Tart, *not* wishing to argue with you or diminish what you say in any way, just presenting a Deva's Advocate position the same way Curtis might, do you notice that the "personalized feedback" I have highlighted below, along with my occasional comments in brackets, is a lot like "cold reading" of pretend psychics or stage magicians or charlatan astrologers?
That is, no actual "personal" information is conveyed at all. Instead, a general statement that could apply to anyone is presented, leaving the person to whom it is presented to "project into it" whatever "meaning" they wish to. In other words, each of these statements can be seen as fodder for confirmation bias, and not "personal" at all. --- In [email protected], tartbrain <no_reply@...> wrote: > > My experience and observation was that MMY was quite involved in acknowledging and providing feedback on experience. First, in every flower line [* Just pointing out that "waiting in a flower line" is in itself setting up confirmation bias. You're standing there for minutes or hours waiting, waiting, waiting, priming yourself for "something good to happen." Who should be surprised when it does? *] (4-8 per day) he would stop at at particular person and say "*Hmm, enjoying", "Hmm, very good*" or something similar -- which appeared to be an acknowledgment and encouragement of their particular state or experience at that time. For example, as MMY entered into the lecture hall, a woman (said later) she was seeing the heavens open up, and hordes of angels or such descend as MMY entered the hall) and he stopped and said "*Hmm, its beautiful, yes*". > > And he acknowledged personal situations. At the beginning of my TTC he asked each of us to come forward, to approach him (I think we gave him a flower, or simply bowed our heads) and he said to me "*ah, you made it*". Prior to that, while I had been on two courses with him, up to that time there was no reason for him to know who I was - I had not met privately with him or been at the mic for questions. But it had been a big production to get to TTC -- and he somehow knew that and acknowledged it. > > Some years later, a friend who had been teaching in a distant land came back to see him and the first thing MMY said was "*Hmm, so you have been bored, yes?*" My friend was very clear in his mind that MMY was referring to his many dalliances with local women. [* Again, no specific information was conveyed, merely a vague, generic statement that could have meant anything, but was interpreted by the student to "mean" whatever he determined it "meant." *] > <snip> > And sometimes, *it was just a look he gave - and that was all that was needed. Or, he would just start lecturing on a point that was on someones mind* (which may have been coincidental -- but happened a lot.)
