LM - thanks for the warning and the info, much appreciated. Good luck if you do make contact, let us know how it goes.

BPMom. I suspect the offshoots exist because simply undertaking the courses also leads to accrediation as some kind of teacher, and this process of 'franchising' directs people to create their own similar businesses afterwards.

Its akin to pyramid selling: those who have been on the course have to keep 'spreading the word' to have made the initial monetary outlay worthwhile.

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People take more time choosing a new car than they do investigating a group who hold seminars which COULD ruin their mental health.

Yes, well put. And this is usually an indication that people are more concerned about running from something, rather than running to something, i.e. running from a world they don't like / understand.

Difficult to get the proof eh. This thread alone documents some tragic events however.

My advice is to confront the individual, but be a stable influence as well. You need to demonstrate (in your actions) that one doesn't need to spend vast amounts of money and experience the destruction of close relationships in order to feel secure in oneself.
These groups offer (fake) security by imploring people to not use their critical faculties. Critical thinking is the death of nonsense, and this is where our power lies right now. Simply put, we have it, The Bright Path doesn't!

But stability is key. If your family member(s) aren't the type to cope directly with confrontation, you'll need to tread carefully, as The Bright Path draws people away from this type of interaction with glorious promises.

Inportantly, you might find at times you need to act a bit like their parent or guardian.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2009 12:43AM by limey.

To everyone reading this thread I just want to say it's very hard to prove it. As the police said unless someone was found over the body with a smoking gun it's not their business. They may and do find it suspicious -one police officer told us that if it was his brother he would be asking questions.

Ok back again-for us the worst thing possible has already happened so we have to decide whether to fight this organisation or not. The good thing for us is that there is no time limit on that now for us and maybe as we begin to swim through the sea of grief we will take up that option.All I can say to the post wanting proof is that we have to be very careful and stick to verifiable facts...so here goes...Nigel was recruited into the organisation by his then partner.He started to sound like their publicity information.He started to display an unhealthy reliance on his then partner and stopped consulting his own doctor in favour of her remedies.He had always had a real pride in his work but suddenly no company displayed the right ethical code to fit into his partners idea of who he should work for.He attended several bright path courses culminating in a lenghty stay in Mexico. Upon his return in April this year he had adopted a hindu name, Vayu, and was wearing a ring on the third finger of his right hand denoting that he had taken vows to become an Ishaya monk. His old friends and his family descibe him at this time as being almost zombie like in his behaviour.He and the partner announced to several friends together that they were no longer a couple and evidence from friends tells us that Nigel was intent on his ex partner leaving his house.He had a new life planned with a partner he had met in Mexico. A few days before his suicide he got in touch as matter of urgency with his solicitors to redraw his will. The will was sent to a friends house with firm instructions that his ex partner was not to know of it.The will would have totally erased his ex partner from his estate.He and his ex had an argument and she left the house- he thought and hoped for good.However he was called to the Temple Lodge in Richmond and stayed overnight on the 8th 9th August. On August 11th the ex returned to the house and found Nigels body hanging from a beam in the kitchen.She and Dr Lawson aka Amaraj Ishaya who owns the Temple Lodge in Richmond then told the coroners officer that she was his long term partner and that he had been on a training course in Mexico- because he couldnt find work on his return he had hung himself.The family were told by the ex partner that Nigel had wiped his phone and computer records before death. There is now a small acknowledgement on the Ishaya Uk website saying that Vayu has 'passed away' and that they wish him peace on the big adventure.
There are many other details but the above are all straight forward verifiable facts. I leave it up to the readers of this thread to estimate whether there was cause for concern or not

HI
It's been a little while but I'm back now. I totally agree that proof is hard to come by especially as a lot of members are fairly eloquent people which appears to add credence to the legitimacy of this cult.
I don't know whether you have decided to tackle this or not but I am with you all the way. I have known Nigel for about 35 years and other friends of ours go further back than that.
I wonder if they need to be "outed" ie find someone to do an article about them, stir things up a bit. I find it extremely disconcerting that someone who holds a medical qualification can be prescribing to people who aren't their registered patients but this is only one aspect of it. I wonder what the GMC would think?
I understand that Nigel had been offered a job just before he died so that things were starting to look up a bit for him which is contrary to what was being put out from his so called partner and co.

As you say, what's done is done and somehow we all have to try and come to terms with it but it is our strong belief that these people sent him to his death just as the tide might have started turning for him. This would not have suited the plans of certain people in the Bright Path I am sure. I know I sound very cynical but it leaves a very nasty taste, the whole thing stinks.

Anything that helps us take a stand against these people is a small victory and I'm right behind you but as you say, we need to stick to facts or risk losing credibility by letting grief and anger get in the way.

I'm sure you have more facts than we do, our information is from other friends and observations over the years but please know you have our support.

Wonder which country the BP are registered in and to whom they pay tax? They must be listed somewhere in the world as we are talking BIG money being earned here. If we can't prove brainwashing - how does one prove this anyway? then perhaps the route of the tax man would help to bring this lot down.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?

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marsbar
I find it extremely disconcerting that someone who holds a medical qualification can be prescribing to people who aren't their registered patients

I hadn't noticed this before. Can you give any more info please, its v important.

PM if you need to.

Am not sure if the leader is still with Ascension or has started something entirely separate and under a new name.

[www.google.com]

The Bright Path guy (McConnell/Krishnananda) originally studied with a different guru Maharishi Sadasiva Isham . After MSI died, the teachers went in a variety of directions. McConnell opened his own franchis later.

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Maharishi Krishnananda Ishaya

Krishnananda Ishaya is known as “the Teacher of Teachers” in The Bright Path.

He was born in 1948 in the United States of America. Before the age of 35, he served in Vietnam as a member of the United States Marine Corps, and also became a company CEO. He also served under President Ronald Reagan as Chairman of a Presidential Commission on Child Abuse.

Krishnananda began studying the Ishayas’ Ascension in 1996, during which time he met his Teacher, Maharishi Sadasiva Isham (M.S.I. - 1949-1997). MSI is credited with bringing Ascension Teaching to the western world and wrote five books about the subject, "First Thunder", "Second Thunder", "Ascension: an Analysis on the Art of Ascension," "Third Thunder", "Enlightenment", a translation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Today as Teacher of Teachers, Krishnananda is considered the spiritual guide to all of the Bright Path Ishayas.
Ishayas’ Ascension
The Ishayas' Ascension is a simple meditation process based on techniques called “attitudes.” These attitudes are grouped into “spheres.” The First Sphere is traditionally taught in a seminar over a weekend span.
The First Sphere Attitudes are:
Praise - The most basic and fundamental of all the techniques. Brings awareness back to the present moment and help the practitioner begin to let go of judgment and condemnation.
Gratitude - Counters the practitioner’s perceptions and helps the practitioner experience things as they really are.
Love - Helps the practitioner to feel connected to their spirituality, God and the Universe.
Cognition - Brings the first three Attitudes together and teaches the practitioner to replace judgment with compassion.

However, here is a 2003 discussion over at Factnet about this earlier MSI led group

[www.factnet.org]

You can see Pedro being unable to get through to an alleged teacher--and Pedro said that big fault was that teachers were unwilling to listen.

A great deal of history of the group is given earlier in this thread by 'scribe'.

Additional threads on Factnet

[www.factnet.org]





[www.google.com]

I need to correct my first post on this forum. Maharishi Krishnananda aka Wayne McConnell is incorrect - his 'real' 'Christian' name is WILLIAM. Whether this was an error by the interviewer on the Yorkshire Post
or whether this 'guru' changed his name - I don't know.
Are any of the details of his past history confirmed? Does anybody know?

In the UK the cult has recently registered as a company with Companies House - an SIC- a Special Interest Company- which, from what I understand is a charitable company limited by guarantee. They are supposed to put any profits made back into the Company. Its heading is under "Health". I understand the Ishayas are paid rather well.

However a beloved family member has changed from a caring person to one who puts his needs ahead of his children, " living in the moment" and has spent a lot of money he doesn't have - he's unemployed - in attending retreats. He seems to be quite selfish, getting the money by whatever means and getting into serious debt.

To my mind these people prey on the gullible and the lonely. Most of the techniques can be learnt through mainstream buddhism on courses which are a third of the price.

Its a cult , don't doubt it.