They ALL work the same way ...

Come together to meditate together for World Peace.. we must have our numbers (of cour$e participants) high to influence planetary consciousness.

Come to the Forum, The Intensive, the Revival and bring as many as possible to connect to the accurate possibilities enlightenment inner godliness at this vulnerable time of history.

gimmeee a break.
Let's just donate some funds to the Red Cross or Unicef and live our own lives with integrity.

For all the proselytizing of these consciousness groups I'd like to know how many of them are actually in there getting down and dirty and helping with the hard stuff. Ya know chop wood carry water. That was part of what helped me realize I was in a cult. For all the so called compassion and healing they promote there was very little action other than trips to the bank.

Yeah, this is definitely going to play out like the Landmark Hunger Project. They claimed they would end world hunger by a certain date- and asked participants to collect donations for the Hunger Relief thing... and they collected a whole bunch of money. I'm a little unclear on the facts but wasn't it like 7 million dollars collected? Then some pesky Canadian newspaper did a story checking up on where that money was going. They telephoned Landmark and where warmly recieved with a dial tone. Finally they got some Landmark representative to admit that the money didn't actually make it to any soup kitchens- the relief project was just about "making people aware" of the situation. Landmark was laughing all the way to the bank. That's criminal. Scrooges. What are they going to relieve the Tsunami victims with? Snake oil? If anyone has a link to that Canadian story (Tornoto Star I think) nows a great time to drag the cons out into the light.

Darn it- I tried to find the link but they charge a fee to access it. Somebody on this board knows about it.

OMG that is so sick. I can't believe Landmark would stoop so low as to make money from people who have lost everything including family members.

Quote from my recent landmark forum, by a woman who said she was very upset over the recent tragedy, loosely quoted.

"The Tsunami was not a distaster. You just made it mean it was a disaster. Do you think they want your pity?"

Everyone seemed to "Get it", I thought it was sick.

Yup. The goal always is to keep the focus and money coming to the leaders. How to frame every outward event so it twists to support further involvement in the Program/Forum/Mission/Movement.... whatever.

Compassion goes something like this :

"Pain comes from lack of connection to one's inner divinity. When you are fully enlightened you will feel no pain. Come to our next level program and you will feel ecstasy beyond comprehension. Those having pain are still caught in the Illlusory world, they are not ready to become free of this world of pain and suffering. You must break your attachment to them. Do not listen to them, just come and do your work for your own freedom."

OR

"When you see someone crying, don't feel you can take that from him. Don't feel that you need to do anything to help him. Just know it is his process to work through. It has nothing to do with you. The best you can do for the world is to uplift yourself to the unlimited possibilities. Those who are ready will join you. By raising your own consciousness, you uplift the energy on the planet to help everyone."

OR

"Solutions on the level of action will bring no recovery. You must work always only on the inner level (and get better at that through paying for our our prgrams)"

One of my pesonal favorites :

"Always find something good in tragedy. A man in ingnorance will pass a dead cat in the road and wince at the horror, manipulation and gore. An enlightened man walking by will see the same scene and find something good - such as 'Oh look at his beautiful eyes'"

And there you have.... compassionate enlightenment.

There is no look at cause and effect, and taking responsible action for social ills. People are in their tragic circumstances - the tsunami or whatever - because they chose to be there that day. It is their lesson. Rejoice for their opportunity to learn and grow through this experience.

Now, let's go to the next LGAT and process our own reaction to that situation. We can allow the ignorant people of Red Cross, UNICEF and the WHO to work on the superficial meaningless level. We are doing the higher level of important work, behind the scenes. After all, those Indonesians have such beautiful big eyes.

Quote

Landmark Hunger Project. They claimed they would end world hunger by a certain date- and asked participants to collect donations for the Hunger Relief thing... and they collected a whole bunch of money. I'm a little unclear on the facts but wasn't it like 7 million dollars collected? Then some pesky Canadian newspaper did a story checking up on where that money was going. They telephoned Landmark and where warmly recieved with a dial tone. Finally they got some Landmark representative to admit that the money didn't actually make it to any soup kitchens- the relief project was just about "making people aware" of the situation. Landmark was laughing all the way to the bank. That's criminal. Scrooges. What are they going to relieve the Tsunami victims with? Snake oil? If anyone has a link to that Canadian story (Tornoto Star I think) nows a great time to drag the cons out into the light.

Oh, The Hunger Project is in Asia already, "helping":

Quote

DECEMBER 29, 2004

Hunger Project team responds to Tsunami devastation

On 26 December 2004, an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia led to a Tsunami (tidal wave) that has taken more than 80,000 lives across 9 countries in Asia. More than 8,000 were killed in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu in India.

The Hunger Project team in Tamil Nadu went into immediate action to support both immediate relief and long-term rehabilitation efforts. They are mobilizing their own staff and others within India in a campaign known as "Turn the Tide." Our Tamil Nadu state chair Dr. Palanithurai and his team have identified 14 panchayats in one of the most devastated districts where they will empower the process of reconstruction.

In her message yesterday to our Indian country director Rita Sarin, Joan Holmes wrote the following:

28 December 2004

Dear Rita,

Everyone around the world has been horrified by news reports of the terrible devastation of the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu caused by Sunday’s Tsunami. All of us in The Hunger Project feel a particular connection to this area, as The Hunger Project has done so much pioneering work in the state since 1990. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families affected by this heartbreaking tragedy.

Thank you for letting us know that The Hunger Project-Tamil Nadu team is at Kalpakkam – one of the most affected areas. Your assessment rings true that there are abundant relief supplies, yet too little coordination. It is encouraging to know that The Hunger Project team in India will do its utmost to provide the workability that is missing. I expect that the strength of the elected women representatives and their panchayats in Tamil Nadu will make a crucial difference in mobilizing and empowering the people to meet both their short term needs and begin the long-term work of reconstruction. As we saw during the floods earlier this year, well-trained local leadership is the most vital element for minimizing loss of life following natural disaster.

I send my love and prayers to our team in India, especially in Tamil Nadu, as they stand in partnership with the people who are rebuilding their lives. You will be relieved to know that we’ve heard from [our Bangladesh country director] Badiul Majumdar, and that Bangladesh has been almost entirely spared.

With love, Joan

Note: Our staff doing this work - and their ability to take immediate, sustained and strategic action - is funded by our 2004 general budget. To invest in The Hunger Project, click here.

Here's an old article about The Hunger Project from Newsweek:

Quote

Copyright 1981 Newsweek
June 15, 1981 Monday
The Hunger Project Feeds Its Coffers


EILEEN KEERDOJA with MARY LORD IN Wasington and PAMEL ABRAMSON in San Francisco


When est founder WernerErhard began the Hunger Project in 1977, people scoffed at the notion--particularly since Erhard didn't intend to send food or money to the needy. Instead he hoped to end global famine simply by getting enough people to believe that "the end of hunger is an idea whose time has come." Today leaders of the Hunger Project point to long membership lists and full coffers as evidence of success, even though executive director Joan Holmes admits that "there are no fewer hungry people around" now than there were four years ago.

'Potent Force': The Hunger Project still espouses Erhard's est precept that when people take responsibility for themselves, they will naturally feel responsible for the world around them. But the project is no longer an official arm of est; it has formed a haritable corporation of its own with headquarters in a palatial Victorian house in San Francisco. Holmes insists that the group had to make the break "to establish its own credibility and viability in the hunger community. We always wanted to become a potent force of our own." As est spokesman Zev Putterman sees it, the project "was Werner's baby, his money and his vision, but it's gone way beyond him at this point." Erhard is now occupied with a new social cause called the Breakthrough Foundation, which he founded to foster Third World development.



People who attend Hunger Project meetings automatically become members of the group when they pledge a donation on cards passed around the room. The organization now claims 1.8 million members and has raised a total of $7 million--most of it used for "spreading the word." In the next two months, the Hunger Project will hold 120 "education for action" programs throughout the United States. It has also made a documentary on hunger in Africa and aired more than 700 radio spots featuring such celebrities as actor John Ritter and singer John Denver. But the group may have made its greatest impact with a $95,000 media campaign last year to aid the Cambodian refugees--a modification of its policy of not providing direct aid. The campaign raised close to $1 million, which was then divided among eighteen traditional hunger-relie organizations including CARE, Save the Children and UNICEF.

To meet its goal of wiping out hunger by 1997, the Hunger Project will need more committed supporters and a lot more money. Holmes estimates that it will take $20 billion -or roughly ten times what the Western nations spend each year on aid to the hungry.

Photo:
Picture, Holmes: 'No fewer hungry people', James D. Wilson--NEWSWEEK

A plee to Werner Erhard:
"Please Werner, go back to selling used cars. You will only ripoff one victim at a time that way. Don't like the used car business? Then please go back to selling encyclopedias. You were really [u:289dba27c4]really[/u:289dba27c4] good at it. I'm sure you could make a lot of poor illiterate kids happy. Please Werner, at least pay each of your Landmark attendees $350 for the privelege of speaking jiberish to them all weekend. You're so rich, they're getting poorer, there's no need to scam them anymore. Please Werner, you like German mass social coercion techniques (you did give yourself a silly German name you were so excited at the [i:289dba27c4]possibilities[/i:289dba27c4] of mass mind control). So burn your 'technology' script. Afterall, it is just a script. We won't tell anyone you couldn't come up with a full book. Just burn it. That's what a good nazi wannabe does. I have matches. You have empty words. Let's brainstorm around a campfire of your best material. Please Werner, for the children, stop talking in riddles. It confuses them. And they're parents. And they're grandparents. It's really easy to change and create a [i:289dba27c4]breakthrough[/i:289dba27c4] for the world, Werner, like taking a long walk off a short pier."

u would think that this would be a great opportunity
for the u s government to step up and warn the people
about cults attempting to penetrate the peoples minds
in areas affected by this disaster but instead they will
probably keep their mouths shut because they have
for the most part been bought and paid for by the
businesses that the cults are so heavily involved in.

its quite an interesting mess.

From Landmark:

Quote

The distinction: Making a difference
Feeling good does not make a difference
Deep understanding does not make a difference
Having an insight does not make a difference
[b:b614ae4d4c]Helping someone does not make a difference
Having information does not make a difference[/b:b614ae4d4c]

From The New Yorker:

January 16, 2005
AFTER THE FLOOD
THE THIRD "R"

The South Indian fishing village of Komitichavadi, about seventy-five
miles south of Chennai, the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, is
situated on a stretch of coast that was particularly hard hit by the
tsunami. In the neighboring hamlets, fifty-nine people, mostly babies
and the elderly, were killed. Hundreds were injured, and many are
missing. In Komitichavadi, however, not a single person died; everyone
has been accounted for.

The villagers owe their good fortune to the quick thinking of Govind,
the headman of the local panchayat, a traditional village council of a
kind that exists all over rural India. On the morning of the tsunami,
Govind received a call on his cell phone from his wife. She was in
Chennai, where she had felt tremors from the earthquake off Indonesia,
a thousand miles away. Soon, Govind noticed the ocean rising, and his
wife called again. The waters were flooding the beach promenade in
Chennai, she said, and people were being swept away; she begged her
husband to escape. Instead, Govind rushed to the ocean, where children
were playing and fishermen were sorting through their catch. He ran
along the beach, waving his arms in the air, warning everyone to flee.
A few minutes later, the water rushed in. "Everyone just ran,"
Govind said. "They didn't even have time to save their nets. They
just ran up the hill to the temple and sat and waited."

Though no one died, the village was destroyed. Fifteen homes along the
waterfront were demolished. More than a hundred boats were lost;
fishing nets, some worth almost as much as the boats, were damaged or
lost. The village prawn farm, where forty people were employed and a
new building had just been constructed, has been shut down. January is
usually a big month for fishermen: they can earn as much as ten
thousand rupees (more than two hundred and twenty dollars) a week. Now
those earnings, as well as those for the coming months, are lost.

People involved in crisis management like to refer to "the three
'R's": rescue, relief, and rehabilitation. The last stage is in
many ways the most important, as well as the most expensive and
time-consuming-and therefore the most widely ignored. For now, the
aid is flowing in; people seem resigned to living off charity for a few
months. But once that dries up it's anyone's guess what the
villagers of South India are going to do to get by.

On a sunny afternoon ten days after the tsunami, Govind, who is
forty-seven, sat in his living room, the green walls decorated with
portraits of deities, and spoke about the panchayat's relief work.
The sea was visible through his front door; it was calm, but the beach
was deserted. There were no boats or ships on the water.

Immediately after the tsunami, Govind said, everyone had congregated by
the temple, under a sprawling banyan tree. The whole village, in
effect, had become a refugee camp. With no aid or government workers in
sight, Govind borrowed a hundred and thirty thousand rupees (almost
three thousand dollars) from some neighboring landowners and used the
money to buy rice and build makeshift tents outside the temple.

A few days later, government aid workers finally showed up and assessed
the damage. Relief-in the form of rice, kerosene, and two bedsheets
per family-arrived soon after. No relief has come from international
aid agencies. "We're not Nagapattinam," Govind said, referring to
a part of the coast where thousands had died. "But we're still
scared."

With other members of the panchayat, Govind went to see the local
district collector, the highest-ranking bureaucrat in the region, fifty
miles away. Govind told the collector, "Food and clothes and pots and
pans are fine, but we need boats and motors and nets to keep alive. We
need to start new lives." The collector promised to help. The
panchayat gave him a list of those who lost boats, nets, or houses.

Last Thursday, early in the morning, a group of four volunteers pulled
up at Govind's house in a maroon Maruti. Govind was outside brushing
his teeth. They introduced themselves. Two of them, a man and a woman,
were from Bangalore, more than two hundred miles inland, and two were
locals. They were not affiliated with any organization; they had raised
money and materials from friends.

Govind was thrilled to see aid workers. He took them to the beach,
showed them how far the water had reached, and described how the boats
had been sucked out to sea. He pointed out a damaged boat from another
village that had washed ashore. They were struck by the neatness of the
waterfront: the debris had mostly been cleared. They asked Govind how
many people had died in Komitichavadi, and Govind said none. This
seemed to disappoint the people from Bangalore. The woman mentioned
that the scene did not much resemble what she had seen on TV. They had
come looking, one of the workers later said, for "places that had
been really destroyed."

The group spent about half an hour in the village. As they were
leaving, Govind asked, "Are you actually going to help us, or are you
just passing through?"

They drove back onto the main road and headed south to a village about
forty miles away. Sixteen people had died there, and twenty-five in the
next village. Two hundred homes had been destroyed. The woman from
Bangalore was much happier with this village. She said that it was a
better use of her aid.

- Akash Kapur