geoffreydfalk
18th April 2005, 01:58 PM
Hello All,
I have just posted a number of extensive essays online, regarding the reported problems with forty of the top guru-figures and "authentic" spiritual teachers to have influenced Western spirituality.
The articles/chapters themselves are excerpted from a just-published book of mine, Stripping the Gurus: Sex, Violence, Abuse and Enlightenment. Approximately half of the book's text is posted online for free, at http://www.strippingthegurus.com. That site has full chapters on the alleged problems with Zen Buddhism, Swami Satchidananda, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Ram Dass, Sai Baba, Swami Rama, Sri Chinmoy, Thai Buddhism, Scientology, est, Yogi Bhajan, Trungpa, Muktananda, Rajneesh, Adi Da, Andrew Cohen, and the grossly overrated "Einstein of consciousness studies," Ken Wilber, among others.
Not surprisingly, none of those figures are anywhere near what they have claimed to be. Nor, for that matter, were Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Krishnamurti, Pete Townsend's guru Meher Baba, or Rudolf Steiner.
So, enjoy!
Geoffrey Falk
(This posting has been cleared with the JREF board administration, and posted with their kind permission.)
I have just posted a number of extensive essays online, regarding the reported problems with forty of the top guru-figures and "authentic" spiritual teachers to have influenced Western spirituality.
The articles/chapters themselves are excerpted from a just-published book of mine, Stripping the Gurus: Sex, Violence, Abuse and Enlightenment. Approximately half of the book's text is posted online for free, at http://www.strippingthegurus.com. That site has full chapters on the alleged problems with Zen Buddhism, Swami Satchidananda, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Ram Dass, Sai Baba, Swami Rama, Sri Chinmoy, Thai Buddhism, Scientology, est, Yogi Bhajan, Trungpa, Muktananda, Rajneesh, Adi Da, Andrew Cohen, and the grossly overrated "Einstein of consciousness studies," Ken Wilber, among others.
Not surprisingly, none of those figures are anywhere near what they have claimed to be. Nor, for that matter, were Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Krishnamurti, Pete Townsend's guru Meher Baba, or Rudolf Steiner.
So, enjoy!
Geoffrey Falk
(This posting has been cleared with the JREF board administration, and posted with their kind permission.)