Vaj's Jack Kornfield quote on problem areas with gurus reminded me of an unanswered question.
When I was initiated, my best sense of the "status quo" was that the operation of the center was financed collectively by the initiators who taught there, through proceeds from a portion of the initiation fees. The ongoing programs (checking, lectures) didn't generate revenue and were not subsidized by TM's parent organization (TMO). A couple of years ago, I received a mailing from a guy who was setting up a TM Center in my area. He was renting a suite in a rather upscale mall. I Emailed wishing him good luck, wondering if he was receiving "seed money" from TMO, and cautioning him to be careful if he was not. I never received a reply. A little web-cruising suggests that the planned center is indeed in operation, with a spa to boot (though the spa seems to have been discontinued). Somewhere (though probably more than one conversation) I'd concluded that initiators were being quite selfless in their service to the meditator community, and that the bulk of income from their services went to the parent organization. Has this pattern changed (I hope)? Cam McIntosh --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <vajradh...@...> wrote: > > "One common area of danger in spiritual communities is the misuse of > power.... > A second problem area for teachers and communities can be the misuse > of money.... > A third common area of harm is misuse of sexuality.
