Hi,

I am currently starting a project on cult style marketing and 'healing' gurus like Byron Katie and Eckhart Tolle for a piece that I am writing. I have OCD and the nature of this condition can open a person up to abuses by these types of snake oil salespeople, the article I am writing is intended to warn people of the dangers both financially and psychologicaly of these 'scams'.

I have started reading books by Stephen Hassan etc on cults and 'brainwashing' tactics also I have several books like Mother of God and have ordered a few expose books on LGATs and MLM, but I really would like to read any exposes of modern Guru types (the likes of Byron Katie, the healing side so to speak) are there any books out there that anyone could recommend?

Many thanks, I love this forum..

Just yesterday I searched for anything critical of Tolle - and all I came up with was Monica Pignotti's site.

She mentions she welcomes Tolle criticism and links to an Oprah forum where someone posted "Eckhart Tolle is wrong..." ... but the poster of that item was quibbling with a detail. The lingo used by Tolle and his followers I find poisonous in the worst sort of pseudo-helpful dictatorial manner.

Ew.
Ick.

Good luck - drop me a note if you like, I have a back-burner project as well, as a child of cultists.

-Richard

Thanks for the link, just wanted to post back a quick reply as I'm sooo busy at the moment...

I've had a look at the links, some interesting stuff there... I will go through it more when I have more time, and thanks for the offer of dropping you a note I will do this at some point I'll be interested in the information you have.

The whole Tolle, Katie thing for me is as follows...

It's the emporers new clothes at it's worst, these people are 'healing' others without any qualifications or formal training, only doing skim research so far has led me to potential links with Gurus like Andrew Cohen and Zen nutters like Ken Wilber...

Both Bryron and Eckhart have changed their names, suffered a mental breakdown and found 'enlightenment'.. What I think happened is they both did have a mental breakdown that may have developed or expanded a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, both probably failing at some major life goal (with Eckhart it appears to be academic failure) and then feeding their narcassim by public adulation and wealth, lots of this smarts of L Ron Hubbard, who failed to be recognised by the pyschiatric establishment...

I don't think Mr Tolle is setting up a cult but his new age psychobabble is potentially damaging to those with actual mental health issues... What Mr Tolle and his kind are peddling is 'Happyness' which is ambiguously discribed in his books/CDs/DVDs - but because you cannot achieve the level of the 'master', the devotees keeps coming back for the next book, the next CD or the next DVD...

Thanks again, please feel free to drop me any posts/notes that you feel might interest me..

P

You can go to www.infinitenetworks.com and read the articles on Dhyani Ywahoo, Domo Geshe Rinpoche and Madi Nolan. They have been exposed on this investigative website as fakes, con artists and cults.

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charlene
You can go to www.infinitenetworks.com and read the articles on Dhyani Ywahoo, Domo Geshe Rinpoche and Madi Nolan. They have been exposed on this investigative website as fakes, con artists and cults.

Ms. Jones: your 2-line post with no links, and no apparent connection to the question at hand leaves me with one conclusion: This is your two-line self-promoting "tag line" that you insert wherever you can get away with it.

Personally, I'm not impressed that your "Infinite Networks" site "has exposed" those individuals as "fakes, con artists and cults."

Reason One: The question was about "healing" gurus such as Byron Katie and Eckhart Tolle.

Reason Two: Your correspondence with the Dalai Lama about the "reincarnated identity" of "Domo Geshe Rinpoche" as "Majorie Dadak." I don't believe in reincarnation, but if it is true, then I don't believe the Dalai Lama is the only person capable of identifying such people. This is the problem with credulous people such as yourself. Your "proof" that Dadak is lying rests on your belief that the Dalai Lama isn't (albeit unintentionally)

Reason Three: Your vague qualifications seem to indicate that your "investigative website" may be a profit motivator for you

Reason Four:

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Charlene Jones, M.A., M.Ed., has practiced Tibetan meditation for thirty-five years, and has been teaching meditation to North Americans for twenty years. A full time psychotherapist, she combines Jungian dream therapy, meditation, bio-energetic work and astrology to encourage people on their path. Her wide ranging interests include a life long curiosity about food, health issues, sleep therapy, astrology, romance, personal relationships, animal health issues, ecology and astronomy. She is a published writer of articles and two books of poetry.

You mention "astrology" twice... I can only assume "astronomy" is a typo. Your lack of training in science, rhetoric and debate leaves you ill equipped to perform "investigations" of any kind. I imagine you might have good motives, but your sloppy work such as I reference here is completely useless to the interesting question at hand. That question has to do with the 2 very biggest fish in the Fraudulent Guru pond. Katie and Tolle.

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reechard

Quote
charlene
You can go to www.infinitenetworks.com and read the articles on Dhyani Ywahoo, Domo Geshe Rinpoche and Madi Nolan. They have been exposed on this investigative website as fakes, con artists and cults.

Ms. Jones: your 2-line post with no links, and no apparent connection to the question at hand leaves me with one conclusion: This is your two-line self-promoting "tag line" that you insert wherever you can get away with it.

Personally, I'm not impressed that your "Infinite Networks" site "has exposed" those individuals as "fakes, con artists and cults."

Reason One: The question was about "healing" gurus such as Byron Katie and Eckhart Tolle.

Reason Two: Your correspondence with the Dalai Lama about the "reincarnated identity" of "Domo Geshe Rinpoche" as "Majorie Dadak." I don't believe in reincarnation, but if it is true, then I don't believe the Dalai Lama is the only person capable of identifying such people. This is the problem with credulous people such as yourself. Your "proof" that Dadak is lying rests on your belief that the Dalai Lama isn't (albeit unintentionally)

Reason Three: Your vague qualifications seem to indicate that your "investigative website" may be a profit motivator for you

Reason Four:

Quote

Charlene Jones, M.A., M.Ed., has practiced Tibetan meditation for thirty-five years, and has been teaching meditation to North Americans for twenty years. A full time psychotherapist, she combines Jungian dream therapy, meditation, bio-energetic work and astrology to encourage people on their path. Her wide ranging interests include a life long curiosity about food, health issues, sleep therapy, astrology, romance, personal relationships, animal health issues, ecology and astronomy. She is a published writer of articles and two books of poetry.

You mention "astrology" twice... I can only assume "astronomy" is a typo. Your lack of training in science, rhetoric and debate leaves you ill equipped to perform "investigations" of any kind. I imagine you might have good motives, but your sloppy work such as I reference here is completely useless to the interesting question at hand. That question has to do with the 2 very biggest fish in the Fraudulent Guru pond. Katie and Tolle.

If you had read the articles you would have noticed that they were writed by "Harold" and jit is Harold who is responding to your complaints..

For 23 years I was a police officer and a Federal Agent in Canada. I finished my career as an intelligence officer with the Immigration Service. One of my areas of expertise was in the area of cults and cult leader. I has investigated , arrested and deported many persons who were cult leaders.

I have sought out these "Wolves in Lama's Robes for years and have had success in educating the general public and these three people in particular and other in general. My intentions was to help warn others about these con artist.

You stated "I would like to read any exposes on modern guru types". My motivation was to give you that information.

I am truly sorry if I have offended you in any way.

Your attacks on Charlene were and are uncalled for Sir.

Good luck in your quest.