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outtheotherside
Having said that I do think the whole prospect of enlightenment is just a con. Some time back I realised if the only person who I could be sure was enlightened was Ramana then what was the point as he is just one person from millions and why did i want it anyway?

Unfortunately everyone who's making money off people's desire to be enlightened is financially incentivized to present a romanticized vision of what enlightenment is. But there does exist a measurable permanent change in brain functioning that results in a radical reduction of needless and repetitive conceptualization of self and reality. Obviously such a reduction of mind-clutter would be liberating. So in that sense I do think spiritual liberation/awakening is a thing. But I agree with you insofar as that enlightenment as it's usually presented is mostly a con.

I think a scientific of approach of "enlightenment" is the only valid one. Otherwise it's just a matter of believing the one who has the best enlightenment sales pitch and that's how you get manipulative narcissists rising to the top of the spiritual scene.

Fortunately there are a few spiritual teachers cooperating with scientists in research of the neural correlates of spiritual awakening (Gary Weber and Shinzen Young come to mind).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/2020 12:12PM by zizlz.

Here’s my two cents..

Adyashanti and his wife are both very sad casualties of exactly the same things as they put out.

None of it is or has been of any benefit to them through their lives, if any only as a temporary band aid to relieve pain in physicality and emotionality - which appears to be the thing needed to escape from.

What happens when you have a teacher or leadership role person (same as to parent figure), is that the teacher of leader becomes internalised in ourselves because we view them and their ways of being, lifestyle etc as ideal - because our own self view is that we’re a shitheads of some type (struggling with something so we make ourselves faulty). Then the ideal outer presents and we follow enough before eventually internalising.

How many posts you read across this forum saying that they cannot get the persons voice or image out of their head?

I wish recovery for everyone, including Adyashznti and wife, followers and so on. All of the teacher guru disguise aside, I like Adya and his wife, Adya in particular has a great sense of humour - funny man, and his wife nurturing. These are the parts of the real persons underneath the dressings they had inadvertently picked up.

Noting what Corboy says about the eyes too, both Adya and his wife show the distinct physical presentation of being involved in life long practices that have done the physical body absolutely no good whatsoever. Anyone involved in such things will do well do get a whole side of salmon down them (albeit gradually, don’t damage yourself in this way either), with a big pile of buttery mashed potatoes. Mix with the public in a shopping mall of some type.

Death or physical renunciation is not the key to life.

Gaga, what was said to you was unkindness. You correctly noticed this behaviour because you as a human is still functional in this way that would help keep you safe from people who would harm others (either intentionally or unintentionally). It comes across too as belittling, which serves only to prop up a sense of superiority in the person dishing that out.

People show in their behaviour. Always.

As a fellow human though, Adyashznti is an adult responsible for his behaviour, I personally would keep in mind that this unkindness behaviour has been previously modelled to Adya as an ideal. The point being, once he realises this .. does his behaviour remain the same.



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2020 04:49PM by facet.

Hey facet,
I do not know what Adya is now. I'm not interested with him anymore, I do not trust him. He wanted more to criticize me, and have finished opinion about me, then I guess I can have finished opinion about him.

But I know that many people like, and love him, maybe those who are as perfect with no fault like him. Well I'm no perfect, so this is no company for me.

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facet
Noting what Corboy says about the eyes too, both Adya and his wife show the distinct physical presentation of being involved in life long practices that have done the physical body absolutely no good whatsoever. Anyone involved in such things will do well do get a whole side of salmon down them (albeit gradually, don’t damage yourself in this way either), with a big pile of buttery mashed potatoes. Mix with the public in a shopping mall of some type.

Death or physical renunciation is not the key to life.

I wonder if you could be a bit more precise in your criticism, because I'd love to understand your point. And what makes you think he doesn't go to shopping malls in his spare time?

Maybe it could help this discussion if we can imagine what feedback we would have for Adya if we could have a one on one conversation with him.

What can he do better?

So far, we have
- not have dead fish eyes
- not write responses to election results that are anemic because they plea for mutual understanding instead of fighting
- eat more salmon and mashed potatoes (I know he loves a good steak, but more salmon probably couldn't hurt)
- mix with the public in a shopping mall
- stop endorsing Mooji and saying hurtful things to your students

Granted, the last point is based on just one report here and Adya might reply that he never said those things or that his words were twisted and I wouldn't know who to believe.

I think I'll go to one of his retreats when the opportunity arises, so if anyone has any more feedback for him, post it here and I'll make sure to pass it on ;-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2020 02:30AM by zizlz.

Hey Zizls,

Hope that you are doing well.

Since Adyashanti puts himself out there publicly and makes money through the public, like with any public figure - any person anywhere can have various views of what he puts out - the beauty of it is that everyone can and will have a different view, and criticisms don’t have to be taken on by him he can just get on with his own life (and likely does) despite what anyone else thinks or says.

I’m a fan of criticism, without it there can be not changes.

To be more precise in what I said, all you have to do is refer back to the above post where it does already say “life long practices’, I’m not willing to go in and list those possible.. which is why I didn’t :-).

It comes across like you feel that you’re being put off by others going for a retreat, this is really not the cause of the observations in my post. It’s your choice to go man. Nobody is stopping you aside from you.

Your life your choices, for me I’m free to observe the world if you like it, if anyone else likes it .. or not.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2020 03:28AM by facet.

Gaja Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey facet,
> I do not know what Adya is now. I'm not interested
> with him anymore, I do not trust him. He wanted
> more to criticize me, and have finished opinion
> about me, then I guess I can have finished opinion
> about him.
>
> But I know that many people like, and love him,
> maybe those who are as perfect with no fault like
> him. Well I'm no perfect, so this is no company
> for me.

I understand, and of course none of us are perfect we are all just here doing best we can. I like what you said about no company for you heh :-).

It doesn’t give people the freedom to treat others badly and without having people talk publicly about it though. I am glad that people posted and shared experiences and observations in this thread.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2020 03:23AM by facet.

Hi Facet,

I agree, he's a public figure and anybody's free to share his opinions about him. I mean, he even went on Oprah, for god sake :)

It's just that this forum is usually about what's wrong with cult leaders, cultish practices/abuse and harmful teachings (and the topic of this thread is "I'm convinced Adyashanti is a cult leader"), so I'm trying to make sense of what exactly the arguments are here.

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facet
It comes across like you feel that you’re being put off by others going for a retreat, this is really not the cause of the observations in my post. It’s your choice to go man. Nobody is stopping you aside from you.

No, don't worry. I haven't read anything here that would stop me from attending his retreats. It's their price that's stopping me.

Cool Zizls,

Did you skip the bit where appreciation for Adyas hilarious sense of humour is mentioned?

He is funny, no denying.

It seems to be a discussion here and the thread title for me I can appreciate why because Adya does present some of the qualities there from my bit of view and view from others, including you - because a non ethical pricing (making things inaccessible) is one to highlight simply as you are experiencing it, wether it is in the current formal diagnostic of cult I wouldn’t say so, that is left to those wholly familiar with it who might post.

Corboy s eyeball response to me is a natural one, this is a standing up for someone who has been treated unkindly... bouncing the unkind ball right back where it came from. That’s life. It likely isn’t Corboy intention, it’s just my view but whatever the ball belongs with its owner.

Gaga’s has paid someone grandly to treat them unkindly which resulted in some damage, gaja didn’t pay for that it was to go to be with someone offering a level of care, which didn’t transpire.

- note for everyone, I am sorry for any typos I cannot keep coming back to edit. Please excuse me :-)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2020 04:07AM by facet.

I don't think the retreat pricing is unethical. It costs about $100 a day, that's not expensive for this type of thing. It's just that when I checked out the price for the retreat in my country last year, the only retreat was a 5-day one, at a hotel / conference center which costs another $100 a day. It was close to where I live so I could have just traveled back and forth from my home instead of staying at the hotel but that was not allowed. Not sure what the reason for the latter is, so if that part of the cost is ethical or not, I can't say.

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facet
Corboy s eyeball response to me is a natural one, this is a standing up for someone who has been treated unkindly.

I can see how his eyes could be interpreted as showing emotional flatness or something, but I'm not sure what to make of that. Regarding Gaja's report of having been treated unkindly: that's the first time I ever heard of anybody being treated unkindly by Adya. It may or may not have happened exactly how she recalls it, but at least to my knowledge there's no pattern of this type of behavior with him.