Mike Jones ~
It would be of benefit to hear the answers to rrmoderator's above questions.
I would also like to know if you have ever met Butler in person?
In response to other statements:
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VoxVeritasVita Das
What THIS cult is doing is monstrous- no one would believe it, but trust me when I tell you many of us have lived through and survived this cult…
This is precisely the problem Vox. People who are in thrall with the initial good feelings of chanting and the discovery of an exotic philosophy can not believe what we are saying. If a new person questions the front men and women, they are told that we are miserable, arrogant, and envious demons under the spell of Maya.
Mike presumptuously wishes for us to have peace in our hearts while Rome is burning. But he doesn’t see Rome yet. He's too busy listening to the sweet melodies of the fiddle.
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dharmabum
Enjoy your “very good feeling” while it lasts. I guarantee you, it will give way to cognitive dissonance — ignoring the wrongs, hurts and psychological damage of affected people, parents and children, inside and outside the cult, that fell short of the master’s expectation or that they simply disagreed. When you have effectively numbed yourself with intoxicating chantings, consider this moment — you’ve been warned.
I am sick that this forum needs to exist.
If you are part of the Butler elites or benefiting financially from the lesser devotees, chances are life is good. You have no idea of the pressures that the regular devotees go through. If you are a new person in love with the high you get from the incense, music, chanting, and good vibes, you won't be told what really lies ahead. Hell, the recruiters probably don't even know yet. They are still idealistic and in love with the romantic promise of God Consciousness. So, yeah, this forum will seem really negative and distasteful.
Unfortunately, over time, your behaviors and beliefs will change. You will one day find yourself saying and doing things that you never thought possible.
A child with autism gets run over by a car; You say, “oh it was his karma”. Later he gets put in a group home so his parents can work for Butler full time. He gets sexually abused there. You say, “He must be burning off some karma from a past life. He must have really offended a pure devotee to not be worthy of serving guru.”
A woman gets publicly humiliated while Butler asks her to stuff as many cookies in her face while he calls her a pig. You think, "How merciful are the chastizements of my guru. She really needed to be humbled."
A girl is dying from leukemia. You don’t go visit her in the hospital because you are working long hours for Butler. “What can I do but just tell her to chant?” Butler tells her friends, “The wise neither lament for the living or the dead.”
A young woman who has just lost her father tries to commit suicide, so she is locked alone in a room and told she is selfish and identifying too much with the material body. There is no greiving allowed. You don't speak up or go to comfort her.
You have been depressed for years, working hard at managing one of Butler’s businesses. You can’t get help because you are told that psychologists are stupid and drugs are forbidden. You are told that your problem is that you identify with the material body; you aren't serving Butler enough; you must be displeasing your spiritual master or you would be happy. What's wrong with you? You do all the right things and chant, but never feel good enough. So you commit suicide.
A young man is banned from seeing his little sister because he left the cult and might contaminate her. Even though he has never done anything wrong except point out how the cult sucked up his family and their business, you are cool with this.
A woman gets scolded vociforously by Butler because she chooses to nurse her sick baby over doing something for guru. You think Butler is right.
A woman with bulimia comes to Butler for help and gets yelled at instead of helped. You, the idealistic one, loving the easy path of Bhaki Yoga, make a note to yourself to not associate with her.
You shake your head and say, “that fucking fag had it coming to him” when a few years ago you were not homophobic.
You threaten to leave your husband because he questions Butler. You tell him that he is envious and lacks humility. You later steal your kids and their father doesn't see them for 30 years.
All of these things happened and much more.
So who really has humility, love, and peace in their hearts?
There has been a lot of peace and healing gained by exers on this forum whose experiences contradicts Mike's. Many of these exers have spent years in the cult before they got out. None of them regret leaving and their lives are better for it.
I would not have peace in my heart had I held back the truths I know about this group.
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VoxVeritasVita Das
This is why we do what we do- to inform and educate and to prevent other uninformed people, people with good hearts such as yours, from falling into the “Yoga” trap that Butler has so carefully crafted.
I also understand your feelings about reading these postings: “I feel like my energy is being sucked out of me, my heart begins to heart (sic) and my throat becomes sore.”
Again you must understand this: We Have Lived This. Many are still in pain and there are others who are still trapped in this cult. If you think this makes you ill, it is a fraction of what many of us go thru daily.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2015 12:52AM by Vera City.