Is TaoBums breeding grounds for cult-like behavior?

[Vajrasattva]

If I were to ascribe a negative motivation to my being on the TaoBums it would be for ego validation and not legitimacy to teach a class on martial arts. My major personal issues always seem to go back to trying to please my dead father. So if your going to be critical of me please get it right. Here's some more of my bad points to make it easier for you to be critical of me and to point out my faults.

 

1- Feelings of inferiority (I'm a youngest child.)

2- Greedy (I wanna be a millionaire.)

3- Lustful (blondes)

4- Arrogant (YOU TALKING TO ME!)

5- Delusions of Grandeur (Nobody is enlightened as me.)

6- Lazy (Fat)

 

I think you have posted some criticisms of my Taoist Alchemy videos too. In my self indulgent moments I tell myself I posted them to help people and those seekers new on the path. In my self critical moments I see there was a selfish intent to maybe get "discovered" and become rich and famous. Thank you for making me take a look at myself.

 

Happy Easter!

Darin Hamel

 

Excellent! God Bless you brother : )

 

S

[Vajrasattva]

There are eastern philosophies, and eastern spiritual traditions that originally enticed most of us to this kind of forum.

 

What this forum emphasizes, however, is the cultivation of super-normal capacities. I remember my first time doing qi gong-- I felt high from the experience. static in my pants. it was amazing. -How far can such phenomena be taken?

 

...and then we fall into these cult-like traditions, set up by guys like Chia and Winn, who might be able to do wierd things, but are certainly not immortal deities like they would have us all believe we have potential to become.

 

Now we have folks like drew hempel shooting orgasmic energy out of his forehead, stigweard apparantly selling I Ching readings... People like Darin Hamel who simply want to give themselves some sort of faulty sense of legitimacy to teach a class on martial arts.

 

People making money off of seminars, or 'shaktipat' through the internet, (for christ's sake...)

 

I fell into it when I was 18. I thought I found god in qi gong. (how far could it all go??) I had alot of wierd sensations, and the occassional subtle bliss, (for practicing all day every day...) but it certainly wasnt worth all the training. I can sit back in 5 minutes and achieve more or less the same subtle bliss I practiced all day for.

 

Id ask if there are people with first hand experience of the transcendent, but thenI know people like drew are hanging around, that when they're not working at mcdonalds are sitting in front of their TV in full-lotus shooting orgasms at women. so.

 

You people be careful. especially young men like myself 6 years ago. Put your effort and energy into getting into and through college or something.

 

 

when folks take the time out to help others and educate others and give of there time and put themselves on the line they are often criticized. Findley it is wise & Good to warn the young. Now what is wrong with make money for your time as you help others?

 

Do you realize that when people like me put in a seminar for the most part the money made goes to the expenses to put on a seminar to help others? Rarely does one even break even?

 

Do you also realize that when money is taken for shaktipat a lot of it goes to valid charities? This last year alone we raised over $2000 to earth quake victims in Haiti & Indonesia. So again what is negative about what "we" do?

 

Do you realize that I give more of my time & efforts away for free than what I actually earn $?

 

What makes you think you have to be "in" person to work energy transference?

 

That is a pretty "limited" view and highly not "taoist".

 

Yes Get an education. Get a job. Raise a family. Live your life and help others around you.

 

 

Peace & God Bless

 

Santiago Dobles

[Kameel]

Believing that chi (prana,shakti,etc) exists, but is limited to transfer through one's physical prescence is like believing that gravity exists but only on Tuesdays. It is so absurd that it makes me giggle. Thanks for that.

[Gerard]

[tyler zambori]

You can cultivate for 450 years and still get nothing. It is the countinuum, the experience and stregthening of the soul what counts. This only results from many lifetimes of spiritual experience.

 

<snip>

 

In the end we are simply spiritual beings having a human experience, but those who are determined know that a step onto the path is a step toward success, whereas those who are courageous know that leap into the unknown is a gesture of faith that is rewarded with greatness.

 

 

Faith in what? rewarded by who?

[Vajrasattva]

Believing that chi (prana,shakti,etc) exists, but is limited to transfer through one's physical prescence is like believing that gravity exists but only on Tuesdays. It is so absurd that it makes me giggle. Thanks for that.

 

 

that is seriously awesome!

[dwai]

[JustARandomPanda]

I have found that a good antidote to cult-like thinking is going simply by what actions are being made and to listen to but discount importance of words. It's being with the boots on the ground rather than back in an ivory tower.Always get back to the earth - what people do, not so much what they think.

[NeiChuan]

I put the cul in cult.

[Aetherous]

And I bring the t.

 

[NeiChuan]

And I bring the t.

 

 

[三江源]

eeuuhhh...

 

...

actually my little secret is the 'mysterious pass'. The 'centerless center'... that which is there, but... isn't...there more you look for it, the more it eludes you.. it is nothingness and yet it is everywhere and everything. it is the gateway by which yang corporeality, by means of consciousness, pierces into the great Mother yin, and by means of which I can 'come into' reality.

 

it even makes me psychic !

 

This topic is making up the second part of my book. you can look for it later

 

...I was expecting alot more callous beligerence (sp?). People like Cat hanging around makes me like this place =)

 

Cat, you are so amazing to me, and I look up to you as a master. I dont know why. (maybe you can tell me?)

 

-david =)

 

david... it is because you want there to be a master who is a bit fluffy.

[Birch]

david... it is because you want there to be a master who is a bit fluffy.

 

She knows!!

[suninmyeyes]

And I bring the t.

 

funny!!!

 

 

i think the whole universe has cultish quality to it.and is a biggest con ever.

 

if someone brings a big dinner with loads of different dishes ,you dont need to like or eat all of them.and certanly dont let yourself be forcefeed ,unless you are into being forcefed of course.same with information and ideas .

tao bums is nice source of info,links,opinions .

[steve]

There are eastern philosophies, and eastern spiritual traditions that originally enticed most of us to this kind of forum.

 

What this forum emphasizes, however, is the cultivation of super-normal capacities. I remember my first time doing qi gong-- I felt high from the experience. static in my pants. it was amazing. -How far can such phenomena be taken?

 

...and then we fall into these cult-like traditions, set up by guys like Chia and Winn, who might be able to do wierd things, but are certainly not immortal deities like they would have us all believe we have potential to become.

 

Now we have folks like drew hempel shooting orgasmic energy out of his forehead, stigweard apparantly selling I Ching readings... People like Darin Hamel who simply want to give themselves some sort of faulty sense of legitimacy to teach a class on martial arts.

 

People making money off of seminars, or 'shaktipat' through the internet, (for christ's sake...)

 

I fell into it when I was 18. I thought I found god in qi gong. (how far could it all go??) I had alot of wierd sensations, and the occassional subtle bliss, (for practicing all day every day...) but it certainly wasnt worth all the training. I can sit back in 5 minutes and achieve more or less the same subtle bliss I practiced all day for.

 

Id ask if there are people with first hand experience of the transcendent, but thenI know people like drew are hanging around, that when they're not working at mcdonalds are sitting in front of their TV in full-lotus shooting orgasms at women. so.

 

You people be careful. especially young men like myself 6 years ago. Put your effort and energy into getting into and through college or something.

 

I wouldn't point fingers at individuals like findley chose to do, simply because I am not an authority.

 

Nevertheless, I think findley makes a very good point. When it comes to spiritual practices and cultivation, exploitation is rampant and not always intentional. People who are cultivating are looking for something they don't have (or think they don't have). This is the drive to cultivate and this makes them extremely impressionable and vulnerable. It's easy to plant a seed in their consciousness and since all of this stuff is experiential, no one can really prove or disprove anything.

 

Buyer beware!

 

I now feel that cultivation as a rule is a way of showing someone that they already have everything they need. It just takes a varying amount of time and effort for people to come to understand that.

[宁]

[ralis]

ralis

Edited April 9, 2010 by ralis

[Guest paul walter]

There are eastern philosophies, and eastern spiritual traditions that originally enticed most of us to this kind of forum.

You people be careful. especially young men like myself 6 years ago. Put your effort and energy into getting into and through college or something.

 

 

Out of the frying pan and into a larger one Sorry, I can never resist when people want to swap micro-cults for macro-cults. You'll find the original problem (if it can be called that) resides in the already cult-primed idea of the individual (if you take the definition of cult as a state that contains a dangerous lack of self-perspective, let alone perspective on the world at large). Paul.

[lifeforce]

..

Edited April 10, 2010 by lifeforce