Amen (as they say in another lineage)! The dangerous thing with crazy wisdom adherents who believe in Trungpa's Antimoralism is that they do work in everyday householder jobs and bring their "detached" "crazy" values with them. I have seen this operating in psychotherapy and in real estate. Shambhala and probably much TB sees disssociated (schizoid or amoral) lack
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Sadly, a cult such as Scientology or Jehovah's Witness or Regnum Christi can get itself legally defined as a religion in the United States. That is a big problem. Jay Lifton and Margaret Singer are two of the most important writers on what a cult is.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

On the film Crazy Wisdom. Who knows if it will even make a profit. One reviewer called it "the film that nobody has been waiting for." If it does one can expect that a certain amount will be ploughed into the cult since followers are expected to pay their way through their advances into Enlightenment in this lifetime. From the Village Voice review by Nick Pinkerton: It is suggeste
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Great posts. People don't realize how brave young Kalu is. He has clearly indicated that he may be killed for revealing these things. On one level he is in the same boat with all other sexually abused young people, whether in religion or not. I hope he is getting excellent non-TB therapy from someone who specializes in this, someone experienced with trauma and dissociation and healing.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

In the West we have adoption so no need of some reincarnation story. Why do people in the West want to emulate a barbaric feudal society? Of course I know the answer. Antonin Artaud expressed it in the last century when he begged the Dalai Lama to come save us. We look for a magician from a magic kingdom to solve our very real problems, not just as individuals but as a society. But Tibetan Bud
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The recently release "documentary" was made by one of his long-devoted students and should not be seen in any was as unbiased or objective, even if it shows some of his "crazy" side.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

And Chogyam Trungpa in his autobiography said he was fed the flesh of a young friend. How could such a person not have serious pathology! And despite Trungpa's sons being declared tulkus there's sitll his supposed incarnation somewhere in Asia being kept out of power while his "impeccable" son has usurped it. Not so different from the Borgia Popes. However I think i
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Re Twilight Language I've just been looking into the writings of the once chosen heir of Freud, Sandor Ferenczi, at the end of his career (when he was ousted from that position for taking the side of patients in the reality of their trauma experiences and his desire to acutally help them heal). His last big paper is called "A Confusion of Tongues." Basically in it he says childr
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

twilight language. love that term. it connects with trance and hypnogogic states: bedtime stories.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The main thing is tantrics openly admit to turning conventional morality on its head and seeking excess. This is not hidden. In fact they believe that is how enlightenment if found...by getting beyond good/bad dualism. Sadly, there is a certain truth in this in that the world is certainly a mix of everything. But their "way" of courting the "bad" doesn't turn out to b
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Myssyk Thank you so much for that tip. I also had a crazy wisdom TB therapist who "did a number" on me. I knew she waas TB but didn't know what it meant: no respect for boundaries, realtivistic morality (lying OK), following the thread of her cult rather than the work I wanted to do, etc. I've also had a big job of recovering from it. She also had a breakdown in the process
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Walter, This makes complete sense to me. It takes me back to the early twentieth century New Age movement with Otto Gross and the folks at Monte Veritas in Switzerland. What goes around comes around. Nothing new under the sun. For me it's someting to beware of personally and with threapists or other practitioners who are followers of tantric gurus. Second-hand tripe. Shamela
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Question the very concept of reincarnation!
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteMisstyk Narcissistic leaders whose monastic upbringing lead to their desensitization to others' pain and suffering are a recipe for disaster when unleashed on a naive Western Buddhist community. I think this says it all! It's a message that should be spread widely. In Trungpa's autobiograpy he says when he was a child he was fed (and ate) the flesh of his deceased best f
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks to all for creating this thread. It fits with what I have been working on re psychotherapists who are practitioners of tantric Buddhism. What so many don't realize is that these practices are not hidden or condemned in tantra but sought and valorized as "crazy wisdom." Have any of you read the big work by the Tremondis on kalachakra, Tibetan buddhism etc.? If so, how do y
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Consider that Enlightenment may not be a worthy or even real goal. Seeking "family" is certainly a strong pull in a fragmented and lonely society. How about creating a "family of choice" from among your own friends and aquaintances and not a synthetic one made up of people who all must accept the same doctrines and/or leaders. Can't we have a close group of friends wit
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I recommend Enchantment with Tibetan Lamas in the United States by Dainel Capper, Journal of Contemporaty Religion, vol. 19, no 2 2004 for blind faith in gurus throughout Tibetan tantra Also The Other Side of Eden by John Steinbect IV and Nancy Steinbeck for Trungpa/Shambhala (which is not per se a religion as it claims to be secular but in my opinion strictly a cult, though exit is not p
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

World War II was supposed to happen in 1963 according to Paul Brunton, Jeffrey Masson's father's guru. His disciples moved to Uruguay which he said was the safest spot. He himself went to New Zealand. Some of the disciples suffered serious financial setbacks because of the move. Others had a good time in South America. All were disillusioned. Some learned from this experince.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Certain yoga postures can be quite harmful, espcially ones that stress the lower back. That's why I stopped yoga many years ago. The postures were not developed with modern kinesthetic awareness.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Village Voice has been great on Scientology. Online Google has been my best resource (along with ISCA, American Buddhist, and this Forum). Amazon (for searching, sometimes for purchasing)
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Read John and Nancy Steinbeck's book The Other Side of Eden for convincing descriptions of Trungpa's behavior. They say he was also a cocaine addict. Certainly an overt addicted womanizer though because of drugs and alcohol not able to perform well. And as for his Regent Tom Rich, they have a lot to say about his addicted sex behavior and general sociopathic morality including possible
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"