharing your experience from inside the school. You don't understand one thing - what you could see because you lived close to Seung Sahn all those years, other students in the school couldn't see because they had only official information provided by the school website, stories told by other teachers, books, Primary Point magazine, ect. I was one of those students
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

blablabla...appropriate handle. Seung Sahn was a FRAUD. Having sex with a bunch of women who are your students, and then lying about this to the public and students. So that is ok with blablabla? Sex with students? And lying about it? the Zen of deception? You betcha, and Seung Sahn would be proud of his Zen of Lying skills...literally. That is the kind of fake Zen he was practicing, where
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I am not sure you are correct about Bobby Rhodes.... Zen Master Seung Sahn, was such an open person that the current head teacher may not advertise her own sex life much as her predecesor did not advertise his. i won't say it here, but i strongly doubt she would have slept with Seung Sahn. There are a couple other high ranking teachers who did and or may have, sure. Their appointment to thei
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I am not sure you are correct about Bobby Rhodes.... Zen Master Seung Sahn, was such an open person that the current head teacher may not advertise her own sex life much as her predecesor did not advertise his. i won't say it here, but i strongly doubt she would have slept with Seung Sahn. There are a couple other high ranking teachers who did and or may have, sure. Their appointment to thei
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The Anticult, "And the more serious longer retreats, are the point of the thread. Those more serious techiques, are for the more "advanced" students, who will become totally indocrinated. That is classic brainwashing, literally. " This statement is not accurate. These retreats both the long and short ones are open to ANYONE who wishes to take part in them. Infact, many peo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I hope no one minds me weighing in on this thread. I lived in Kwan um, for many years. I knew many of these people you speak of personally. I am not trying to tell anyone how to perceive anything. That must always remain up to each individual. Every one of us has a perspective that is valid and correct for us. So i hope no one gets angry if i share mine. I was born in Cambridge Zen Center in 1
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Wikipedia copied 8:27 PST May 6, 2012 QuoteThis is Google's cache of . It is a snapshot of the page as it appeared on May 5, 2012 19:01:46 GMT. The current page could have changed in the meantime. Learn more QuoteMichael Roach From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Michael Roach (disambiguation). Geshe Michael Roach School Gel
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Q2, if you feel confortable about doing so, could you describe some of this infilitration? You're not alone in noticing this. Do a search on the RR.com message board for Seung Sahn in the all dates option and Genpo and Big Mind in the all dates section. But if you have seen additional examples of this, and feel able to describe it (if concerned about retreat centers, you n
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Its still there, and its still a scam and a fraud, meant to promote his pet-Gurus, like Guru sex-abusers Osho/Rajneesh and Seung Sahn, where he neglects to mention their sexual abuses, and gives them the highest rating. Dishonest, deceptive and disgusting. Sarlo's Guru Rating Service
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

From zendirtzendust.com Open Forum on Buddhist Personality Cults (This has also appeared on www.buddhajones.com) -------------------------------------Beginning of Quote------------------------------------------------------------- A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Make sure to get copies and repost this James Ray photo and to search for others, before they are disappeared from the internet. It contains a James Ray catchphrase... GOD MONEY SEX Ray then draws a tic-tac-toe of ONE through it. Ray has shown he wants his followers to think of Ray as GOD. Ray has shown he wants to take all of his followers MONEY. Ray says GOD MONEY SEX are ONE.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

In many ways, James Ray is similar to the extremely aggressive and destructive Keith Raniere of NXIVM (ESP). They both make women their primary targets, there were some articles recently about how Raniere controls the hair-length of women in his inner circle, and controls many aspects of their lives. Clearly sex is also being used as a weapon. James Ray also surrounds himself with women, and c
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

More evidence is building around Ikeda having sexual activities with young women in SGI, including the nude sessions in the Ikeda hot-tub. Sometimes it takes a very long time for the proof of that to come out. With Sai Baba, the sexual abuses of young boys took many years to come out. Also, there was a "Zen guru" called Seung Sahn, who was a mini-Ikeda. It only came out years lat
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

For reference, below is the direct link to the Daisaku Ikeda hot-tub nude guidance sessions. Obviously, bringing in groups of young women from SGI for the weekend, points toward sexual misconduct by Daisaku Ikeda, to add to his long list of other abuses of power. With these groups, sometimes it takes years for the facts of what has really gone on behind closed doors to emerge, like with the s
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Its best just to ignore the internet sock-puppets who simply want to derail a thread, and gain some attention for themselves. Its easy to spot the same patterns that have been used many times before. Byron Katie blocks and censors ALL posts about her that might be even slightly critical from her web forums. So there are plenty of places to post propaganda for Byron Katie. Stephen Mitchell
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

'I had met him just ten days earlier. When my turn came, I entered the serene atmosphere of the large open room in the meditation center that was sponsoring his visit. It was my first private audience with a spiritual teacher. Sitting on a raised dais bathed in the warm light of late afternoon, he exuded a quiet equanimity, a mysterious and powerful depth, and a penetrating clarity and i
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Its amazing at how little has changed, going back 20 years to 1989 when that review was written by David Hinton. Stephen Mitchell was hooked-up 20 years ago with his "prince among agents, my friend Michael Katz", and there is more information about Katz in this thread. Stephen Mitchell's Guru, Seung Sahn, is inserted into the text, and it would be the "crowning moment&qu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

(EXCERPT of review June 26, 1989 The Nation) __________________________________________________ What Zen? DAVID HINTON TAO TE CHING. By Lao-tzu. A New English Version by Stephen Mitchell. Harper & Row. 108pp. $15.95. The news in February 1988 that Harper & Row had paid Stephen Mitchell $130,000 for a new translation of Lao-tzu’s Tao Te Ching should have marked a minor wa
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Its interesting that the above reviews of Stephen Mitchell's Tao Te Ching, even mention Seung Sahn being inserted into it. Of course, they were not aware that he was a close follower of Seung Sahn, which ended at the time when the sexual scandals came to light, as shown in this thread, and this other thread. (Seung Sahn) Kwan Um School of Zen
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QUOTE of review of Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell _________QUOTE_________________________ a fabrication, January 4, 2009 By rcr In his preface and notes which form a part of this book, Mitchell (1)makes clear his belief that Lao-tzu is a historic person , and not just a mythical figure; (2) asserts that the Tao Te Ching (TTC)is the work of a single author, Lao-tzu; (3) states
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Although I'm not one to judge without knowing all the facts...this is unfortunate to hear. I've enjoyed the books I've read from Seung Sahn. Many years ago I was interested in learning about Buddhism and attended both a Theravada and Zen school. The people at the Zen school were very kind but I chose to stop going after a couple of visit based on the cult like atmosphere and the
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"