Howdy 13,

I fail to see how I am really disagreeing with you
(especially if you’ll read what I wrote carefully).

I am really saying that, regardless the source, learning how
to still and focus the mind can be beneficial for all sorts of reasons.  The idea that one should not have a
meditation practice because some asshole happens to teach a particular version
of it is short-sighted.

Note that prisoners are not a sub-species, just people like
us that are in a challenging situation due to prior challenging positions, etc.  Of course learning skills and such are a good
thing, and of course GMG is a manipulative asshole, yada, yada, yada

I look at all of it a lot of ways.  For example, I really enjoyed my life as a
premie, I actually relished my time in the Ashram with the vast majority of the experiences I had
and the friends I made, I also enjoyed the freedom of leaving all of the bullshit
behind, I like myself and what I have become, I still love to sit (and meditate).  Of course I do not like the delusion
associated with GMJ and K, and feel foolish about some of what I bought into
and such, but I suppose I have forgiven myself. 
Bear in mind that, although I saw him as my guru, I never gave him omniscient
powers and avatar status in my mind, have been exposed to the eastern guru
scene and similar philosophies earlier.  This
is generally how I feel about my own experience.  In other words, for me I feel that some great
stuff came from that very odd environment, and I know it’s also true for
others.

On the convict thing, I only pointed out that there can be
good come of that program as well.  What’s
so hard to understand about this perspective? 
I’ll bet that some convicts will benefit from that program.

OK, OK, let’s once again recite the litany about harboring pedophiles,
suicides, lost dreams and all of those very real things.  Yes that is real.  But at the same time, it does not mean that
what I am expressing is not also real.

Anywho, M