On Jan 24, 2012, at 11:20 PM, awoelflebater wrote:
I know I have come into this whole argument late, like months late,
and I may be missing some essential pieces but bear with me.
Robin's open letter admits that he, in the most literal terms, hit
people during the Sunnyside days. Not to put too fine a point on it
there were no seminars in those days. This was a close-knit group
of friends who loved and appreciated Robin before his Arosa
experience and who were in on his early days after returning from
Switzerland. This was intimate stuff. A tiny house in Vic West,
10-12 people often coming together for dinners and social
gatherings. It was intensely private and very unorganized and
spontaneous. There were no lights, no cameras no ideas for
expanding anything beyond those confined walls of the Sunnyside
house, all 900 sq. feet of it. All of this was between friends.
They knew and trusted Robin and they were willing participants in
this new adventure with this newly enlightened man who was part
of a tradition they were also involved in - TM. It was a heady
experience and it was unknown. As far as they were concerned they
were spending an evening eating, talking and open to whatever the
divine drama might reveal. They were there on their own volition.
So, if we are getting technical here, and we seem to be, Robin (as
I outlined in my post a few days ago) was not a physically violent
man within the context of his organization, the World Teacher
Seminar. Hitting etc. was not a technique he employed to confront
at the time Vaj claimed to be involved. Vaj, as a reasonable
person, would not be able to comment on times and events he was not
there for just as I would not be able to. Sunnyside pre-dated both
of us.
For Vaj to be accurate he can only reveal what he witnessed, either
on video or live. Robin has confessed to using physical force pre
seminar days. He claims in the title of his open letter that he had
lied about hitting because even though he had hit but not within
the time frame of Vaj's assertions.
Does this make a difference in the grand scheme of things? Do we
now brand Vaj a liar because according to my evidence it did not
occur when he said it did? Do we brand Robin a liar because hitting
really had occurred but under different contexts and conditions
that Vaj was privy too? I don't bloody well know. What I do know is
there are probably apologies due on both sides. Will this ever
happen? Who knows? Does it matter? Probably. Can we all get on with
our lives if we just drop it? Definitely. Good night.
The incident I was referring to was at the end of the World Teacher
Seminar, at least from my POV. I saw it on tape, but was shown it for
one reason: Robin, in what seemed to be a dead-end confrontation,
ends up pounding his fists, as if in frustration and exasperation, on
a student, on stage. As far as I was aware: this was the tape that
ended it all. Shortly after that, again, from my POV, the WTS ceased
to be. The people I knew, withdrew.
Robin has suggested that no such tape ever existed. This is untrue.
There seemed to be some concern that I might either produce this tape
and digitize it, in an attempt to cause harm to Robin in some manner
or to simply prove that it, in fact, did exist. I have no interest in
any such thing. If anything, I'd review the tape to refresh my own
memory, and if there was a discrepancy, mention it should the subject
ever come up again. I do believe this tape is the source of the rumor
that R. beat his students.
But I want to emphasize again, it's not fair to suggest that Robin
beat or deliberately harmed his students, although once the word
'hit the street' many rumors did spread and Robin's actions were made
to appear as if he had abused someone. Without an understanding of
the context of the 'enlightenment theatre' Robin started, it would
not be possible that an outsider could fully understand what was even
going on, let alone R's overwhelming sense of frustration.
And as to whether or not some confrontation tapes will ever see the
light of day, my feeling is they would not - and should not. These
are extremely personal dramas for the persons involved and should
hold the same level of confidentially as one's medical records would
or at least as much as a private home movie.
I'm still in the dark on later confrontations like the one you
mention. I did not know they were even going on that late. But I'd
wait to hear that from you, privately and in confidence, should you
so desire or should it feel appropriate.
I should also add, that I've been in Sunnyside several times, after
it was restored c. 1983.
