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"...people in a hierarchy tend to rise to "a level of respective incompetence": employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another."

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As for the abuse, back in 2023 I was pathologized by cult members who I lived with and forced into hospital for having an autistic meltdown which was out of my control at the time. For those who don’t know, autistic meltdowns are a very common aspect of being autistic. They are not tantrums but a response of a dysregulated nervous system. Around the time of the meltdown, I was in a state of deep autistic burnout, and I struggled to ask for accommodations for my needs. I was also struggling with the constant brainwashing and manipulation I had been experiencing at the time. When I was having my meltdown, I was able to express that all I needed was space and time to calm down, but this was ignored, and I was told that I should be on medication. The paramedics were then called against my wishes, and I was forced into Tauranga Hospital where I was further overstimulated and overwhelmed. I protested against being forced into hospital against my will and I was shut down for speaking up and treated like I couldn’t look after myself. This made me feel pathologized and as if I was being treated like I was crazy even though I was not and am not. I ended up being driven home later by the mental health crisis team as they agreed with me and didn’t feel I needed to be on hospital. Later I tried to empathize with my housemate, and he shut me down once again and shamed me for having a meltdown even though it was out of my control. I was told that he had been advised by a senior devotee earlier and he told me that I was “angry at God” and that I needed a reality check. This felt deeply hurtful and shortly after I withdrew myself further and further away from the cult as I didn’t trust many people. If I could have controlled an autistic meltdown, I would of and I feel what happened was highly abusive.

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Hari-bhakti-vilasa, Sanatana Goswami
Text 73

The prospective spiritual master and disciple should live together for one year and, carefully examining each other's
activities and character, test each other to see if they are qualified.

Text 74

The Test
In the Mantra-Muktavali it is said:
"The prospective spiritual master and disciple should live together for one year. In this way they will come to
understand each other's nature. Then it will be known whether the spiritual master is a genuine spiritual master and the
disciple a genuine disciple. There is no other way to know this."

Text 75

"The spiritual master should not give initiation without first living for a year with his disciple."

Text 76

In the Sara-saigraha it is said:
"For one year the spiritual master should examine his prospective disciple."

Text 51

Furthermore:
If a famous brahmana spiritual-master is present in one's own district, a person who desires auspiciousness will not
travel somewhere else to accept initiation from someone other than him.

Text 52

A person who accepts a spiritual master from a lower caste meets destruction in this life and the next. Therefore one
should follow this instruction of the scriptures. A ksatriya, vaisya, or sudra should not give initiation to a person of a
higher caste.