At my meditation group, after the meditation I casually mentioned that I had been "mad at the world" earlier that day, and that I'd decided to buy some (sheet) music about it. I MEANT to simply point out the futility, that I didn't know what good it was going to do (buying music, like burying my head in the sand), but at least I was going to have my own small world and space of beauty (music) --- even if the larger world around me was corrupt and a mess.

Very sharply, a woman we'll call "Glenda" (not her real name) replied, "Now why were you mad at the world on the day you're supposed to be sending peace to it?"

To explain: some man named James Twyman (I think he's an author with a website) had proclaimed this particular day a world-wide pray-for-peace day, and so Glenda assumed that we were all followers of her particular interpretation of James Twyman's suggestion to pray for peace.

I did not try to explain to Glenda that anger and hatred are somewhat different emotions --- or that anger probably more often stems from love than hatred, etc.

Nor did I point out to her that no one dictates another person's emotions or vibs. Emotions are and always will be free flowing, and somewhat irratic and unpredictable, and not necessarily explainable by logic.

In fact (on rare occasion) I've had very bad feelings before which I could no more explain through logic of any sort than they man in the moon, and yet later some disaster occurred which made me think I simply must have known something intuitively. We can't explain and justify our emotions or emotional pulls to other people and never should be expect to. They are ours alone.

Anyway I did decide (after she made her rude comment) to just maintain my calm and let this be HER issue. As if I was an emotionless robot (and also as if I owed her explanations, which I did not) I replied, "Well, because of all the things in the news, and the things that aren't in the news that should be in the news . . ." etc., to justify to her my admission as to why I had been "mad at the world" earlier in the day.

Also --- regarding James Twyman --- I am not at all necessarily "against" him, or his proclamations of "pray for peace" days. But also I hardly know this man, and have read none of his books or materials, and I find it very presumptuous for Glenda to take it on herself to assume we all have accepted him as our personal lords and saviors, or even our personal guidance counselors. She assumed this just because he had such an obviously good idea, to get a zillion people to simultaneously pray for peace. To presume we are all going to hand over our lives to his purported dictates, and not be "mad" on a certain day is totally absurd, and i think VERY cult-like: eg. now don't be mad on such and such day --- it's against the regulations.

Had I personally subscribed to his whole ideologies (and frankly, I am quite ambiusous towards him --- not knowing much about him how can I be otherwise?), then I MIGHT better understand Glenda's accusation. But even then she has put her own slant on what she THINKS he has called for (changing "pray for peace" into "don't be mad").

Also I find it interesting that I could have been mad as all hell and just not said so, and I'm sure that would have been perfectly alright with her. She was offended by the fact I admitted to my anger, not that I actually had been angry earlier that day.

inspector, if i wer eyou, i'd get the heck out of that group. they sound like they are a bunch of nutcases usuing spiritual cliches to send bull.... around. if i were there, the only reason id sit there was to count how many clches they could come up with and luagh at the lack of originality.bu serously.....you are bringing up some good red flags.

Anger can be an early warning sign that something is wrong. If you suppress anger its like having a house that lacks a smoke detector.

Hatred is very, very different from anger. Anger comes and goes. It takes mental effort to maintain long term hatred against anyone.

But anger is built right into the human fight or flight response. If you try to suppress it, you're shutting down an area of awareness and constricting your mind and emotions--and making yourself vulnerable to exploitation by the very people who are trying to shame you into censoring your emotions. Nirmal is right...youve described a red flag.

Do a search on this forum fo Twyman and see what you get.

Finally, its very very common for spiritual racketeers to do outreach by setting up meditation groups. Most people
attend meditation groups very trustfully and never think to do a background check on who is offering it, where the money is coming from, and whether at some point, you will be expected to give money, how much and for how long.

Worse yet, any suggestion that stuff like this should be background checked will land you an accusation of being 'negative'.

But...its never considered negative to do consumer research before purchasing a house, a computer, or a car.

You need a license to practice as a physician and the profession is regulated by law.

But anyone can set up as a guru, because the title isnt protected or legally regulated.

And its a set up where there is total power and zero accountability and abuses of power are easily justified.

Ditto for leading meditation groups---who is leading one. Whats their training? Do they have a leader?

Do they want anything from you?

Even if the meditation group is free or donation only---are you going to be expected to pay, later?

If you disclose personal information, will it be kept confidential or not?

Few people think to ask this?

And if there is a guru--is the person who he says he is, or a fake who is misrepresenting the tradition he claims to teach from?

Indians have a term, 'export guru' for those kinds of gurus who would be identified as fakes in India but who
easily con Westerners (and western educated Indians) into thinking they're genuine.

Lots of these folks are trained to be businessmen, can flash their eyes, look like Bollywood stars, in guru costume, and seem very profound to those who dont have background knowledge.

But all they really know about Hindu spiriutality is a few lines from Bhagavad Gita and a few bits of Upanishad and tell Purana stories. What they know much more about is creating a hypnotic atmosphere, a spectacle that enthralls the child in us all, and how to do trance, which is easily leanrned from books and just as easily hidden.

But they dont know anything beyond this, and will tell you book learning is anti spiritual, as a way to steer their disciples away from doing any background study that would reveal how little they know They and what fakes they are.

*A common red flag is the argument that intellectual effort and scholarship are obstacles to spiritual progress. That is false, but is so common an assertion that it now goes un questioned when it should be questioned.

And they get a ready following from people who want Indian spirituality but dont want to give the time needed to learn the full background.

C



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2008 04:25AM by corboy.

Uh...inspector 8 posted his query way back oct 2002... I'd think he's since moved on...

corboy thanks so much for yor post. I was once in a meditation group myself. What you said about hatred though is so true, and can not begin to tell you how much that has heloed me you have no idea.