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I've made a lifelong study of the mystics, and it seems to me that Byron Katie's message is consistent with what sages have been saying for millennia.
In fact, our word mysticism derives from the Greek word mystikos
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http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mystic
(mystikos), “‘secret, mystic’”) < (mystes), “‘one who has been initiated’”).
The American Heritage Dictionary gives a bit more detail, the root word for Mystic derives from the root word for Mystery
""From Latin 'Mysterium, from Greek Mysterion "Secret Rites" from Mustes 'one who has been initiated into secret rites' to muein, 'to close the eyes and mouth, hence to keep secret.;"
The mass marketing used by BK is incompatible with mysticism.
And the ancient Greek and Roman mysteries were NOT MEANT TO BE AN ONGOING SOURCE OF REVENUE STREAM FOR THE CUSTODIANS OF THE RITES.
The initates of Eleusis never themselves disclosed what they had seen.
But the recruits for BK openly recruit. BK makes an unmystical amount of advertising noise--and gets her votaries to make noise on her behalf.
Anyone claiming to be a mystic who inspires such a noisy and disruptive stream of visitors is not a mystic at all--just another huckster in the marketplace.
What is actually being kept secret are the changing stories with which BK has used (eg the now hard to find books such as
Losing the Moon and
Cry in the Desert) and the methods that Anticult has gone to such lengths to describe.
Mass marketing of the kind BK utilizes is anti mystical, because it propagates noise. Worse it is like kudzu weed--it intrudes into areas where it does not belong, such as 12 Step meetings and genuine Buddhist centers and claims to be legitimate therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which it is
not.
Mass marketing, which BK uses to push her products, propelled by utilizing craving.
In her case, there is always another book to buy, always another tape to listen to, always another Twitter post--like a bag of potato chips with no bottom.
Two, there is no such thing as a permanent bliss or enlightenment state.
First, its neurologically impossible. Your neurotransmitters will get depleted after a finite time and your CNS and body will return to baseline. Talk to anyone who has ever taken LSD or used speed.
As for non drug induced enlightenment, get and read Light
at the Center: Context and Pretext of Modern Mysticism by Agehananda Bharati. He had these states himself and found out that one cannot engage in planning or even assemble enough discursive language to teach, so long as one is in one of these states.
One has to exit the the nondual state in order to talk about it.
Bharati found that in India, gurus used a sort of coded language, speaking as if they were in a state of enlightenment, while talking about it, and the social role expected of them required them to talk this way.
And..one cannot do marketing campaigns, internet campaigns, in a state of nondual bliss.
At the very least the mystic has to hire accountants, lawyers and marketing specialists who remain in a nonmystical state of mind to run this advertising for the person.
Go read the Bharati book.
And..no mystic inspires such a legion of trolls who show up disrupting the sole attempt at a discussion forum that is not under the control of the mystic's business operation.
Its all about money and power, honey.
These are the antithesis of mysticism.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2009 10:25PM by corboy.