Big Net Hides Gem
File under: Gurubusting
The enormity of the internets has kept the Anti-Guru blog a secret from us until now [Ed.note: Heh. Get it? "The Secret..."], although we could also blame laziness and our general lack of motivation. Either way, we are happy to steer you to another warrior's attempt to combat ignorance as it relates to spiritual leadership.
While author Steven Sashen appears to be some kind of spiritual teacher himself, suspiciously offering classes in something he is calling "Quantum Wealth," we won't hold that against him... yet; especially if he keeps coming up with quips like this:
...if you give enough people enough corrugated cardboard to eat, you'll get some great health testimonials.We'd also like to take this opportunity to state on the record that while we are anti-special divinity, anti-magical person and anti-spiritual conman, we are not anti-guru, despite what some of the slower of you out there may care to believe.
Labels: Gurubusting
posted by guruphiliac @ 10:12 AM
24 Comments:
I came upon this blog today while browsing and it certainly made for interesting reading.If you can continue doing "un-biased" reporting it would be very useful. While on the topic of "guru-busting" I would like to mention about a lesser known "Guru" who claims to be the next Sai Baba and also claims to have received his powers from him. He calls himself 'Sunil" or "Sunil Baba"not sure if he has any other names. He was a hot favourite in Chennai a few years ago and have taken quite a few people I know personally on very expensive spiritual rides. That they did'nt have better discrimination allowed themselves to be suckers is an entirely different matter.
Once when caught with his gay lover in a compromising position he is supposed to have explained that he was in the process of transferring "energy" to his disciple. Well , we know what energy that is!
Am also told that he is popular in Dubai.
It would be a great service if you could educate people about him.
"While author Steven Sashen appears to be some kind of spiritual teacher himself, suspiciously offering classes in something he is calling "Quantum Wealth," we won't hold that against him... yet; "
.........Witty quotes aren't enough to validate him.
"quantum wealth" being passed off as some sort of spirituality, because you get "peace of mind, clarity, insight, etc." from his class?......Come on!
Calling ACIM "advanced meditation...oye vey!!
And he appears to be another of the multitude
of B Katie clones......Jody WAKE UP!!!!!!! Tell me you didn't fall in love with him just because he uses the words "anti-guru". He is everything you rail against.
Have you seen his Quantum Wealth website?
I especially like: "In Quantum Wealth you'll make a Quantum Financial Leap to from confusion and stress..."
Could work well for me. I never know whether I'm coming or going anyway.
Jody WAKE UP!!!!!!!
Mary, SHUT UP!!!!
You didn't have the email exchange I had with him yesterday.
He teaches nonduality, but he doesn't put himself or any other guru on a pedestal. In my book that makes him close to a perfect guru.
Read the post again. I am not anti-guru.
I never know whether I'm coming or going anyway.
I know what you mean.
While Quantum Wealth sounds not much different than any other "get rich now" seminar, he doesn't charge if you don't feel it was worth anything.
That sounds like a pretty good deal to me, making Steven less of a ripoff than many of the other motivational teachers.
He calls himself 'Sunil" or "Sunil Baba"not sure if he has any other names.
I'll need more information. Something to pin on him rather than mere heresay. Newspaper article links, an online presence, something other than just your brief description. If you come up with something, send it to tips@guruphiliac.org
If you've never gotten to overhear (over-read?) people talk about you before, I highly recommend it. It's fascinating.
Mary... thanks. Personally, I'm no fan of the word "spirituality", I use "Quantum" because of physics metaphor I like (not because of the lie that quantum physics says ANYTHING about, well, anything but quantum physics), and I'm not crazy about the "advanced" in the meditation course either.
Finding the right way to describe these things has not been easy and I appreciate it any help I can get.
Who Is Ming... thanks for the pointer to the typo! That one cracked me up.
FWIW, comparing the classes I'm teaching to others, a friend of mine (who turned me onto guruphiliac) said, "The proof is in the promise."
What he is referring to is that for the money class, I'm not suggesting, let alone promising, that "you can have/get/be whatever you want".
And in the meditation course,
while novice meditators report having the kind of experiences thought to only occur after long-term, intensive practice... I have no belief that these phenomenon improve one's life, denote any sort of attainment or advancement, or, frankly, have any meaning/value whatsoever.
"He teaches nonduality, but he doesn't put himself or any other guru on a pedestal. In my book that makes him close to a perfect guru.
Read the post again. I am not anti-guru."
Read my post again hon, I didn't say you were.
So what if he teaches nonduality? Is that some sort of credential of validity?
Ok he may have told you over the phone he teaches nonduality but it doesn't show up on his site. Why isn't he upfront about it?
You call him a guru, it doesn't seem he calls himself one though he promotes Ms Katie who is ttally decieving people by calling her therapy work spiritual.
First of all, pardon my typos! Geez.
Secondly, I've never claimed to teach non-duality (another word I'm not a fan of).
Mary wrote:
>>You call him a guru, it doesn't seem he calls himself one though he promotes Ms Katie who is ttally decieving people by calling her therapy work spiritual.<<
Kindly show us where "Ms. Katie" calls her work either therapy OR spiritual? I can't find any such reference on her website. From what I can tell, her "work" is self-inquiry...some basic questions that one can choose to answer, or not. (Even Ramana didn't call his "Who am I?" style of self-inquiry "spiritual.")
As for deception...we only ever deceive ourselves, but oh how we love to blame our gullibility and ignorance/innocence on others. We who have been in "cults" such as the ones depicted on this blog, and are not in denial about our part in the deception, know this all too well. Knowing that all responsibility for my happiness or unhappiness lies with me has been liberating, and it seems that's what Byron Katie's Work, and similar techniques, point to...I don't care if it's called (by her or by anyone) therapy, spirituality, quantum physics or quantum bullshit.
he promotes Ms Katie who is ttally decieving people by calling her therapy work spiritual.
Anyone who attempts to teach spirituality, if they don't limit themselves to Vedic-based ideology, is basically teaching some kind of therapy... and that's ok in my book. I'd contend that of the given population of folks looking to get enlightened, well over 90% of them are really only looking to establish or recover their own self-worth. I'd say that these folks would be much better served by a good psychotherapist, provided they can find one who would work well for them. The problem isn't so much that spirituality is a cover for therapy, it's that most of those who call themselves gurus are not qualified to do therapy.
While I'm not super up on Byron Katie, I don't have so much against her, either. She has recognized the truth that most want self-healing before self-realization. In fact, I'd say (and so would Maslow) that you can't get to the latter without establishing the former, so what Byron is trying to do isn't so bad, provided that she keep her own personality out of it. That is, she makes sure that no deification happens around her. As long as Katie is walking on the same Earth as the rest of us and defending herself against her own pedestalization, she's doing a bang-up job in my book.
Surely, if you are reading this site you know that the word "guru" means teacher?
Yes, it has come to mean something like "someone who is so nearly perfect that you could never do what they do even in your wildest dreams."
That's not what Christ, Buddha, Ghandi, Mother Teresa or any other genuine teacher taught. Katie never says that. Neither does Steven.
"Greater things than I have done, ye shall also do." That's what a teacher says. They say, "Here is how you can do it on your own."
Sure, Steven is a teacher.
Oddly, he only teaches when he is asked. We've been beggin him to get his latest IAM meditations on CD ever since the class nearly 2 years ago. I'm sure he'll get around to it, but he obviously isn't out there greedily selling it at the first opportunity.
He concluded his recent Quantum Wealth seminar in Boulder, Colorado with words to the effect of, "You've received the transmission. Now go do it."
jody said:
Anyone who attempts to teach spirituality, if they don't limit themselves to Vedic-based ideology, is basically teaching some kind of therapy... and that's ok in my book.
Jody, why would vedic- based ideology be the only way to teach spirituality?
have u wrote a book? can be fun to read, what's the name?
why would vedic- based ideology be the only way to teach spirituality?
I never said it was. What I said was that most spirituality teaching outside of strict Vedic-interpretations is usually more along the lines of personality therapy than actual nondual teaching.
Stacy said...He concluded his recent Quantum Wealth seminar in Boulder, Colorado with words to the effect of, "You've received the transmission. Now go do it."
..............
Stacy, don't you know them's fightin words! Hey Steven, how much do you make teachin this quantum wealth? Any franchise availiable? Could I teach it and still wear my overalls?
Surely, if you are reading this site you know that the word "guru" means teacher?
.......That would be the definition used by those who want to gloss over what the guru actually is, what function he fullfills. Or a definition used by someone wanting to exploit the term.
Yes, it has come to mean something like "someone who is so nearly perfect that you could never do what they do even in your wildest dreams."
...........That is more along the lines of the original meaning, which has been bastardized and taken in the West to mean merely "teacher". You have it a bit backwards.
That's not what Christ, Buddha, Ghandi, Mother Teresa or any other genuine teacher taught.
.........That's exactly what Jesus taught
and Mother Teresa never was a guru or a teacher.
.......... They say, "Here is how you can do it on your own."
...........Sure, what they are teaching
you can do yourself. The guru is needed
for what you can't do yourself.
Sure, Steven is a teacher.
.........Yes he is.
Oddly, he only teaches when he is asked.
We've been beggin him to get his latest IAM meditations on CD ever since the class nearly 2 years ago. I'm sure he'll get around to it,
.....He teaches only when asked but you've been asking him for 2 years to put the teaching out there.......mmm, do I smell a contradiction?
He concluded his recent Quantum Wealth seminar in Boulder, Colorado with words to the effect of, "You've received the transmission. Now go do it."
.......That's about as useful as a sack full of hammers.
"Hey Steven, how much do you make teachin this quantum wealth? Any franchise availiable? Could I teach it and still wear my overalls?"
Hey chuck, I though we were a team. I want in on the franchise. Instead of riding in a blue cadillac giving deeksha, we could be spreading quantum wealth in cowboy boots and tight pants.
In answer to the questions raised by Stacy's well-intentioned post:
I don't believe in "transmission."
Only teaching by request doesn't mean it's possible to say yes to every request, or that saying "yes" means "immediately!"
And, most importantly, Quantum Wealth franchisees are required to wear American Flag Spandex Jumpsuits while teaching (no codpieces allowed).
oh, steven,....u always with you sense of humor.... so funny u are.....
funny t shirts u sell..... BTW
with the same humor you sell your Akai Plus, ur Toyota, your Quantum wealth, your spiritual status,your instant advanced meditation course, your work, ur Kab. healing, etc... and with a lot of intelligence u link all together with your other great business in internet. Is it also yours the AllWebCo site?
Is great how you create your own web on the web, with all the know how about internet marketing. Congratulations.
You really know how to become rich, and how to increase your richness by selling how you became rich, and using all those pyramid structures,....
The new age consumers, buy a lot, and u are so aware of it,.... good smart guy
durga said... we could be spreading quantum wealth in cowboy boots and tight pants.
...............
Durga you don't want to see me in tight pants. I tend to wear only bibs that are as blue and wide as a summer sky and that tend to have an ozone hole in the back 40. So I'm hesitant to put down on a QW (quantum wealth) franchise. Fat men don't get the necessary respect. Maybe on this one you could team up with Jody as your front man, both of you dressed in black leather...
Or why not go in with steven sashen, hisself? He could wear the spandex and you the leather.
"Maybe on this one you could team up with Jody as your front man, both of you dressed in black leather...
Or why not go in with steven sashen, hisself? He could wear the spandex and you the leather."
Both ideas are good, the spandex jumpsuit and the leather. maybe we should change the cadillac from blue to black. Somehow I don't think Jody will go for the leather idea. I, however, just invested in a $25. pair of spiffy black cowboy booties that look good with my black leather vest. I got several compliments on them yesterday and think maybe they would help me sell quantum wealth.
Steven Sashen said...
In answer to the questions raised by Stacy's well-intentioned post:
I don't believe in "transmission."
"He concluded his recent Quantum Wealth seminar in Boulder, Colorado with words to the effect of, "You've received the transmission. Now go do it."
Was this a misquote or what? I'm confused.
anon.
Hey Jody, we have some work with this guy.....
;-)
another Anon
Hey Jody, we have some work with this guy.....
Don't include me in this "work." Once you've spied his tongue in his cheek, Steven is nothing to worry about, guru-wise.
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