New article on the What Enlightenment? blog and 4 students' testimonies.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Finally, here is an old trial lawyer's proverb: 1) If the facts support your case, argue from the facts. 2) If the facts are against you, argue from the rules of evidence. 3) If the facts and rules are against you---scream and pound the table.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Could the Four Questions be a 'Yes Set?' Or a sort of no set, designed to throw someone? I would strongly advise interested persons to consider, for their own long term well being, to do some reading from non BKI sources, on a technique termed 'yes set'. This can be enough to induce a light trance, even when used on onself, sitting at a computer terminal. Many perso
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The Anticult as performance artist--? This person communicates just using typed out text. Performance artists do it live. BK's stuff fits the performance artist label very much more accurately than what The Anticult is doing, which is merely via typing. Also, The Anticult doesnt have a trade marked method that is being touted all over as ane equivalent to Buddhism (not true) nor
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

How can you be 'responsible' if you are NOT TOLD what goes on in the worshop or 9 day event? One thing former participants expressed concerns about was, precisely the secrecy. Once again, and yet again, the responsiblity is shifted from the powerholder, who with holds information about what will transpire during the event, onto the shoulders of the subject, who signs away his or
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Something for the children: [209.85.173.132]
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Get and read a copy of Butterfield's book. I stayed far, far away from tibetan buddhism. Given you have someone you love involved with Ole, you will find things in Butterfields account that I cannot see. Note: it was Ozel Tenzin, Trungpa's appointed successor, who said something critical of Ole, and of whom some of Oles more brutish students offered to fly to the US, visit Tendzi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I met a diabetes educator who was donating her Sunday afternoon do doing free outreach and education on our local street corner. She told me that the two tests to get are not just a fasting blood glucose ( no food for 12 hours beforehand, no coffee, and you should have normal body tempreture and NOT be under stress at time your blood is drawn at the lab) She also said that an additonal test
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Diabetes is good, hah? Diabetes is the leading cause of male inpotence. Its also a leading cause of blindness, amputations, kidney failure and its expensive as fuck to live with. Go to your local walgreens and see the price of glucometer test strips. Prediabetes and diabetes also tremendously accelerate development of early onset coronary heart disease. I was a juror ten years ago on
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

From the comments section on August 1st, following Chapter 28 of Marta Szabo's blog, The Guru Looked Good. You will have to read it via Google cache: First, some history: The quoted material is from comments posted August 1, 2007, right when many members of that comments section were talking about legal action against Gurumayi (leader of SYDA Yoga, successor to Muktananda of Siddha Yo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This article is well worth reading as a case study in PR. (It may apply to One Taste, too). All this went on in the 1970s to 1980. Especially look at Page 3. "First I was taken to some homes. Everyone I was introduced to wanted to instantly love me," he said. "Later I was taken to a restaurant in Hollywood. Of course, the tab was picked up. It didn't take too
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

If anyone wants to study a defunct group that may resemble some features of RW, read this article. It can be valuable to study different groups and do comparative anatomy.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Some Continuing Education modules buried in the earlier parts of this thread. The first includes quoted material from a medical textbook on the caution therapists use in dealing with hand shakes and physical contact between client and therapist. This must take place within a clear set of rules. This often seems cold and non nurturing, compared with human potential types who go around saying
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

As I recall, in the movie, A Fish Called Wanda the female protagonist has a boyfriend who is into extreme machismo, a martial arts fanatic, goes around quoting Nietzsche, and practices his kata and power chops with soulful classical music playing in the background. One day, they quarrel, and this intelligent lady snaps: 'And one more thing, contrary to what you believe, Buddhism is not
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Note: though some Guruphliac correspondants feel 'uncomfortable' to have their stuff quoted here, one new member of Guruphiliac, currently doing battle with J, saw fit to post an excellent analysis, highly user-friendly, provided by Anticult. It merits reposting, in case any new readers are here. Quote What BK seems to have done, is to take a few components, and put them togethe
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi swampseer. I dont see myself as getting around. I posted that item because it is an example of how anyone who takes 'Katieism' (my term) seriously, runs the risk of becoming unfit to function as a citizen in a participatory democracy. What drives me nuts are those I term the 'new Brahmins'---they get us to think like peasants and little children, teach us to take
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

BK Workology as applied to social justice and politics. I wonder if all the people who do support Marriage Equality and who did make last minute donations to try to counter the deceptive Prop 8 ad campaigns would agree that they had made Prop 8 pass. What 'made this happen was': 1) Lack of foot on the ground, grass roots community organizing and media outreach through ou
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Western Converts--Trophies for India Gurus or...a wee lecture on Pizza Effect (PS it is a lovely and wonderful cooincidence that one of the contributors to this thread is named 'pizzaslap'. C) Desmond observed (previous page) QuoteMost of these gurus parade their international disciples in their ashrams in India. Acceptance by the white man automatically translates to swellin
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

If anyone wants perspective on Vajrayana Buddhism, Stephen Butterfield, now deceased, gave a detailed account of his own training in Vajrayana via Chogyam Trungpa and Ozel Tendsin. The title of Butterfield's memoir is The Double Mirror . I feel obligated to warn that though he appreciated the benefits he received from the Dharma practices he learned via Trungpa, Butterfield gave the impre
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Boulder not only is a hot bed for chogyam trungpa's stuff, but Ken Wilber is active there, too. Good place for entrepreneurial activity.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Perspectives on Trungpa and NHis Organization Seems a bit of a mix to claim both Kyudo and Tibetan Buddhism. Kyudo is Japanese archery and thats a totally different culture than Tibetan Buddhism. If anyone wants the dope on chogyam trungpa, get and read The Double Mirror by Stephen Butterfield. He makes a very convincing case that Trunpa especially, ran his organization in such a way th
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

To sum up, the Sadhguru started out in the poultry business. That's a set of transferable skills. You pluck, pluck, pluck--whether it is chickens or wallets. Am going to share some additional information from an American friend who has been living in the UK the past 30 years, and has friends from all over the world. He told me, 'In most parts of the world, including here,
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Okay. In the US, this fellow's events are often billed as 'Evenings with the Mystic' Thats for the Americans, the yanks,the ones not likely to research the Indian background. But..here is a recent interview of this fellow in India. Quoteare in Velliangiri Hills, the foothills on the outskirts of Coimbatore, and my guest this week is Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, sometimes
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

There is a thread entitled abuses of Advaita. Starting on page 4 I put some quotes from books by Jung, Masson, Arthur Koestler, and a travellers account in Gujrat by Robyn Davidson that may shed light on the cultural context behind the sorts of teachings that gurus bring to the US. These authors are describing a culture that only became a participatory democracy in 1947--and that was on pap
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Suckling on Freedom's Teat Yeah..unlike ashrams, in prison you know you are in prison. And in prison, you know beforehand, or are quickly told once you are in, that there are hazards from the big brutes and gangs. And in prison, no one disputes that you have the right to be visited by your attorney. Unlike in many ashrams, prisoners can think consciously about power and power abu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

A final bit of advice: SOmeone might appear saying they are a journalist and would invite contact from persons willling to supply information. In case someone appears here, or on any venue where BK-land is being discussed, and the person saying they are a journalist asks people to help contribute to an article-- The same advice given in Secret Santa applies. Is the person actually a jour
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

In case anyone is curious about the Gurdjieff 'school' angle, here are two URLs describing problematic groups using this stuff. Its intriguing to hear 'school' and 'work' referred to in this quite different context.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Rather than pity the perpetrator/shame the victim, I suggest this: Justice for victims Accountability for perpetrators Insight as to power issues and social context. Most perpetrators are wounded little kids in adult bodies. They have a wounded child's pathos and desperate sunny charm, but with adult autonomy, adult planning skills, and adult rhetorical skills and in some cases,
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This material decribes a different group from the one discussed here on this thread. I hope the material that follows does not derail the present discussion but instead will supplement it. My intention today is to offer first hand information about legal obstacles faced by adult VICTIMS of undue influence--via information from someone who, from her description, tranferred 2 million dolla
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Be a Secret Santa--dont give advance notice that you're gonna break taboos and disclose toxic family secrets. You dont have to post here, if you do not want to. but where ever you post, if you decide its time to reveal secrets that others want to keep hidden-- Get preparation. Talk to an attorney Two, make sure you have the physical and mental stamina to deal with the anxiety
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"