New Buddha Erupts

File under: The Siddhi of PR

How does one go about becoming a buddha? Hire a good press agent:

Master Wan Ko Yee Recognized as the True Incarnation of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released by the International Buddhism Sangha Association...

According to the Venerable Long Hui, the publication of this precious book H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III announces to the entire world the news that a true Buddha has descended into the world. This incarnated Buddha is Dorje Chang Buddha (aka Buddha Vajradhara), who is the primordial and highest Buddha according to the lineage charts of all Buddhist sects. The entire name of this Buddha is H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Holiest Tathagata Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu.

This is all one stinking heap of meadow pie to this nose.

The Meme Is Out There

File under: Gurubusting and The Siddhi of PR

We don't know who om247om is, but we like his style:

People should be aware of these kind of holy hookers exploiting the innocent and gullible masses.

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

Meeting Beth Lapides

File under: Sites of Note

Today we ran into Beth Lapides on Twitter, who turns out to be a one-woman comedy industry coming straight from the heart of the Los Angeles spirituality scene. She honored us by proposing we trade links, and we "reciprocated" by sharing some of our standard pedantry about magic gurus and the delusion they employ. One of these days we'll find an off switch for that shit.

Beth has an awesome-looking website with a lot of stuff to check out, like this musing on what we suspect is L.A.'s rampant 2012ism:

The end of duality - is that's what's happening now?
Hard to understand from this duality filled place.
Or is it just cut backs, the end of manicures - two hands on two hands.
Slows down the hands on the face of the clock.
Stop touching yr face my facialist used to say.
Worry. Is. Duality.
But wait! The end of duality is a duality since it implies a begining and end.
Not a whole
Oops.

We haven't quite decided if she's just a little bit too woo-woo or very slyly poking at the indulgences of Hollywoodified spirituality. Either way, it's a really nice site and worth a visit for a joke or two, at least until she decides to turn into a magic guru herself. ;)

"What Enlightenment" Reignites

File under: The Siddhi of PR

A persistent reporter has spooked Papaji acolyte and EnlighteNext magazine founder Andrew Cohen, causing him to make public denials through lawyers to the authors of What Enlightenment, which carries unflattering descriptions of Cohen's behavior with his students. Cohen's action has caused ex-students to rally to the truth, and this truth hurts:

I would say that slapping and physical assaults were pretty infrequent. I have heard of a number of incidents over the years, but on the whole I would not say it was something that formal students came to expect. Perhaps it was more so for the very small group of “Committed Students”—the few, perhaps three to seven most senior students who led Andrew’s communities. I can personally attest to being instructed one time to go to Craig Hamilton and Carter Phipps, coeditors with me of Andrew’s magazine What Is Enlightenment?, shout an angry message, and slap them both, hard. Andrew emphasized that I must really mean it and hit them hard. I did this. He also had me do the same thing to Amy Edelstein (who sent the replies to you from EnlightenNext). For the record, I also witnessed Amy Edelstein herself slapping Craig and Carter under similar circumstances. In the incidents I witnessed or participated in, no one was physically harmed. Nevertheless, I find it abhorrent, and this event was one of the “final straws” that helped me to realize that Andrew, and now I, had crossed a line that should not be crossed.

We suspect Cohen is now wishing he'd have kept this bag closed. While his little slaparchy might have made a good episode of the New Three Stooges, it definitely also makes for really, really bad PR.