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As Frank Visser says, “Integral confirms integral confirms integral.” I have heard people defend Marc Gafni by stating that Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber support him. But it actually is a silly game they all play because they all defend and support each other. It goes something like this. Patten, Hamilton, Gafni and Wilber support Cohen. Cohen, Wilber, Hamilton and Patten support Gafni. Cohen, Gafni, Hamilton and Patten support Wilber. Wilber and Cohen support Patten and Hamilton. Wilber and Patten support Adi Da….etc. And they all appear on each others integral programs, websites, conferences, book chapters, magazines and platforms. Among the various offerings is Integral Life Practice, Integral Naked, Integral Institute, Integral Spiritual Center, Integral Enlightenment, EnlightenNext magazine…etc. And as Yenner notes above, they seem to employ the same tactic: surrounding themselves with other luminaries, celebrities, and public faces who agree with them and provide much needed support. If all of these amazing people support Cohen he must be ok, right? Nowadays it seems all you have to do is add the word integral in front of something to boost its credibility. Add the word integral and you have a sexy and attractive product ready to be sold to eager spiritual seekers who are hungry for idealism and more purpose in life. The whole thing equates to a very large money making machine.

I want to be clear that this article is not an attack on integral theory or the nature of the teachings that many of the people here offer. I am a fan of integral theory in general—not of the Wilber sort, but the principle behind it. One can recognize that many of these teachers have said wise things while simultaneously being aware of their shortcomings.

Is it wrong to call out Cohen’s enablers? Is it wrong to expect them to break the silence on Cohen’s legacy of abuse, manipulation and cultish behaviors? In the face of the sadistic acts of Cohen isn’t it problematic when Wilber says “Cohen is here to tear you into a thousand pieces?” What about accountability? Responsibility? Ethics?

I would never appear on a program with Cohen, Wilber or Gafni let alone work with them. And if I was in a position of power as Cohen’s friends and supporters Ken Wilber, Craig Hamilton, Terry Patten, Marc Gafni, Genpo Roshi, Diane Hamilton are I would speak out against him.

Do they deny the multiple, disturbing claims made by former disciples of Cohen? Or do they merely brush it aside as “Crazy Wisdom?”

How can someone like Craig Hamilton continue to praise Cohen given the overwhelming evidence against him? After spending fifteen years with Cohen I suspect that Hamilton is still in Cohen’s cult trance.

Can Cohen’s supporters be deemed legitimate if they are unable to call out his abusive, manipulative and sadistic behavior? There is really no excuse for the silence because it only enables Cohen further. In a post-Jonestown and present day Catholic Church scandal era we simply cannot afford their silence.

I doubt any accountability will be had because this particular integral community is a family of “evolutionary thinkers,” who has discovered a revolutionary truth and will defend it to the end. They simply employ a form of group think that rationalizes, justifies and spins the truth to meet their agreed upon conclusions about each other.

The ultimate irony is of course that these spiritual teachers are supposedly on the forefront of instructing us on how to confront the shadow. However, I won’t take their advice until they confront the very large shadow of Andrew Cohen.

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Be Scofield, we at Culture or Cult are many, and are not intimidated by your efforts in the least manner. We are a free platform provider that offers Journalists and honest reporters an opportunity to write their concerns regarding most any issue that might be of value to our world today. We will also, occasionally, allow private individuals to post their grievances or successes in a free environment, where they will not be censored or threatened by any entity, private, governmental, or commercial, so to bring their story forward. This site is dedicated to the voice that otherwise gets trodden under by the prevailing doctrine that governs our fake news media outlets today.....

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In summary, the only things I am certain about in a negative way regarding Be Scofield at this time is that she is choosing some targets, like Byron Katie and Eckhart Tolle, who really hurt nobody and do a lot of good for some. Why not instead go after truly horrible spiritual teachers and people, even if they're small-timers like James Swartz.

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also, notice how much more clever Byron Katie and Eckhart Tolle are than all these folks?
BK and ET both know listing all your past affiliations, seminars, and guru's and former cults, etc, carries a lot of baggage.

So they went and suppressed all of their past affiliations, and just pretended that a cockroach and a park bench done it.
Very clever indeed.

Who was the first big western type Guru who created a false past?

Werner Erhard tried to do it, but it caught up with him.
L Ron Hubbard fabricated his past history...
but all those lies caught up with them later.
So its smarter to just not say anything, make up stories that can't be disproven, and even go so far as to say you are a Savant and forget most of your past, in case you get busted for some of the BS about the past. (like Byron Katie and Eckhart Tolle).

There has to be some early western pseudo-mystery guru's who did this in the 50's...
It is a very clever idea.

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Date: July 29, 2008 11:21AM

Haven't listened to the interview yet, will do so later.

But its very interesting that Byron Katie says The Work "alleviates depression, decreases stress".

That is due to this thread on the Rick Ross Forum.

Byron Katie (the Work) Complaints, California Board of Psychology, FTC
(as of March 03, 2008, they have reposted and CHANGED at least 6 CLAIMS)
[forum.culteducation.com]

Before this thread, Byron Katie was claiming on her main website that The Work ELIMINATES depression and stress.
After this was pointed out here, and what came from that, they changed it. It all captured in this thread in real time.
So Byron Katie knows what is going on in this thread, and is tap-dancing to try and avoid getting in trouble for making medical sounding claims, among many other things.

(her other websites still claim that The Work ELIMINATES depression and stress. I guess she figures she can get away with those ones, as they are less public and looked at by people already involved in her following. She wants to maintain the extreme claim, as that is the Big Claim salespitch. Hopefully the FTC is looking into those claims.)

ALSO:
Byron Katie is very clever, notice how she flatters Oprah with the Eckhart praise and comment that he is a DEAR FRIEND to her and everyone. This is pandering to Oprah, as she has been so criticized for the Eckhart Tolle promotion, people calling him her weird Guru, etc. Katie is so slick, she smooths that one over like a real pro, and give herself credibility by saying she is a good buddy of Tolle, and that Tolle is a wonderful friend of the planet, etc. (always flatter the King and Queen, as they say).
Its really just massaging Oprah's soft-spot, in an indirect way, by praising what she is praising...


But just reading the text above about the cockroach...that is a waking hypnotic induction.

You see, as she tells the Story, it appears in your mind.
Asleep on floor, eyes closed, (hypnosis), cockroach (shock-disgust), OPEN EYES, JOY, then she sells The Work as being the way to happiness.
Then if it gets confusing, that is by design. Creating Confusion is the #1 technique of Byron Katie, it draws people in, and makes them wonder, and puts them off-balance. Byron Katie is highly skilled, and knows exactly how to Target her audience.

If she has more interviews, she will compress her entire method into those interviews.

The Cockroach Induction is very well done. It is unforgettable, which is why she tells that Story like that, and it condenses her entire pitch into one short story, which is the stake in the ground, which she then links all of her other Stories to.