Balance View and the Great Freedom, anyone aware of this group?
Posted by:
m00n
()
Date: April 14, 2014 12:38AM
Hello,
I recently encountered this group when I was working in a space they rented for a birthday party. Everyone sat in a circle and had a "Telephone teaching" on speaker phone from the groups leader a woman by the name of Candice O'Denver.
I cant remember the content of the teaching well enough to recount, it was all mumbo jumbo. the most often quoted saying was "short moments of clarity, repeated often become constant."
I have a close relation who spent many years in a cult and this organization seems to have all the hallmarks, but I can't find anything online other than the groups own propaganda.
They have a spiritual retreat center in Goa, India and another in Switzerland. There are literally hundreds of videos online of the groups introductory teachings, but I know that they paid $5000 for a 45 minute phone meditation.
I have been unable to locate any journalism or information from ex-members. Is anyone aware of or had experience with this organization? I believe it is definitely a cult and I would like to get the word out sooner rather than later.
Thanks!
I recently encountered this group when I was working in a space they rented for a birthday party. Everyone sat in a circle and had a "Telephone teaching" on speaker phone from the groups leader a woman by the name of Candice O'Denver.
I cant remember the content of the teaching well enough to recount, it was all mumbo jumbo. the most often quoted saying was "short moments of clarity, repeated often become constant."
I have a close relation who spent many years in a cult and this organization seems to have all the hallmarks, but I can't find anything online other than the groups own propaganda.
They have a spiritual retreat center in Goa, India and another in Switzerland. There are literally hundreds of videos online of the groups introductory teachings, but I know that they paid $5000 for a 45 minute phone meditation.
I have been unable to locate any journalism or information from ex-members. Is anyone aware of or had experience with this organization? I believe it is definitely a cult and I would like to get the word out sooner rather than later.
Thanks!
Some stuff online
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: April 14, 2014 08:35PM
Note:
Having an open mind is not enough.
Mood doesnt equal proof.
Having some sort of wonderful experience doesnt validate something. Experience can be misleading.
Years ago, I was deathly ill and ran fevers that were over 102 F as measured by my thermometer. But I experienced myself as icy cold.
But..I was not cold, despite experiencing myself as cold. The chemicals produced as a byproduct of fever were confusing the tempreture regulation center in my brain -- quite typical. That is why chills can accompany fever.
When people develop life threatening hypothermia (bodies too cold), they often experience themselves as hot. Some are found dead in the snow, having discarded their clothes.
So...experience proves nothing.
One needs Carl Sagan's Baloney detector to assist one to 'test' experiences.
And, it is important to do background research on anyone or any group -- just the way we need to study past performance records for the phone carrier or computer we are thinking of purchasing.
Now..some material from someone else's blog.
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18
Jun. ’13
Is Candice O’Denver’s Balanced View/Great Freedom a sect or a cult?
I’ve been interested in the so-called spiritual search for quite a while and have been involved with zen meditation and advaita vedanta for many years. Recently however, I’ve discovered Candice O’Denver’s project called the Great Freedom teachings which has more recently been repackaged as Balanced View.
Candice O'Denver
This is an image of Candice O’Denver giving a talk. She supported the Barak Obama presidential campaign (Candice O’Denver (Great Freedom/President and Founder), (Zip code: 94924) $2300 to OBAMA FOR AMERICA on 07/31/08 ), so I imagine that she is a committed Democrat.
My first impression was “Wow, this is great!” but over the months have become sceptical and wary of it’s super-professionalism, it’s internationalism and multiculturalism with its sights being on the 18 to 35 year age group. The typical image is of a smiling twenty-something year-old with dreadlocks and an apple mac. What’s wrong with that? I ask myself. I don’t know, but I find the whole thing scary. Is it a sect? I also ask myself. Well, I decided to do a bit of research on the web and found some interesting blog comments and images from their publicity video which in themselves say quite a bit. Maybe one should have an open mind and not be too judgemental.
Image
Mmmm! No! He’s not my type, exactly, but he doesn’t have dreadlocks.
The Faces I’d Like To Punch Thread: That sounds a lot like Balanced View, formerly Great Freedom, a nasty money grabbing cult that has stationed itself in Hamilton House. Several if not all directors of Coexist are spokespeople for it. They peddle this “awareness” crap and charge hundreds and thousands of pounds for courses and retreats. They’re bad news and need routine outing before they become worse news.
Image
No, I don’t think I’d fit in too well here.
The Great Freedom
I’ve been to a couple of the open meetings for The Great Freedom, and so far I am less than impressed. Still thinking I’ll try their “Basic Awareness” program, starting on the 22nd, and go in with low expectations. The woman who runs it, Candace Somethingorother, seems like she’s been stuffed to the gunnels with valium (at least that’s how she comes over on the video presentation). The real live Great Freedomers didn’t seem much better. A depressed looking ex rock musician told us about how the Great Freedom had cured him of depression, and made me wonder what the fuck he must have been like before The Great Freedom. There were a few women with supernatural glows to their eyes, which smacked of the manic phase of bi-polar disorder. I didn’t see too much happinesss or freedom. But that was just my impression (and I think my impressions are rather tainted by nicotine starvation). I’ve been beginning to think, fuck it, there are no answers. Might as well just go back to Scotland.
Image
What’s with all the smiles? I wonder. What’s this image trying to convey?
The Great Freedom???
Well, I am totally disenchanted with “The Great Freedom” or “Balanced View” (as it is soon to be re-branded as). I was not at all happy with their introductory four day programme, but was re-assured by friends that “The Twelve Enquiries” would blow my mind. Well, it hasn’t blown my mind: on the contrary, it has bored me rigid; and it has annoyed me with its proscriptive programme of what appears to be nothing more than brain-washing. Okay, not all brain-washing is malign; and I am sure that Candice O’Denver and friends are well intentioned, but brain-washing and re-programming do not sit well with me. I am totally against it, and wherever I perceive such techniques are being used, my hackles rise. It was why I hated Allen Carr’s smug little anti-smoking book, and it is why I hate The Great Freedom. The last straw for me was being asked to write an appraisal letter of the first three enquiries, but having it turned down because it was not positive. That was bad enough.
Image
Happy clappy Christians? Just friendly young people? I don’t know what to think.
Jerry Katz on Nonduality website comment: …heard one of Ken Wilber’s inner-circle tele-interviews of Candice. Said her teachings were very advanced eastern stuff, even secret teachings. Wow!
How worrying. All we need is more praise by the likes of Andrew Cohen or the so-called Genpo Roshi, whose term Big Mind® is stolen from Shunryu Suzuki’s book Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind.
Image
More friendly people. What’s wrong with that? I just don’t know.
On a yahoo blog, Naked Gary writes:
The name of the cult is Balanced View
Some things they say just aren’t true
But like all cults they want you to trust
What the leader says- that is a must
But I have called her on her shit
And her followers don’t like it, not one bit
But I say, Fuck em if they can’t take a joke
At gurus and cults and I love to poke
They say one thing and do another
We’ve been through it all before, haven’t we, brother?
Image
More smiling faces! I wonder if they smile when they sleep…or when they’re on the john.
Image
Even more smiling faces!! Are they for real? There’s something wrong here.
Another blogger (Anonymous) said…
“It’s the Candice O’Denver cult that really needs to be exposed … She emphasized critical theory in graduate school. Her thesis Metaspace specifies the basic state of phenomena as a ground of natural perfection in which all appearances are equal. The basic state is the comprehensive order of all phenomena:
‘Rather than referring to the non-existence or to the existence of everything, the emphasis of the basic state is the absence of the independent nature of phenomena. The key point is that all phenomena have two aspects: the basic state and a vivid appearance that is the dynamic energy of the basic state. The phenomena of the basic state are countless, ceaseless and indeterminate, arising spontaneously without any effort, without anything needing to be done.’ As you can see this is straight out of Dzogchen …”
Candice O'Denver
Another image of Candice O’Denver giving a talk
Genpo Roshi isn’t the only person to have stolen a term from another teacher, and then called it his own.
According to a certain person called ‘Kyogan’, Candice O’Denver seems to have copied and used terms belonging to the Dzogchen tradition:
“There is some confusion arising from the distinction between “Copyright” and “Trademark”, as regards this issue of “Short Moments…”.
What Candice O’Denver did was to Trademark the traditional term “Short Moments…” (and several variations)
But she did this despite the easily established fact that the exact same term and it’s exact same use have been published in books by Tibetan Lamas years before. These Lama’s books were surely where she took the term from of course, as she obviously also took a great many other distinctively unique and iconic perspectives, images, concepts, terms, metaphors that were virtually unique to Dzogchen texts, and presented them as her own work, from 2007 on.
The fact is that Candice O’Denver has trademarked the traditional Tibetan Dzogchen instruction “Short Moments” and “Short Moments, Many Times” (and several other variants). On 5/April/2011 she successfully bought that right from the company ‘Trademarken’, before any of the Lamas thought to protect it for the tradition.”
On my part, I’d like to quote from Shunryu Suzuki’s Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind:
“That everything is included within your mind is the essence of mind. To experience this is to have religious feeling. Even though waves arise, the essence of your mind is pure; it is just like clear water with a few waves. Actually water always has waves. Waves are the practice of the water. To speak of waves apart from water or water apart from waves is a delusion. Water and waves are one. Big mind and small mind are one. When you understand your mind in this way, you have some security in your feeling. As your mind does not expect anything from outside, it is always filled. A mind with waves in it is not a disturbed mind, but actually an amplified one. Whatever you experience is an expression of big mind.
The activity of big mind is to amplify itself through various experiences. In one sense our experiences coming one by one are always fresh and new, but in another sense they are nothing but a continuous or repeated unfolding of the one big mind.”
That puts it very nicely for me.
So, concerning Candice O’Denver’s project, you’ll just have to make up your own mind.
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Posted by JohnSmith. Categories: cult, sect, spirituality. Tags: cult, sect, spirituality. 9 Comments
9 responses »
Daniel Avital on October 22, 2013 at 10:57 pm said:
I have had a few Skype sessions with teachers on Balanced View and read their free ebooks several times as well as listening to hours of audio. I have been interested in Advaita for some years and truth seeking in general. I came across balanced view whilst consciously searching on Google for the word “Awareness” alongside “recognition”. I had by then come to realize that that which I had been seeking was and always had been here even closer than experience. Experience comes and goes whilst This remains. It only takes a subtle shift in my attention to recognize It. To be honest though, I already belong to AA and didn’t want to engage on the level of fellowship with Balanced View. I have to say though that I never sensed anything of too much concern with what I saw and read. By some definitions it could be classed as a cult just as AA could. One thing about AA though is that it’s free and provides me with an opportunity to be of service to others without expecting anything in return which, although almost mocked in some spiritual circles, helps me a lot. It’s a great article though and really fair. As such, I have no criticism of it. I also disagree with the editorial policy and sensorship.
Reply ?
Richard on December 13, 2013 at 6:17 pm said:
When it is unusual that many people are smiling a lot, what does that say about the usual?
These particular pictures have been taken in India. When your possessions fit in one bag, go about in dust and 30+ degrees Celsius it’s easy to look a bit scruffy.
I had all the same reservations, but decided to see what it was all about anyway. I have not been disappointed. The only way to know is to experience, otherwise it is all about notions and ideas.
Fair enough though. It’s good wanting to shed some light on something which isn’t covered very much.
Reply ?
aqua on January 8, 2014 at 7:03 pm said:
In 30 years of observance and research into ‘Spiritual’ groups, I have rarely come across a more blatant example of a cult. The website says it all, or rather it doesnt -obfuscation all around. What amazes me is its complete lack of subtlety in its approach, the whole website, screams ‘cult’!
Right down to the leader with the long blond/white hair-shades of the recent miniseries ‘Top of the Lake’ and the film ‘Sound of my Voice” among others. Frankly the whole sorry mess, comes across like a South Park spoof .
Sorry, but anyone who falls for this one, is a fool.
Reply ?
John Losang on March 1, 2014 at 1:21 pm said:
Your criticism is not very well reasoned, just a bald assertion of your view. Reference to three TV shows and dislike of someone’s hair style…Is that all you have learned in 30 years?
Reply ?
aqua on March 2, 2014 at 6:23 pm said:
Its very clear where your loyalties lie-and thats entirely your choice, but good luck to you should you become disillusioned, I genuinely hope you dont waste too much of your life-its what every ex cult member regrets the most after the sense of betrayal-the lost time…
aqua on January 8, 2014 at 7:27 pm said:
After reading this :’That sounds a lot like Balanced View, formerly Great Freedom, a nasty money grabbing cult that has stationed itself in Hamilton House. Several if not all directors of Coexist are spokespeople for it.’ – I contacted Hamilton House, and the person I spoke to said they are aware of and concerned about the situation and are distancing themselves from the group, despite ‘Balanced View’ hiring the rooms.
Reply ?
John on February 13, 2014 at 6:12 am said:
I was involved in BV for a number of years and can testify that it is for sure a subtle psuedo spiritual cult with Candice as the narcissistic cult leader. Everyone is told what to believe in a very systematic way and there is absolutely no room for any other opinion other than the party line handed down by Candice and parroted by her syncophatic “trainers”, the most brainwashed of the bunch. The original BV teachings are pretty much all stolen from Dzochen, making the BV teachings essentially a deceitful cut and paste operation. The more modern teachings penned by Candice herself are an exercise in complete un-understandable modern day spiritual technobabble. The saddest part is that BV is a victim of it’s own deception, it’s not like they think they’re pulling one over one every one, they actually believe their own bs. Honesty is the first victim in the cult business and BV is an incredibly well put together contrivance right from the get go. If you are interested in these types of teachings there are far more authentic and less deceptive sources to receive them from than BV.
Reply ?
Timm on March 31, 2014 at 6:38 am said:
For every spiritual seeker this site is a marvel. What are we seeking for? Harmony, peace, love? We would like to get out of our own negativity, inspire others, live a life of freedom and happiness. Reading the above seems to be the exact contrary: spreading excessive negativity, focussing on hurried superficiallity, “proving” assumptions in smart-aleck ways. If this “cult” called balanced view causes such excessive negativity and hatred there must be something to it. So I checked it out. Watched videos, went to seminars and let me tell you: the brainwash worked! The cult got me. Balanced View is wonderful. My life has harmonized so much within the last months, I stopped being a so called seeker as I have found and most of all: I am still unhappy, negative, aggressive – and it doesn´t matter at all! This is what I was looking for. Thank you all!
Reply ?
Micheline on April 3, 2014 at 7:31 pm said:
Thank you! This helps as I find myself drawn to BV’s simple approach – however it came about, nothing’s new! – after years of seeking, trying to free and fix myself in order to know love and live peacefully for the benefit of all which naturally takes care of me. With gratitude…
Having an open mind is not enough.
Mood doesnt equal proof.
Having some sort of wonderful experience doesnt validate something. Experience can be misleading.
Years ago, I was deathly ill and ran fevers that were over 102 F as measured by my thermometer. But I experienced myself as icy cold.
But..I was not cold, despite experiencing myself as cold. The chemicals produced as a byproduct of fever were confusing the tempreture regulation center in my brain -- quite typical. That is why chills can accompany fever.
When people develop life threatening hypothermia (bodies too cold), they often experience themselves as hot. Some are found dead in the snow, having discarded their clothes.
So...experience proves nothing.
One needs Carl Sagan's Baloney detector to assist one to 'test' experiences.
And, it is important to do background research on anyone or any group -- just the way we need to study past performance records for the phone carrier or computer we are thinking of purchasing.
Now..some material from someone else's blog.
[webcache.googleusercontent.com]
This is Google's cache of [extrafilespace.wordpress.com]. It is a snapshot of the page as it appeared on Apr 12, 2014 04:04:42 GMT. The current page could have changed in the meantime. Learn more
Tip: To quickly find your search term on this page, press Ctrl+F or ?-F (Mac) and use the find bar.
Full versionThese search terms are highlighted: candice o denver
Skip to content
extrafilespace
Just another WordPress.com site
RSS Feed
18
Jun. ’13
Is Candice O’Denver’s Balanced View/Great Freedom a sect or a cult?
I’ve been interested in the so-called spiritual search for quite a while and have been involved with zen meditation and advaita vedanta for many years. Recently however, I’ve discovered Candice O’Denver’s project called the Great Freedom teachings which has more recently been repackaged as Balanced View.
Candice O'Denver
This is an image of Candice O’Denver giving a talk. She supported the Barak Obama presidential campaign (Candice O’Denver (Great Freedom/President and Founder), (Zip code: 94924) $2300 to OBAMA FOR AMERICA on 07/31/08 ), so I imagine that she is a committed Democrat.
My first impression was “Wow, this is great!” but over the months have become sceptical and wary of it’s super-professionalism, it’s internationalism and multiculturalism with its sights being on the 18 to 35 year age group. The typical image is of a smiling twenty-something year-old with dreadlocks and an apple mac. What’s wrong with that? I ask myself. I don’t know, but I find the whole thing scary. Is it a sect? I also ask myself. Well, I decided to do a bit of research on the web and found some interesting blog comments and images from their publicity video which in themselves say quite a bit. Maybe one should have an open mind and not be too judgemental.
Image
Mmmm! No! He’s not my type, exactly, but he doesn’t have dreadlocks.
The Faces I’d Like To Punch Thread: That sounds a lot like Balanced View, formerly Great Freedom, a nasty money grabbing cult that has stationed itself in Hamilton House. Several if not all directors of Coexist are spokespeople for it. They peddle this “awareness” crap and charge hundreds and thousands of pounds for courses and retreats. They’re bad news and need routine outing before they become worse news.
Image
No, I don’t think I’d fit in too well here.
The Great Freedom
I’ve been to a couple of the open meetings for The Great Freedom, and so far I am less than impressed. Still thinking I’ll try their “Basic Awareness” program, starting on the 22nd, and go in with low expectations. The woman who runs it, Candace Somethingorother, seems like she’s been stuffed to the gunnels with valium (at least that’s how she comes over on the video presentation). The real live Great Freedomers didn’t seem much better. A depressed looking ex rock musician told us about how the Great Freedom had cured him of depression, and made me wonder what the fuck he must have been like before The Great Freedom. There were a few women with supernatural glows to their eyes, which smacked of the manic phase of bi-polar disorder. I didn’t see too much happinesss or freedom. But that was just my impression (and I think my impressions are rather tainted by nicotine starvation). I’ve been beginning to think, fuck it, there are no answers. Might as well just go back to Scotland.
Image
What’s with all the smiles? I wonder. What’s this image trying to convey?
The Great Freedom???
Well, I am totally disenchanted with “The Great Freedom” or “Balanced View” (as it is soon to be re-branded as). I was not at all happy with their introductory four day programme, but was re-assured by friends that “The Twelve Enquiries” would blow my mind. Well, it hasn’t blown my mind: on the contrary, it has bored me rigid; and it has annoyed me with its proscriptive programme of what appears to be nothing more than brain-washing. Okay, not all brain-washing is malign; and I am sure that Candice O’Denver and friends are well intentioned, but brain-washing and re-programming do not sit well with me. I am totally against it, and wherever I perceive such techniques are being used, my hackles rise. It was why I hated Allen Carr’s smug little anti-smoking book, and it is why I hate The Great Freedom. The last straw for me was being asked to write an appraisal letter of the first three enquiries, but having it turned down because it was not positive. That was bad enough.
Image
Happy clappy Christians? Just friendly young people? I don’t know what to think.
Jerry Katz on Nonduality website comment: …heard one of Ken Wilber’s inner-circle tele-interviews of Candice. Said her teachings were very advanced eastern stuff, even secret teachings. Wow!
How worrying. All we need is more praise by the likes of Andrew Cohen or the so-called Genpo Roshi, whose term Big Mind® is stolen from Shunryu Suzuki’s book Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind.
Image
More friendly people. What’s wrong with that? I just don’t know.
On a yahoo blog, Naked Gary writes:
The name of the cult is Balanced View
Some things they say just aren’t true
But like all cults they want you to trust
What the leader says- that is a must
But I have called her on her shit
And her followers don’t like it, not one bit
But I say, Fuck em if they can’t take a joke
At gurus and cults and I love to poke
They say one thing and do another
We’ve been through it all before, haven’t we, brother?
Image
More smiling faces! I wonder if they smile when they sleep…or when they’re on the john.
Image
Even more smiling faces!! Are they for real? There’s something wrong here.
Another blogger (Anonymous) said…
“It’s the Candice O’Denver cult that really needs to be exposed … She emphasized critical theory in graduate school. Her thesis Metaspace specifies the basic state of phenomena as a ground of natural perfection in which all appearances are equal. The basic state is the comprehensive order of all phenomena:
‘Rather than referring to the non-existence or to the existence of everything, the emphasis of the basic state is the absence of the independent nature of phenomena. The key point is that all phenomena have two aspects: the basic state and a vivid appearance that is the dynamic energy of the basic state. The phenomena of the basic state are countless, ceaseless and indeterminate, arising spontaneously without any effort, without anything needing to be done.’ As you can see this is straight out of Dzogchen …”
Candice O'Denver
Another image of Candice O’Denver giving a talk
Genpo Roshi isn’t the only person to have stolen a term from another teacher, and then called it his own.
According to a certain person called ‘Kyogan’, Candice O’Denver seems to have copied and used terms belonging to the Dzogchen tradition:
“There is some confusion arising from the distinction between “Copyright” and “Trademark”, as regards this issue of “Short Moments…”.
What Candice O’Denver did was to Trademark the traditional term “Short Moments…” (and several variations)
But she did this despite the easily established fact that the exact same term and it’s exact same use have been published in books by Tibetan Lamas years before. These Lama’s books were surely where she took the term from of course, as she obviously also took a great many other distinctively unique and iconic perspectives, images, concepts, terms, metaphors that were virtually unique to Dzogchen texts, and presented them as her own work, from 2007 on.
The fact is that Candice O’Denver has trademarked the traditional Tibetan Dzogchen instruction “Short Moments” and “Short Moments, Many Times” (and several other variants). On 5/April/2011 she successfully bought that right from the company ‘Trademarken’, before any of the Lamas thought to protect it for the tradition.”
On my part, I’d like to quote from Shunryu Suzuki’s Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind:
“That everything is included within your mind is the essence of mind. To experience this is to have religious feeling. Even though waves arise, the essence of your mind is pure; it is just like clear water with a few waves. Actually water always has waves. Waves are the practice of the water. To speak of waves apart from water or water apart from waves is a delusion. Water and waves are one. Big mind and small mind are one. When you understand your mind in this way, you have some security in your feeling. As your mind does not expect anything from outside, it is always filled. A mind with waves in it is not a disturbed mind, but actually an amplified one. Whatever you experience is an expression of big mind.
The activity of big mind is to amplify itself through various experiences. In one sense our experiences coming one by one are always fresh and new, but in another sense they are nothing but a continuous or repeated unfolding of the one big mind.”
That puts it very nicely for me.
So, concerning Candice O’Denver’s project, you’ll just have to make up your own mind.
Share this:
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Posted by JohnSmith. Categories: cult, sect, spirituality. Tags: cult, sect, spirituality. 9 Comments
9 responses »
Daniel Avital on October 22, 2013 at 10:57 pm said:
I have had a few Skype sessions with teachers on Balanced View and read their free ebooks several times as well as listening to hours of audio. I have been interested in Advaita for some years and truth seeking in general. I came across balanced view whilst consciously searching on Google for the word “Awareness” alongside “recognition”. I had by then come to realize that that which I had been seeking was and always had been here even closer than experience. Experience comes and goes whilst This remains. It only takes a subtle shift in my attention to recognize It. To be honest though, I already belong to AA and didn’t want to engage on the level of fellowship with Balanced View. I have to say though that I never sensed anything of too much concern with what I saw and read. By some definitions it could be classed as a cult just as AA could. One thing about AA though is that it’s free and provides me with an opportunity to be of service to others without expecting anything in return which, although almost mocked in some spiritual circles, helps me a lot. It’s a great article though and really fair. As such, I have no criticism of it. I also disagree with the editorial policy and sensorship.
Reply ?
Richard on December 13, 2013 at 6:17 pm said:
When it is unusual that many people are smiling a lot, what does that say about the usual?
These particular pictures have been taken in India. When your possessions fit in one bag, go about in dust and 30+ degrees Celsius it’s easy to look a bit scruffy.
I had all the same reservations, but decided to see what it was all about anyway. I have not been disappointed. The only way to know is to experience, otherwise it is all about notions and ideas.
Fair enough though. It’s good wanting to shed some light on something which isn’t covered very much.
Reply ?
aqua on January 8, 2014 at 7:03 pm said:
In 30 years of observance and research into ‘Spiritual’ groups, I have rarely come across a more blatant example of a cult. The website says it all, or rather it doesnt -obfuscation all around. What amazes me is its complete lack of subtlety in its approach, the whole website, screams ‘cult’!
Right down to the leader with the long blond/white hair-shades of the recent miniseries ‘Top of the Lake’ and the film ‘Sound of my Voice” among others. Frankly the whole sorry mess, comes across like a South Park spoof .
Sorry, but anyone who falls for this one, is a fool.
Reply ?
John Losang on March 1, 2014 at 1:21 pm said:
Your criticism is not very well reasoned, just a bald assertion of your view. Reference to three TV shows and dislike of someone’s hair style…Is that all you have learned in 30 years?
Reply ?
aqua on March 2, 2014 at 6:23 pm said:
Its very clear where your loyalties lie-and thats entirely your choice, but good luck to you should you become disillusioned, I genuinely hope you dont waste too much of your life-its what every ex cult member regrets the most after the sense of betrayal-the lost time…
aqua on January 8, 2014 at 7:27 pm said:
After reading this :’That sounds a lot like Balanced View, formerly Great Freedom, a nasty money grabbing cult that has stationed itself in Hamilton House. Several if not all directors of Coexist are spokespeople for it.’ – I contacted Hamilton House, and the person I spoke to said they are aware of and concerned about the situation and are distancing themselves from the group, despite ‘Balanced View’ hiring the rooms.
Reply ?
John on February 13, 2014 at 6:12 am said:
I was involved in BV for a number of years and can testify that it is for sure a subtle psuedo spiritual cult with Candice as the narcissistic cult leader. Everyone is told what to believe in a very systematic way and there is absolutely no room for any other opinion other than the party line handed down by Candice and parroted by her syncophatic “trainers”, the most brainwashed of the bunch. The original BV teachings are pretty much all stolen from Dzochen, making the BV teachings essentially a deceitful cut and paste operation. The more modern teachings penned by Candice herself are an exercise in complete un-understandable modern day spiritual technobabble. The saddest part is that BV is a victim of it’s own deception, it’s not like they think they’re pulling one over one every one, they actually believe their own bs. Honesty is the first victim in the cult business and BV is an incredibly well put together contrivance right from the get go. If you are interested in these types of teachings there are far more authentic and less deceptive sources to receive them from than BV.
Reply ?
Timm on March 31, 2014 at 6:38 am said:
For every spiritual seeker this site is a marvel. What are we seeking for? Harmony, peace, love? We would like to get out of our own negativity, inspire others, live a life of freedom and happiness. Reading the above seems to be the exact contrary: spreading excessive negativity, focussing on hurried superficiallity, “proving” assumptions in smart-aleck ways. If this “cult” called balanced view causes such excessive negativity and hatred there must be something to it. So I checked it out. Watched videos, went to seminars and let me tell you: the brainwash worked! The cult got me. Balanced View is wonderful. My life has harmonized so much within the last months, I stopped being a so called seeker as I have found and most of all: I am still unhappy, negative, aggressive – and it doesn´t matter at all! This is what I was looking for. Thank you all!
Reply ?
Micheline on April 3, 2014 at 7:31 pm said:
Thank you! This helps as I find myself drawn to BV’s simple approach – however it came about, nothing’s new! – after years of seeking, trying to free and fix myself in order to know love and live peacefully for the benefit of all which naturally takes care of me. With gratitude…
Skepticism is not cynicism
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: April 14, 2014 08:39PM
If anyone suggests that care and concern about sources and your determination to fact check means you are negative and cynical --
Take such as response as a signal to be alert.
Skepticism does not equal cynicism. And being skeptical does not make you 'negative minded' and does not make you a 'hater'.
Skepticism is the fart in the mist of New Age incense. It kills the woo woo mood.
Yet skepticism only asks for good quality information and from multiple, preferably objective sources to back up assertions.
Cynicism is justifiable only after one obtains evidence beyond reasonable doubt that someone is running something for self interest, not as they claim, for your benefit.
Skepticism
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skepticism?
an attitude of doubting the truth of something (such as a claim or statement). Full Definition of SKEPTICISM. 1. : an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity ...
Cynicism
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cynical?
believing that people are generally selfish and dishonest. : selfish and dishonest in a way that shows no concern about treating other people fairly ...
[/quote]
Dharma Wheel • View topic - Iconic Phrase 'SHORT MOMENTS, MANY ...So, really, it only matters if a lawsuit is filed by Candice O'Denver and .... O'
Denver has been faced with considerable criticism from several well ...
www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=12207&start... - 45k - Cached - Similar pages
Nothing Exists, Despite Appearances: Better Far Off than Near, Be ...Jun 10, 2012 ... teachers who can't cope with criticism, indeed so proactive in avoiding ...
balanced view guru candice o'denver persuading the disciples not to ...
nothingexistsdespiteappearances.blogspot.com/.../better-far-off-than-near-be- neer-near.html - 144k - Cached - Similar pages
Is Candice O'Denver's Balanced View/Great Freedom a sect or a cult ...Jun 18, 2013 ... This is an image of Candice O'Denver giving a… ... Your criticism is not very well
reasoned, just a bald assertion of your view. Reference to ...
extrafilespace.wordpress.com/.../is-balanced-view-great-freedom-a-sect/ - 71k - Cached - Similar pages
Stealing Heaven From The Lips Of God Latest Posts - Blog CatalogJul 13, 2005 ... Okay, not all brain-washing is malign; and I am sure that Candice O'Denver and
friends are well intentioned, but brain-washing and ...
www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/stealing-heaven-from-the-lips-of-god - 28k - Cached - Similar pages
The Great Freedom Teachings of Candice O'Denver - saieditorMar 17, 2008 ... OF CANDICE O'DENVER. Summarized by Jay Devison. As someone who has
spent more than 20 years on the spiritual path, met many Saints ...
www.saieditor.com/stars/odenver.html - 41k - Cached - Similar pages
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impression that most of your criticism towards the teachings is ...
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Good News: Happiness Doesn't Exist - Raptitude.com... of the references. You are welcome to read/comment/critique it ..... Instead of '
happiness', let's use Candice O'Denver's term 'resting.' According to her view, ...
www.raptitude.com/2010/07/good-news-happiness-doesnt-exist/ - 243k - Cached - Similar pages
Questions and Answers - Advaita VisionPresently I'm working with the Great Freedom teachings of Candice O'Denver,
and, if you're familiar with this group, I'd really like your 'take' on their work.
www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/q_and_a/q_and_a36.htm - 24k - Cached - Similar pages
Candice O'Denver quotations | The Nonduality HighlightsApr 13, 2010 ... Ramon Sender writes: I transcribed this from [www.greatfreedom.org]
videocandice.html The Empowering Basic State of Awareness ...
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Spare Philosophy - WikibinThe term was coined by Candice O'Denver of the Spare Philosophy and ...
Moreover, in relation to Kant's critique of Pure Reason, Norman quotes O'
Denver's ...
wikibin.org/articles/spare-philosophy.html - 15k - Cached - Similar pages
Take such as response as a signal to be alert.
Skepticism does not equal cynicism. And being skeptical does not make you 'negative minded' and does not make you a 'hater'.
Skepticism is the fart in the mist of New Age incense. It kills the woo woo mood.
Yet skepticism only asks for good quality information and from multiple, preferably objective sources to back up assertions.
Cynicism is justifiable only after one obtains evidence beyond reasonable doubt that someone is running something for self interest, not as they claim, for your benefit.
Skepticism
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skepticism?
an attitude of doubting the truth of something (such as a claim or statement). Full Definition of SKEPTICISM. 1. : an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity ...
Cynicism
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cynical?
believing that people are generally selfish and dishonest. : selfish and dishonest in a way that shows no concern about treating other people fairly ...
[/quote]
Dharma Wheel • View topic - Iconic Phrase 'SHORT MOMENTS, MANY ...So, really, it only matters if a lawsuit is filed by Candice O'Denver and .... O'
Denver has been faced with considerable criticism from several well ...
www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=12207&start... - 45k - Cached - Similar pages
Nothing Exists, Despite Appearances: Better Far Off than Near, Be ...Jun 10, 2012 ... teachers who can't cope with criticism, indeed so proactive in avoiding ...
balanced view guru candice o'denver persuading the disciples not to ...
nothingexistsdespiteappearances.blogspot.com/.../better-far-off-than-near-be- neer-near.html - 144k - Cached - Similar pages
Is Candice O'Denver's Balanced View/Great Freedom a sect or a cult ...Jun 18, 2013 ... This is an image of Candice O'Denver giving a… ... Your criticism is not very well
reasoned, just a bald assertion of your view. Reference to ...
extrafilespace.wordpress.com/.../is-balanced-view-great-freedom-a-sect/ - 71k - Cached - Similar pages
Stealing Heaven From The Lips Of God Latest Posts - Blog CatalogJul 13, 2005 ... Okay, not all brain-washing is malign; and I am sure that Candice O'Denver and
friends are well intentioned, but brain-washing and ...
www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/stealing-heaven-from-the-lips-of-god - 28k - Cached - Similar pages
The Great Freedom Teachings of Candice O'Denver - saieditorMar 17, 2008 ... OF CANDICE O'DENVER. Summarized by Jay Devison. As someone who has
spent more than 20 years on the spiritual path, met many Saints ...
www.saieditor.com/stars/odenver.html - 41k - Cached - Similar pages
Eckhart Tolle Discussion Community • View topic - My opinions on ...At this point, my personal favorite is Candice O'Denver and her great .... I get the
impression that most of your criticism towards the teachings is ...
eckhart-tolle-forum.inner-growth.info/viewtopic.php?f=8&t... - 38k - Cached - Similar pages
Good News: Happiness Doesn't Exist - Raptitude.com... of the references. You are welcome to read/comment/critique it ..... Instead of '
happiness', let's use Candice O'Denver's term 'resting.' According to her view, ...
www.raptitude.com/2010/07/good-news-happiness-doesnt-exist/ - 243k - Cached - Similar pages
Questions and Answers - Advaita VisionPresently I'm working with the Great Freedom teachings of Candice O'Denver,
and, if you're familiar with this group, I'd really like your 'take' on their work.
www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/q_and_a/q_and_a36.htm - 24k - Cached - Similar pages
Candice O'Denver quotations | The Nonduality HighlightsApr 13, 2010 ... Ramon Sender writes: I transcribed this from [www.greatfreedom.org]
videocandice.html The Empowering Basic State of Awareness ...
nonduality.org/2010/04/13/candice-odenver-quotations/ - 76k - Cached - Similar pages
Spare Philosophy - WikibinThe term was coined by Candice O'Denver of the Spare Philosophy and ...
Moreover, in relation to Kant's critique of Pure Reason, Norman quotes O'
Denver's ...
wikibin.org/articles/spare-philosophy.html - 15k - Cached - Similar pages
Thoughts on Take What You Like and Leave the Rest - TWLTR
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: January 02, 2019 12:05AM
We often hear, "Take what you like and leave the rest" - TWLTR.
This phrase is appropriated from 12 Step groups.
This phrase is safe only in the context of an honest group. In the context of a dishonest group, this phrase is a trap.
Beware. Take What You Like and Leave the Rest is safe to do ONLY in relation
to a group where you are given full disclosure of the group's history, its teachings, its power structure and its finances.
What defines an unsafe group is that you are not given this information. In an unsafe group, you are not given the full information you need to make a fully informed decision whether this group is honest and safe.
Genuine 12 Step meetings have a scheduled monthly business meeting. Positions such as treasurer and secretary are by election and rotate every six months. The district office has monthly meetings. Anyone can attend. Finances are open book.
In a genuine 12 Step group, the only condition for membership is a desire to stop drinking or using. If you have no money, you are still welcome to join. You can have any belief system or none whatsoever. Genuine 12 Step groups leave you free to have a higher power of your own understanding. There are 12 Step meetings for atheists and free thinkers.
In a genuine 12 Step group, you can ask questions. You can change your sponsor and choose which meetings to attend, which ones to stay away from. You can decide not to go to meetings.
In a genuine 12 Step group, we hear again and again that addiction is a disease of fear and isolation. We are told that will become less frightened of the people.
In genuine 12 Step meetings, we focus on similarities between people, find common ground, become at ease with people from different backgrounds.
A genuine 12 Step group gives all of these. The teachings stay the same, whether you are an outside observer, a newbie, or someone who has been a member for many years.
A genuine 12 Step group almost never encourages us to drop outside friends or family. Most participants in 12 Step groups report that over time, they reconcile with estranged family members, and develop social lives outside of their 12 Step group, becoming increasingly at ease in new social situations. unless in very rare situations where friends and family are abusive. Repat
[www.google.com]
This phrase is appropriated from 12 Step groups.
This phrase is safe only in the context of an honest group. In the context of a dishonest group, this phrase is a trap.
Beware. Take What You Like and Leave the Rest is safe to do ONLY in relation
to a group where you are given full disclosure of the group's history, its teachings, its power structure and its finances.
What defines an unsafe group is that you are not given this information. In an unsafe group, you are not given the full information you need to make a fully informed decision whether this group is honest and safe.
Genuine 12 Step meetings have a scheduled monthly business meeting. Positions such as treasurer and secretary are by election and rotate every six months. The district office has monthly meetings. Anyone can attend. Finances are open book.
In a genuine 12 Step group, the only condition for membership is a desire to stop drinking or using. If you have no money, you are still welcome to join. You can have any belief system or none whatsoever. Genuine 12 Step groups leave you free to have a higher power of your own understanding. There are 12 Step meetings for atheists and free thinkers.
In a genuine 12 Step group, you can ask questions. You can change your sponsor and choose which meetings to attend, which ones to stay away from. You can decide not to go to meetings.
In a genuine 12 Step group, we hear again and again that addiction is a disease of fear and isolation. We are told that will become less frightened of the people.
In genuine 12 Step meetings, we focus on similarities between people, find common ground, become at ease with people from different backgrounds.
A genuine 12 Step group gives all of these. The teachings stay the same, whether you are an outside observer, a newbie, or someone who has been a member for many years.
A genuine 12 Step group almost never encourages us to drop outside friends or family. Most participants in 12 Step groups report that over time, they reconcile with estranged family members, and develop social lives outside of their 12 Step group, becoming increasingly at ease in new social situations. unless in very rare situations where friends and family are abusive. Repat
[www.google.com]
Re: Balance View and the Great Freedom, anyone aware of this group?
Posted by:
benyamin
()
Date: January 29, 2021 02:18PM
This very dangerous group of people has the potential of being instrumentalized as an A.I. startup, embracing cloning and trans-humanism.
The founder has deep relationships with developers of artificial intelligence and quantum computing, herself being born into an elite society of Silicon Valley. For example, she is quoting Ray Kurzweil in her teachings, a philosopher of post-humanism and advocate of euthanasia.
Participants are being “prepared”, as a generation who is ready to accept and apply respective technologies to come in the near future as "early adaptors", like she explained in one of her "transmissions" of the inner circle of few hundred people.
These people are being involved and hypnotized by trance-induced states of "bliss" and by social activities, like volunteering in the kitchen, with gardening or promotion ("outreach"), even producing their own pop-cultue like the musical project "Massive Vibe Live", so that they have the feeling of belonging to a "grassroots movement" that is special and unique, making real change in the world by being an example to others practicing non-violence and clarity, abstaining from emotional outbursts.
Everything that is stirring you up emotionally or mentally is delegated to a teacher („personal trainer“) or to a 24/7 support chat and other training settings, where participants are provided texts, re-inducing the state of trance and bliss, that serves as a foundation for the supposed stability, that is absolutely dependent on at so-called "root teacher“. The narcissist guru herself claims the tibetan title of "Rinpoche", the master magician and "queen b", how she called herself in one of the ecstatic celebrations she performs, that can also be seen as orgies of self-worship and idolatry.
I believe this woman is exercising a form of mind control over “spiritual seekers”, who are involving themselves as a coping strategy for all kinds of personal trauma, being shared in group settings, including crying and emotional breakdowns. Everything is accompanied by a thought stopping method, being utilized to avoid critical thinking and submitting to the leadership, who make the impression to be under a spell of tibetan buddhism (as the tradition of guru worship and submission is the central practice behind the curtains of the NGO and mental health program).
Trainers and participants periodically suffer burnout, because there is an encouragement to make one's involvement excessive, so especially addictive personalities will run into an abusive bloodbath, if they go for this training in full measure, sacrificing their lives and energy to the one-person cult, which is extremely demanding, cultivating meditative states and pretending to be interested in your well-being, while they are encouraging you to spend all your money to the organization and „contribute“ to the real estate empire and smokescreen of a personal development and self-improvement solution, which in reality will just discontinue and displace your life to a degree that after leaving your soul will be fouled up beyond all recognition.
The founder has deep relationships with developers of artificial intelligence and quantum computing, herself being born into an elite society of Silicon Valley. For example, she is quoting Ray Kurzweil in her teachings, a philosopher of post-humanism and advocate of euthanasia.
Participants are being “prepared”, as a generation who is ready to accept and apply respective technologies to come in the near future as "early adaptors", like she explained in one of her "transmissions" of the inner circle of few hundred people.
These people are being involved and hypnotized by trance-induced states of "bliss" and by social activities, like volunteering in the kitchen, with gardening or promotion ("outreach"), even producing their own pop-cultue like the musical project "Massive Vibe Live", so that they have the feeling of belonging to a "grassroots movement" that is special and unique, making real change in the world by being an example to others practicing non-violence and clarity, abstaining from emotional outbursts.
Everything that is stirring you up emotionally or mentally is delegated to a teacher („personal trainer“) or to a 24/7 support chat and other training settings, where participants are provided texts, re-inducing the state of trance and bliss, that serves as a foundation for the supposed stability, that is absolutely dependent on at so-called "root teacher“. The narcissist guru herself claims the tibetan title of "Rinpoche", the master magician and "queen b", how she called herself in one of the ecstatic celebrations she performs, that can also be seen as orgies of self-worship and idolatry.
I believe this woman is exercising a form of mind control over “spiritual seekers”, who are involving themselves as a coping strategy for all kinds of personal trauma, being shared in group settings, including crying and emotional breakdowns. Everything is accompanied by a thought stopping method, being utilized to avoid critical thinking and submitting to the leadership, who make the impression to be under a spell of tibetan buddhism (as the tradition of guru worship and submission is the central practice behind the curtains of the NGO and mental health program).
Trainers and participants periodically suffer burnout, because there is an encouragement to make one's involvement excessive, so especially addictive personalities will run into an abusive bloodbath, if they go for this training in full measure, sacrificing their lives and energy to the one-person cult, which is extremely demanding, cultivating meditative states and pretending to be interested in your well-being, while they are encouraging you to spend all your money to the organization and „contribute“ to the real estate empire and smokescreen of a personal development and self-improvement solution, which in reality will just discontinue and displace your life to a degree that after leaving your soul will be fouled up beyond all recognition.
Re: Balance View and the Great Freedom, anyone aware of this group?
Posted by:
Leslie Read
()
Date: October 28, 2022 10:31AM
The teaching gs of Candice O’Denver (who goes by a variety of names) and (Great Freedom/Balanced View (which has had their website scrubbed of search details) indeed are high-level teachings which can/do, also, result in the realization of Wholeness or Oneness.
**YET**…Candice *also* operates with significant controlling and manipulative shadow as do my own former teachers: Nome and Russell Smith of SAT in Santa Cruz, CA with whom Candace collaborated on in the early days of establishing Great Freedom.
There are numerous records of Candice’s outright stealing of Dzogchen teachings.
We’ve all seen that one can be awake to wholeness and yet that, in no way, means one is free from shadow or is somehow a balanced and decent human.
One can be awake to the Oneness and still be creating delusions and, worse yet, harming others in the process.
To make matters (even) worse…there is overarching and systemic cover for the lies of these teachers…Candace (Candice) O’Denver, Nome and Russell Smith… in the non-dual community.
Use discernment and your own inner knowing…
[integrityintruth.com]
[integrityintruth.com]
**YET**…Candice *also* operates with significant controlling and manipulative shadow as do my own former teachers: Nome and Russell Smith of SAT in Santa Cruz, CA with whom Candace collaborated on in the early days of establishing Great Freedom.
There are numerous records of Candice’s outright stealing of Dzogchen teachings.
We’ve all seen that one can be awake to wholeness and yet that, in no way, means one is free from shadow or is somehow a balanced and decent human.
One can be awake to the Oneness and still be creating delusions and, worse yet, harming others in the process.
To make matters (even) worse…there is overarching and systemic cover for the lies of these teachers…Candace (Candice) O’Denver, Nome and Russell Smith… in the non-dual community.
Use discernment and your own inner knowing…
[integrityintruth.com]
[integrityintruth.com]
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