Posts by Sandra Morgan2

vivideagle8 said:I just can't seem to focus when I try to meditate. Is there a specific technique to help quiet the mind?

Meditation is essentially about quieting—and eventually stopping (on higher levels)—those racing thoughts.

Just sit down and follow your breath as it enters and leaves your nostrils. That’s enough. Your breath and your mind are linked. A calmer breath leads to a calmer mind. If you stay with it long enough, your breathing will become very shallow and short, and you'll notice moments where you aren't breathing at all. That’s the sign! It means you've entered deep meditation. At that point, your mind becomes incredibly still. Just relax and do nothing. You might fall asleep, or you might slip into a beautiful state of silence that totally regenerates you. Once you finish, you'll have an entirely new perspective through which to view your life.

Here is what you need to understand about your thoughts: they are repetitive. Throughout the day, you replay at least 80% of the exact same thoughts you had yesterday. They consist of memories, those memories define you, and because of them, you build expectations for the future.

If your memories are stuck on the bad stuff that happened to you, your thoughts about the future will be just as bleak. Basically, when the future arrives, it feels identical to the past because your attitude pulls in more of the same. Because of your outlook on life, you view everything through the same lens—one shaped by past experiences.

And that is how people end up living the same endless day over and over again. It’s beautifully illustrated in that movie—Groundhog Day—you know? I highly recommend watching it. Since it's framed as a comedy, people often miss the depth: it's really telling us how we get stuck in this infinite loop. Because our character is hardened by repeating the same reactions to the same triggers, we struggle to experience freshness, excitement, or anything truly new and valuable with any real satisfaction.

Larry Wilson5 said:We aren't really stopping the flow of thought; instead, by entering a state of inner silence, we accumulate stillness. Once there is "enough" of it, maybe it overflows and overwhelms those internal dialogues, breaking their momentum.
They aren't quite the same thing as thoughts.
In a state of inner silence, we observe and become aware; naturally, we recognize thoughts within the mind.
When the internal dialogues are active, I suppose we aren't observing so much as interpreting.
Phrases like "empty mind" or trying to control thoughts and feelings... those seem like backwards, restrictive ways to view the movement of light.
We aren't really controllers of anything; we are just releasing our agency.
By letting go of the dialogue of reality, we achieve awareness, which I guess is how we truly start to feel.
We can't stay in that state of inner silence forever. The mechanism of internal dialogue is indestructible, but perhaps we learn how to bypass the agitation it causes.
That is self-control, I suppose. The only kind worth having.

Silence is nothingness—just pure emptiness. How can you possibly accumulate something that’s void? How can you pile up a background when all that exists is the constant, inner chatter of the mind?

Meditation technically breaks down into two distinct stages. First, you have dharana—that initial phase of concentration where you fix your attention on something specific. Think of focusing on your breath, a mantra, a visualization, or even just the flicker of a candle flame or a single point on the wall. Then comes dhyana. That’s when that focus finally stabilizes, creating this profound silence where everything else just drops away. No wandering thoughts, no movement—just total stillness centered entirely on your object of meditation.

Once this state stabilizes, you move into Samadhi. It isn't about fixation, concentration, or even focused attention. It’s not something produced by the mind or the intellect; rather, it's a state where pure awareness simply *is*—whether there are objects present within it or not. While meditation itself is the process of narrowing the stream of thought down to a single object, its ultimate goal is Samadhi, or the expansion of consciousness.

Ramana Maharshi:

Samadhi is that specific state where the mind finally goes quiet, allowing you to experience the pure, unbroken flow of consciousness. That's it. Just that.

Or, if you're looking to dive deeper into Samadhi, here's the scoop: Samadhi is falling. From Pantaleon’s Yoga Sutras.

In that state of inner silence, we observe the observer. We become aware. And then, naturally, we consciously recognize them within the mind—our thoughts.
When those internal dialogues kick in, we aren't actually gaining awareness—we're just overanalyzing.
The idea of a "blank mind," or trying to control your thoughts and feelings—it’s all backwards. It's a misunderstanding of how things work. It's nothing more than a clumsy maneuver of light.
We aren't controllers of anything; we’re just freeing our own actions.
By letting go of how we view reality, we finally start engaging with it. Only then do we truly begin to feel.
We can't just slip into that state of inner silence "forever." That internal dialogue? It’s indestructible. But we *can* learn how to sidestep all that mental noise!
That’s self-control right there—the only kind worth having!

I just can't follow you... even if I really tried!

I can only weigh in on that final sentence. Since that internal monologue persists even outside of meditation, it’s always hovering there. Buddha actually provided a technique for this—mindfulness in motion. It's really nothing more than staying fully aware and present in whatever is happening right now (thoughts, objects, sensations, etc.) by treating them simply as phenomena or movements within the field of consciousness.

Elizabeth Castillo87 said:Honestly, I just mix them up however I feel like, depending on my mood or whatever spiritual itch I need to scratch at the moment.😍

So, what kind of mess do you think I'm headed for?

It all comes down to what your actual goal is.

If you're looking for self-discovery, for instance, the best move is to pick one single technique. Stick with it until the practice feels as effortless and natural as breathing. Think of it like digging a well in one specific spot—you keep drilling until you hit water. If we spend our time digging holes all over the yard, we’ll just end up with a bunch of shallow pits and no water.

All meditation techniques eventually lead to the same destination because they share the same purpose: silencing the mental chatter and quieting the stream of thought. So, jumping from one thing to another based on how you feel? That's really just entertaining the mind, which is actually counterproductive if the whole point of meditating is to quiet that activity down.

frozengull2 said:That's just not true.

I'm not out here talking about some "populist Castaneda-ism" bashing Christianity.

I mean, what kind of metric are we even using to compare those two things? It doesn't make sense.

The core issue is pretty obvious;

It’s well documented that Castaneda was a manipulative old man who preyed on young women, messing with their heads to the point where some of them ended up dead.
So, it’s perfectly logical to conclude he wasn't actually what he claimed to be.
Some mystical enlightened guru.
All of that throws the integrity and truthfulness of his entire body of work into question.
There isn't some "Blue Scout" who descended from the astral plane; it's clearly just a naive 19-year-old girl who was cast in that role.
From that angle (and keeping that in mind), trying to call out Christian sins or waving them around like propaganda just to prove someone else's value system is "fake"—it's just tacky. It's misplaced.

So I'm asking, and I'm asking for a reason;

What is SilentWarrior actually pointing at here?
Is it just the fact that there have been mistakes in church history and people being mistreated?

And while she's doing that, did she even bother looking at the root of what she's so obsessed with?
I'm talking about the life and work of the guy who is basically one of her main pillars in life.

Do you see the difference?

Look, a few years ago, I was on a thread about Castaneda where this exact same user (if we're talking about Silent Warrior) was super active. She was dropping links showing how women from his inner circle exposed what a total fraud he was—how he fabricated Don Juan, how he sadisticly drove the women around him crazy (some even took their own lives), and all these other links proving he lied and made things up.

So, she knows. That entire thread was packed with controversies regarding Castaneda.

The so-called "true followers" just shut their eyes to stuff like that. To them, it's just garbage that ruins the perfect image of their great leader. Plus, it shakes the entire system of values and beliefs they built by following the teacher and the path.

To tear down the value system and the convictions that shape someone's worldview—the things that explain how the world works, tell them where they fit in, answer who they are, where they came from, and where they're going, or provide the "map" they need to navigate to reach their goal—is basically inviting a small death.

The whole internal structure of a "true follower"—someone who believes deeply in something at the moment when the teacher shifts from being a wizard from Oz to a lost old man who's lost his touch, and the path itself turns out to be nothing but a dream—has to collapse. That person is forced to face chaos, insecurity, and total disorientation. Our minds just crack under that chaos. So, when you shake someone else's core beliefs, you can always count on resistance, denial, and people plugging their ears and closing their eyes to rationalize it away.

And honestly? When people attack someone else's beliefs, faith, or paths, I'm convinced that the harder they attack, the more they act like missionaries, and the louder they fight to prove others wrong, the more they're actually desperate for their own validation. They're craving internal confirmation because they lack the security that comes from actual insight. Their entire worldview is standing on shaky ground, because lurking in the shadow of every "unshakeable" faith is an unrecognized, repressed, and equally powerful doubt.

Paul Jones7 said:doesn't everything just loop back to that eventually?

I mean, honestly, how many times does that one question just... pop up in your head?

☕ It's just... an endless loop.

Until we finally realize

Q: You say that the question "Who am I?" doesn't remain there when you really scrutinize it?

UG Krishnamurthi: Because you cannot separate the question from the questioner. The question and the questioner are the same.

If you accept that fact, it's a very simple thing: when the question disappears, the questioner also disappears with that.

But since the questioner does not want to disappear, the question remains.

The questioner wants an answer for the question. Since there is no answer to that question, the questioner remains there forever. The questioner's interest is to continue, not to get the answer.

The questioner is nothing but the answers.

Paul Jones7 said:I’ve got this theory—and look, I know, it’s just a theory, though it's more of an intuitive, lived-in feeling, if you catch my drift; basically, it's my gut telling me it's not total garbage 😛...

...that will exists on multiple levels, which kind of means it gets fragmented. Like, the "earthly" me, the lower self, it has its own set of wants. But that lower version doesn't see the full picture like the higher me does, and at the end of the day, those two versions of myself can actually want completely different things.

That’s how I see it. I think we’re just bumping heads over the terminology here—I was talking about the soul, but the core issue is really about individual existence across different spiritual planes. Even if we call it the "soul" nowadays, when people talk about "soulful desires," they're implying that what the soul wants isn't necessarily aligned with what our everyday, earthly selves want.

Anyway, skipping ahead to the bottom line 😉 I reckon the will of the lower self just isn't enough unless the whole, integrated self agrees across all levels of existence. In other words, you can only truly manifest something if you're choosing it with your entire being.

And that involves every single layer of who I am, not just the parts we're consciously aware of while walking around on the street.

But hey, maybe I'm off base. Maybe the physical level has everything it needs to make things happen by tapping directly into the absolute principles of creation and manifestation.

If that's the case, then maybe a placebo effect combined with celibacy could actually lead to Enlightenment; if not, there's still a chance that someone within certain monastic traditions might find themselves ready on every single level. 😉

That’s a clever way to put it! But while it offers intellectual satisfaction, you still don't actually know if it's true or not.

See, in your attempt to grasp the unknown, you're essentially moving from one unknown toward another. You don't know what free will is, and you don't even know who this "I" is (the lower self), nor what the soul (the higher self) actually is.

So, before we try to answer whose will it is, or whether it's free—and if so, to what extent—we have to tackle the most basic question first: WHO AM I?

It's the same with all those big, unanswered questions—does free will exist? What is the meaning of life? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is love? Is there a Creator? Do we have souls? What is consciousness? None of these have answers until you achieve self-knowledge.

Paul Jones7 said:So, I guess the real question here is: just how much weight does our faith actually carry?

For us, it’s hard to wrap our heads around the idea of receiving everything without giving anything up first. That’s just how we were raised, right?—conditioned to believe that you have to earn every single win. If you start agreeing to these kinds of "trades," you might end up breaking your own internal moral compass just to get what you want. Like, okay, fine, I gave something up... now give me my reward.

But what if someone truly, deeply believes—100%, no doubts—that they’ll be rewarded? Does having that kind of absolute certainty actually make it happen?

(Or, more simply put, how much power does human willpower really have?)

It looks like a tricky one. Get this—what if faith is actually a very complex and subtle "placebo"?

Someone might believe so intensely in their connection to Jesus that they undergo his suffering just to manifest stigmata. These marks always show up exactly where they're depicted on a statue in a local cathedral or some other image of Jesus that the stigmatist follows. In practice, that means they're psychological in origin.

It seems like an even bigger issue for someone living a celibate lifestyle to imagine they've reached enlightenment and then develop all the symptoms from this list: 25 Ways How Enlightenment is Like a Never Ending Orgasm.

Benjamin Taylor6 said:I personally know quite a few people who are young, strong, and deeply spiritual. But here's the kicker: they renounce every single earthly pleasure for the sake of the heavenly kingdom. They follow their Krishna blindly, thinking that by practicing celibacy, they'll somehow grab God by the beard a little faster. In the end, from what I can see, they haven't grabbed anyone by the beard—they just ended up missing out on all the good stuff in life.😢😲😁

It’s basically a hybrid of ancient spiritual tech and the hippie movement.

The real motivation behind celibacy? Lust. Pure and simple. The average Hare Krishna hopes that by denying themselves physical pleasure, they'll bypass the line and jump straight to an elevated, transcendental bhava—which is really just ultimate spiritual ecstasy, making physical intimacy look like a dim shadow. So you see, they aren't just renouncing things; it's actually worse. They're trying to strike a bargain. "You give me sex, and I'll give You Vaikuntha bliss..." 😁

Benjamin Taylor6 said:A rooster's crowing is a complex physiological and spiritual phenomenon. It really comes down to an individual's inner constitution. As I've mentioned before:

But take that one guy—the one who spent his entire existence holed up in the library, buried in spiritual texts—he met a rather ignominious end. Well, spiritually speaking, at least. Physically, he was still crowing away quite loudly.😁

It’s not about spiritual alignment—it’s about raw, vital energy. Who can touch their toes without bending their knees? Who still has a flat, firm core? Who hasn't let their muscle mass slip because they actually stick to a workout routine? Who can power through the day without crashing, live without losing their cool, laugh at least two hundred times a day, and eat clean? That person might not be as physically impressive as they were in their twenties, but they’ll certainly keep their "engine" running smooth and productive for a long, long time.

Benjamin Taylor6 said:The bottom line is that if the man is genuinely happy with his choices, then who cares? It doesn't matter if his brother or his late father couldn't stand him—that’s their problem, not his.

Besides, those terriers of yours actually need a partner when mating season rolls around. You have to lock them up in a separate room to make that happen (which is exactly what my fiancée used to do) or breed them just to sell the puppies. My buddy, a marine engineer, doesn't exactly need to be locked in a room until his "mating season" passes. 😲 😁
With him, that concept doesn't even exist. And with this other American guy, it's even less of an issue—he's pushing nearly 70.

Then there's this other fellow—an old soul, about 65. Unlike the first guy I mentioned, this one is absolutely loaded.
But he's become somewhat infamous for a certain "old school" saying. People kept telling him he should get married, and he just snapped back: "And why on earth would I want to pay to feed someone else's wife?" But honestly, he isn't exactly the perfect guru either; he spends his entire day wandering around carrying a little bag stuffed with newspaper clippings. He spends all his time badgering everyone around him, claiming that because of NASA's incompetence, a meteorite is going to smash into the country and kill most of us. He's basically acting like some kind of scientific witness for Jehovah.

I know age catches up with everyone. Even though we hear on the forums that your "singer still crows loudly," I can see you're preoccupied—but there's really no need to try and convince me, or yourself, of the joys of impotence.🙂

There's actually one more American guy—an old soul, about 65. Unlike the first guy mentioned, this one has money coming out of his ears.
But he’s famous for a certain "old school" saying. People told him he should get married, but he just snapped back: "Why on earth would I want to feed someone else's wife?" He isn't exactly the perfect guru, though; he spends all day wandering around carrying a little bag stuffed with newspaper clippings. He constantly nags everyone that because of NASA's sloppiness, a meteorite is going to hit the country and kill most people. He acts like some kind of scientific witness for Jehovah.

Hahahahaha... man, you are something else! Such a vivid storyteller...

Benjamin Taylor6 said:I'm getting absolutely nothing out of Komaje-Makaja. Personally, I find myself much more aligned with another guru—one who happens to be the same age as Franjo and, as it turns out, was actually a colleague of mine back when I was working as a marine engineer: 😲 😁

If you want my honest opinion—I don't see much difference in lifestyle between your guru and my Yorkshire Terrier.

Benjamin Taylor6 said:Maybe it was envy twenty years ago, but not anymore. Honestly, I’d die if I had to deal with yet another tantric partner.😲 Here’s why:

or is he really just a disgrace... some unrefined savage from the sticks, thinking he's something special, going to sexually assault everyone with his "multiple cosmic orgasms"... 😁

I’ve said it before—spirituality is like a massive buffet, an absolute abundance unlike anything seen in history. Everyone has their own taste. We can argue about why we don't want to eat certain things, but it isn't classy to drool over what others are being served on their own plates...

🙂

Whether he's refined or unrefined is beside the point now. He has followers, much like Dragan here on this forum. For some reason, people have found something in him. So they follow. And his wives follow him too. Why? Only they know that.

And as for the buffet—all roads lead to Rome. But the question is, does Rome even exist? Or is Rome actually this song 😲 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udCC7K0Eedk?

I’ve always found myself wondering if this whole "cleansing" thing even exists. Honestly, it feels to me like using these techniques just ends up smearing everything and everyone with more mess. It’s like what those Zen Buddhists would say—who exactly went and dirtied you up in the first place that you feel the need to go scrubbing yourself clean through meditation?

🙂😍 Well, it sounds to me like you might have been envious back then, and if so, you could probably use some advice from him today. I'm not sure what year Makaj was born, but man, he and his ladies are absolutely glowing.

Whether he's polished or crude is the real question. He has followers, like Dragan here on the forum. For some reason, people have found something in him. They follow him. And they follow his women. Why? Only they know that.

How can you ask "why"? Isn't it obvious? Merging the joy of copulation with the eternal bliss of God—isn't that the ultimate pleasure? Before you say anything else, let me ask you: what's wrong with enjoying both God and sex? It beats compulsively cleaning yourself, like you mentioned here:

It seems to me that using these cleansing techniques only ends up making everything and everyone dirty. As Zen Buddhists would say: who dirtied you in the first place that you feel the need to meditate to get clean?

Benjamin Taylor6 says:

Lost in the wilderness of this forum's reality...

Who's talking about what? Benjamin Taylor6 is obsessing over Makaji and Komaje-Makaja

Is this just some fascination, or just plain old male envy? 🙂

Or is it actually a disgrace? Like, who is this unrefined savage from the rural South? What does he think he’s doing—trying to sexually assault people with "multiple cosmic orgasms" and naked bodies? 😁

I've said it before: at this spiritual buffet, there is an abundance like nothing seen in history. Everyone can pick what they like. We can discuss why we don't want to eat something specific, but it isn't classy to drool over what others are being served on their own plates.

🙂

Benjamin Taylor6 said:Is it really that unusual? It seems like nobody actually likes Slavinski:

Well, except for our little fish here, born in '68, who actually went through a couple of his courses:

The modern spiritual buffet is overflowing! We've got it all: nutritious soul food, heavy stuff that sits wrong, plus endless piles of spiritual junk food and fast food... there’s something for everyone. Which brings me to my question—what about you? Do you actually like Slavinski?

Benjamin Taylor6 said:I was wondering if anyone here has actually gone through any of these modern techniques.
What was the experience like—not just during the actual course, but how did things settle for you afterward?
http://www.esentio.eu/index.html

1. Intensive Gnosis
2. PEAT
3. DP4
4. Transcendent
5. Sunjata
6. Kreaton
7. Aspektik
8. Holographic Processing
9. Excalibur
10. Memento
11. Entity Processes
12. Transdimensional Breathing

This gentleman over here offers some very similar methods: http://www.vladimir-ivanov.com/

Personally, Slavinski doesn't impress me, so I've never been interested in his methods. He’s an interesting author, sure, but to me, this constant churning out of "new" techniques feels like a lucrative business model—kind of like those late-night infomercials or some shady guy like Earl selling questionable products: "We have a technique for every single one of your needs!"

Back in my hometown, I know people who jump from one thing to the next, following every spiritual circus performer that rolls into our small town. I don't think that's just a local thing; you find that everywhere.

The key is to dig in the same spot, using the same method, until you hit water and can actually build a well. Personally, I value the old yogic techniques because they are proven. I have zero respect for these newly composed methods from characters with dubious spiritual standing like Slavinski.

William Williams7 said:I really dig this practical way you evaluate things. I definitely need to start using this method myself.

As for Whitman's recipe for bliss, I think I'll just stick to the partner part—we can probably skip the ocean (even though I'm a total beach person) and the kids.

Honestly, it's quite simple. We all possess—if not literal memory, then at least a cellular kind of memory—of what it actually feels like to be truly happy. To be innocent, pure, and completely free. No thoughts, no fears, no judging others, no overcomplicating things, no cravings or aversions. No dwelling on the past, no worrying about the future. Just being in the moment, in "paradise," before the "serpent" and the "apple"... before the fall... 🙂

rapidjackal16 said:So, how do you actually know if you’re on the right track in life? Like, how can you tell you’re finally walking the path you were actually meant to be on? What are the tells? Are there even any signs to look for, or is it all just... I don't know, guesswork?

Or maybe you’re just totally lost and have no clue at all?

Personally, I don't think the destination matters—because let's face it, we're all marching toward the same inevitable end regardless. What matters is HOW we travel.

When looking at the "HOW"—my observations of life here on Earth lead me to believe that everyone wants a journey that is pleasant, easy, and comfortable, surrounded by the right people and feeling good.

Everyone. No exceptions.

Absolutely nobody wants their journey (read: life) to be defined by pain, discomfort, or constant struggle.

So, when I want to check if my path is on track, I look at the basics: Am I waking up happy? Am I laughing throughout the day? (I use kids as my benchmark—they say kids laugh about 450 times a day, while adults barely hit 12). Do small things bring me genuine joy? And when I lay my head down at night, do I feel like sleep is a waste of precious time?

If those things are missing, something is definitely wrong with my journey.

Since I almost forgot the most vital ingredient for a happy, smooth ride, I’ll quote some classic lyrics to remind myself:

all you need for happiness is a woman, a man, and the sea
all you need for happiness is a child born of love
all you need for love is a woman, a man, and the sea
and a little salt-crusted cottage on the coast

and you know I'm not one for big speeches
and I'll never be able to tell you "I love you"
but for love, I'd give it all, la la la la la la la la

"Quote:"

Benjamin Taylor6 said:If I ever happened to become enlightened, I’d put the exact same sign above my door:

- Large lecture: $40
- Small group session: $40
- Private chat in a side room: $40
- Retreat: $100

But I’d add one little thing: please wire the money directly to my wife's bank account. She can never have enough. 😍
As for me, just bring food—rice, beans, lentils. I’ll take canned fish or meat too, though I usually just give it all to the neighborhood cats.
I’ll accept clothes and shoes as well. But only used ones, and the shoes better be a size 12.

You’d be better off just writing a book—maybe something along the lines of this one: Spirituality for dummies. Easy reading. It targets those big-money readers who don't want to break a sweat—no need to deal with difficult people, and the lady will be happy too.

"Quote:"

Paul Jones7 said:Wait, is that the same guy who somehow got lucky because his wife passed away? Like, her death ended up freeing up all his time to focus on his spiritual path and helping others? (Since, I guess, he spent a huge chunk of his life before that just looking after her.)

I think that was just Papaya. But he was a decent guy—nothing about him was ever transactional. As for Ziva, she’s already living off her pension. I’m not sure what you were getting at or what you would have said, so instead, let me just tell you this joke I read a moment ago. I'm still laughing!

A guy from Mexico travels to Boston and watches a local preacher leading service. He turns to his friend and says:
Look at this guy—his legs are killing him, yet he’s still spinning around in circles!

😍 😂

Here's one for you!

Anthony Perez9 said:👍

As for enlightened Jeff and his whole setup—the site, the podcasts, all that—it actually reminds me of this joke:

God and the devil are looking down from above at a guy who just hit enlightenment:
- He’s saved, God says. He’s finally enlightened and knows who he really is,
so there's nothing you can do to him now...
- Heh, quite the opposite. Now the real work begins, the devil says. I’m going to help him
get organized, build a following, and preach everything he just realized.

Hmm. There’s a version of that joke attributed to Jiddu Krishnamurti. He used to talk about how God and the devil watched a man find the Truth and grab hold of it. God turns to Satan and asks:

"Does that bother you?"

To which the prince of darkness replies: "Not at all. I'll help him organize it."

It's a jab at religious institutions—all those hierarchies, dogmas, and massive buildings. Jeff’s talks don't fall into that bucket. Neither did Krishnamurti's. Why shouldn't someone share what they've experienced and then just be quiet? Sure, he charges for it, but that's just covering overhead. If he started acting like an authority figure or let people turn him into a guru, he’d be falling right into the trap of those religious hustlers and the general human laziness that craves a leader to follow. I don't think that's his style.

So, the joke doesn't really fit our Jeff. 🙂
But it definitely hits the likes of Sai, Osho Rajneesh, Maharishi, Saint Paul, Mahaguru, Muhammad, and those other fakes.

I agree that Jiddu Krishnamurti doesn't fit that mold. In fact, he dismantled the very organization that was built around his persona. For reasons explained in one of his jokes, of course. But Jeff? He fits.

Why shouldn't he share his experiences? And why stay silent? Of course, he’ll charge for them just to cover expenses. If he clings to authority, or allows himself to be turned into a guru, then he’d be wrong—falling right into the trap of religious merchants and gurus, tapping into that general human laziness and craving for security in authority. I don't think he falls into that.

I'm with you on covering hall costs being fine. Krishnamurti was an international speaker, but people invited him to teach and made sure all his expenses were taken care of.

Jeff, however, has an organization that handles all of that for him, promoting him online (and who knows how else, since he isn't exactly a household name) and charging $40 per head for every single talk.

Beyond that, his frantic weekly schedule is pretty suspicious; it keeps changing from the moment you posted the link. Basically, the guy runs four different operations: hall lectures, small group sessions (private settings), Skype consultations, and retreats. All of them are $40 per person. The retreats are probably even pricier.

Just imagine... say Raman had posted Jeff's price list at the entrance of his ashram:
- Large lecture: $40
- Small group session: $40
- Private consultation in a little room: $40
- Retreat: $100

Raman would have said he turned self-realization into a business. But he didn't... he never took a single cent from anyone. He gave spiritual guidance as a gift; in fact, he went out of his way to feed those who came to visit him. For free.

Nisargadatta Swami lived by working at a newsstand. He sold tobacco. When he had free time, people would come to his house, and he would share his insights. Free of charge. That didn't stop him from becoming internationally known or his teachings from traveling the world.

If an enlightened being charges for their help, advice, or sharing—and does so through an organized system with even minimal administration—then they are living off their talk about self-realization. If, on top of that, someone like Jeff is frantically scrambling for cash, then to me, that is the most vulgar form of materialism there is.

electricdriver33 said:👍
On the flip side, Jeff, Steve, or whoever he's going by today, is still a lot more honest than these types:
http://www.nytimes.com/news/scandal-article-link ☕

Yeah... that’s straight-up blackmail.
Just take a quick look at the bottom right corner of Jeff's website to see how much he's actually pulling in. Between January 20th and February 2nd—just 12 days!—Jeff has already sold out two lecture halls, two small group meetups that aren't even pre-sold, and his private Skype sessions are fully booked. And all of that at just $40 a head. If he does just one lecture a month with 200 people attending, that's $8,000 per talk. So, you tell me how rewarding it is to spread some enlightenment...🙄