Dear Jeff Bowe, Yawn -- snore -- how many times are you going to repeat the same stuff? Your posts are alarmingly fanatical and I agree with Cirrus that it's time you took a break from this forum because your contributions are now counter-productive. The common purose here is to prevent CH from any form of contact with vulnerable/gullible potential *patients* now and at any time in the futu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Cirrus -- my salaams. You have clarified what was even to me a murky picture...and I have been looking into CH's activities on and off (mostly off until this thread happened) for several years. My regret is that I did not pursue my original enquiries when the story was rejected by ITV. (The grounds for this rejection, you may recall, were that the investigation would not be credible without
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Somebody help me please -- I missed Jim Morrison's Ghost completely. Was it in this thread? probably deleted while I was unable to access the site. Can someone paraphrase for me please (expletives deleted)? Ta Pema
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Jeff and Cirrus -- I understand both your perspectives, but please stop scrapping! Here in public. it is counter-productive. Even in private it does not steer towards a resolution of the problem we all recognise and wish to address. Let's take the personal stuff out of the agenda? There is room for dissent -- of course -- but taking personal offence is an ego-based reaction coming from a f
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Cirrus -- I am much impressed by your most recent post. You articulate a Middle Way with clarity and compassion. There are always pitfalls in a discussion of this nature. One can get carried away by emotions like anger, distress, indignation, disgust....etc: And enthusiasm -- which I think is Jeff's driver. He (and many others) have a profound respect for the cultural and spiritual heritage
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I approached the BAC during the course of my earlier investigations into CH's activities. I was at the time working for a national TV programme, so my journalistic cred was beyond dispute. They wrote back saying they would never under any circumstances divulge even a simple yes or no in answer to my Q -- "Was CH refused membership"? Useless to add "If so why?" They are a
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hello everyone, This is the first time I have been able to access this forum for app 2 weeks. I wrote several times to info@culteducation.com and received replies telling me the site was under hacker attack and could not be accessed from the UK. This I suspect is not entirely accurate because
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thank you Wisedup for your courage in re-living your experience for the benefit of this forum -- and also, hopefully the wider landscape of alternative/complementary therapy -- where charlatans, snake oil peddlers and con-people lurk in abundance. In this respect CH has sustained a high level of chutzpah for a long time -- and as you say, his nemesis is well overdue. Your story corresponds closel
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Fascinating how this topic keeps coming back to life -- just when it appears to have ground to a halt. I have to say I think the moderator may not have read Real-Name-Gone's post thoroughly because it contains some flaming personal comments about me -- all of which are based in the poster's glaringly obvious prejudice rather than any reality I can recognise. This poster seems very confu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Gondolf, Yes -- ngondro certainly sorts out the must-dos from the wannabes. For the benefit of participants here who are not familiar with Tibetan Buddhism, ngondro is a preliminary practice required by all schools before embarking on Tantra. That's an over simplifaction, but the detail would be tedious. Ngondro involves: 108,000 full prostrations 108,000 guru yogas 108,000 mandala vi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have to confess I was beginning to feel uneasy about driving home the message here. For reasons that have been highlighted: 1. Overkill 2. Media fatigue But -- (there's always a but) I recall the horror stories related to me during my investigations. The sorrow. The fear. The ongoing doubt and insecurity. CH really did a great deal of irresponsible harm. There is not a shadow of doub
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Jeff, I have been a student of Cheogyal Namkhai Norbu since 1979. I must make it clear that he is extremely well informed about the Bon tradition in all its manifestations and is profoundly gifted in Bon practice and transmission. He is not strictly a Nyingma lama. His main Buddhist lineage is Sakya, but he also holds Kagyu lineages with Nyingma cross-overs. As a student of Tibetan culture an
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Zig, Blossom and now Meteorite... I am intuitively convinced that CH is paying detailed attention to this forum. I am pretty sure he is participating in it. It would be out of character if he were not. Er -- that is if anyone could make an accurate assessment of CH's character. There are many CH characters and they do not appear to be integrated. To some he is an abusive charlatan. To other
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Its a bottom of the barrel ploy to challenge identity when all else fails to stop the flow of truth. Fails to extinguish the light of experience. There are at least three posters on this thread who know I am not Jeffrey Blowe. His existence was unknown to me until I picked up his blog from my Google Alert. Perhaps Jeffrey and I should collaborate from now onwards. I am not going to reveal my rea
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Go to Pema
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Re: siddhis (also known as psychic sport) -- you understand correctly HDM. I suggest here (at risk of censure) some authentic, accessible Buddhist and Bon teachers: Choegyal Namkhai Norbu (TB/Bon) (Google Dzogchen Community for web site details) Tsultrim Allione TB www.taramandala.org Stephen and Martine Batchelor TB/Zen www.stephenbatchelor.org Lama Jampa Thaye TB (Google D
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks Dorje for sticking up for me. A couple of people on this board seem to be very cynical. I am on holiday at the moment and writing from an internet cafe. I will be back at my own PC after 16 Feb. FYI -- When I was investigating CH a few years ago I tried several times to make contact with him to answer the allegations against him. He never responded. I´d like to thank everyone who is partci
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

There's plenty iof evidence in this thread Vaidya --why are you picking on me? Several people have given graphic accounts of their experiences with CH -- some of them positive, some chillingly negative. I started the thread in the hope that this would happen. It has -- but not in a manner which will facilitate effective media exposure. If some people are *educated* as a result of the exchan
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

With respect Kath -- you are telling grandma how to suck eggs! Some interviewees can be quoted anonymously or with changed names, but to give an item of this nature credibility, some victims would have to be willing to use their real names. I've been through the hoops on this story already -- as previously mentioned. It was eventually rejected because no victims were willing to go on record
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hello RR Moderator, The problem with posting onto the board with on-the-record information is that no-one uses their real names. Because of this they are not quotable. I think it is better to indicate willingness like Arcee has done and I will send a private message giving my email address. Pema
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks for your encouragement Mariah. I will keep monitoring this board and if anything comes up that I can respond to, I will. Meanwhile I urge again anyone willing to go on record -- please contact me via a private message.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Mariah, I understand your concerns, but I have already explained why I cannot be more specific in this forum. I am a journalist. I have never been a patient of Christopher Hansard. I am not a therapist. I have never met CH -- although I invited him to speak to me when I was investigating him for ITV several years ago. My colleague on this investigation and I have extensive files which include
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

It appears that CH is rallying the troops to defend his cause here. It is difficult for me to present a true picture of the horror stories I have about him in my files, because in most cases I was asked not to make public information which might lead to the individuals concerned being identified. One or two correpondents have diverged into the message board cliche of nit picking minor points - an
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

In answer to Vaidya -- I was circumspect in the way I presented the information I received from the Bon organisation in Canada. They were much more direct about their distaste for CH. I think you are clutching at straws. Pema
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I suspect that *Zig* is in fact CH in person. Note that the Moderator edited out flaming comments. Our Kiwi pal is a bit miffed perhaps? On the subject of Bon lamas/teachers. There are very few genuine Bon lamas/teachers. They all know each other. I spoke to two of them during my initial research. They were both adamant that no Bon lama was in NZ at the time that CH claims to have been under inst
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This thread has exceeded my expectations in both the quality and quantity of responses to my original enquiry, but it does not take me any further from a journalistic POV. I need: 1. People who are willing to go on record about their experiences with CH 2. Other therapists who are willing to go on record about their doubts and fears around his modus operandi. If any of you who have contributed
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Gondolf, You can certainly ask me Qs about Dzogchen but I must warn that I do not approach it from an intellectual base line. For me it is 90% practice and 10% study. There are huge holes in my knowledge of its origins and philosophical perspective. There are huge holes in my practice as well -- but that's a common phenomenon! Send me a private message please. Cheers Pema
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Gondolf, Everyone and his/her dog claims that HHDL recommends them! There's so much newage sloshing around His Holiness I think he's long since given up trying to correct misrepresentations. He would never endorse someone as Tib medical practitioner without knowing them extremely well and I'm sure this is not the case with CH. Yes I am a Dzogchen practitioner. Cheers Pema
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Gondolf, I know about the difference between the old and new Bon traditions. I am a student of Choegyal Namkhai Norbu. I used the term Bonpo rather loosely I guess -- I'm not an academic! I made enquiries into the presence in NZ of any type of Bon adpets and was assured by two reliable sources that there were none at the time that CH claims to have been under instruction. Shamanism is t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Very interesting Gondolf. I was not aware that other journalists were interested in CH. Would you please put your reporter contact/acquaintance in touch with me via this forum? I checked out the NZ-Bon connection. There were no Bonpo lamas in NZ at the time CH claims to have been taught by one. Pema
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"