Sunday, February 15, 2009

Finally, Instant Enlightenment Can Be Yours! (for the low, low price of $599)


Here it is! Finally what you’ve been seeking all these years: The Big Mind/Big Heart Workshop



“You'll have a real, tangible experience of being One with the entire universe — what Genpo Roshi calls Big Mind/Big Heart. I'm talking about the same experience a Zen master or other enlightened master has — something that usually takes decades of meditation and direct work with a spiritual master to achieve. I'm not kidding. You'll experience this amazing state (more than once) during these two days, and I promise it will change your life — forever...”
(Big Mind/Big heart Workshop)

YAAAY! (and he ain't "kidding"!)

Now we have a psychologist and a “Zen master” teaming up to deliver directly to you the best quality “enlightenment”that money can buy. And it will only take you two days, and $599 (early registration only), to experience what an “enlightened master” experiences after a lifetime of sacrifice and struggle. However, you better hurry and register NOW because:
“The event will be March 7 - 8 in Los Angeles, California and in order to make it more intimate we are limiting the number of attendees. So, if you're interested, please register right away. Since we're offering a special discount for early registration, it's very possible that early registrants alone will fill the event. So please don't wait if you want to be there.” (forget about “Be Here Now,” you need to be ‘there,' Los Angeles California, enlightenment capital of the world!)
Whoa, dang! Where do I sign, so that, in only 2 days, I can get my:
"Buddha Mind — the mind of clarity, transcendental wisdom, and unconditional compassion — and, the profound personal and psychological insights that go with it.”
The MC of this 2 day event is Bill Harris, who advertises himself as some sort of psychologist/guru. This guy seems to pop up with every awakening game that comes down the pike, even the Law of Attraction party invites Bill. He seems to be a promoter of the stars in the enlightenment show (no matter where that show's being performed) and I imagine ads like this tend to pull in a big audience.

But forget about the promoter and let’s look at who he promotes for this “workshop.” Genpo Roshi is an expert player in the game of enlightenment and here is a Wikipedia endorsement highlighting Roshi’s claim to fame:
"In 1973 he ordained as a Buddhist monk under the guidance of Taizan Maezumi, completing his koan studies in 1979. Before ordaining in 1973, he had spent a year in silent retreat in the mountains of California. In 1980 he became a Dharma Successor of Maezumi. Starting in 1982 Merzel began traveling to areas of Europe and established an international network of Zen groups. Genpo Merzel received inka from Bernard Glassman in October 1996 of the White Plum lineage. He has also served as President of White Plum Asanga."
Wow! This guy ain't no run-of-the-mill enlightened master. Notice the pedigree and credentials necessary to be considered an "enlightened master," which must include your own “awakening” and the confirmation of another “awakened master” needed to endorse the “truth” that you have, in fact, been awakened.

This is a very exclusive club and not just anyone gets in. In fact, you need to attain your "inka" which "denotes a high-level of certification, and literally means "the legitimate seal of clearly furnished proof." In other words, promotions, or titles, are limited to only a select few in this game. But, obviously, that must be true, since what kind of world would this be if we all were 'gurus.' HA! That's utterly ridiculous!

Notice, in addition, that you need to be credentialed (through "linneage") by an accepted institution in the field of awakening, such as the “White Plum Asanga” which is known for its notable membership, all of which can be distinguished by their names having some Tibetan (correct me if I'm wrong) derivative like genpo, daido, enkyo, chozen, etc, etc.

Without the name, your nobody in this game, pal!

These particular “awakening” games have very strict rules that must be followed if you desire membership and wish to be recognized as a player. Nevertheless, we are in tough economic times and this requires funding be sought through less traditional means. This is why the neo-masters and modern gurus need to be promoted to the general public rather than just those of us who have always longed to be enlightened or awakened.

John Q Public wants his awakening fast...in fact, he wants it, 'to go'!

They can no longer rely on the few who have read the sutras or practiced years of meditation. Difficult times call for drastic measures and even if you don’t know what ‘enlightenment’ is, never mind, because Bill and Genpo have defined it for you as the tangible experience of being One with the entire universe…” In addition, by “being One [cap ‘O’] with the entire universe [not just a portion, mind you, but the entire shebang] you will “have many huge ah-ha's about what your life is about, who you really are, what it means to be a human being. And You'll very likely experience permanent resolution regarding at least one — and probably several — dark places in your life” (but they only guarantee resolution of one “dark place,” more than that would require a longer "workshop" and, obviously, more $$$).

My friends, the best “awakening” you could achieve is to avoid these hucksters like the plague.

However, if you do decide to play this game, recognize that it has only two important requirements that you must adhere to in order to participate and not to follow these two rules automatically disqualifies you from the game.

You cannot be awakened before you come to the workshop! If you are already enlightened, then I assume they won't even let you in the door (so wear your best hangdog face!)

In addition, you must accept their definition of “awakening’ for it to be the authentic, real McCoy, of "awakening." If you do fail to achieve it as defined, then I imagine there will be future workshops.

So, enjoy your "workshop"!
mikeS

4 comments:

  1. Thank you always for these wonderful musings about ego and enlightenment!

    I was thinking: there's a phrase that goes something like, 'May I be enlightened so that I may help all sentient beings.' That means that our priorities should be helping people first, enlightenment second. In other words, as long as we are helping people we must be on the right path, tingly enlightenment buzz or no. Oooh I love that tingling feeling too, but if we get our priorities backwards we could end up becoming enlightened villains.

    You're spot on Mike, keep up the good work (and don't let this comment get to your ego's ears)!

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  2. I've done Big Mind with Genpo Roshi on an Integral Life Practice weeklong course that I attended back when I worked for Integral Institute.

    The process was pretty good, but I certainly didn't get any sort of permanent enlightenment from it. It wasn't that memorable for me really as an experience, to tell you the truth.

    I got more out of the ego voices than the higher voices, and would have preferred one-on-one to a group format, or a format that involved switching off as facilitator.

    Genpo Roshi struck me as a kind-hearted, honest man who had truly gained some deep enlightenment. Now I recognize that many people have done so, and many are very ordinary humble people outside of traditional Buddhist hierarchical lineages.

    The process didn't seem to me to require any transmission from some enlightened dude in order to facilitate effectively. The hierarchy seems to me to be disempowering and continues to further the competitive, finite enlightenment game, as you mention.

    If we truly desire enlightenment for all beings, then our methods must empower all beings to do it for themselves with as little instruction and complication as necessary.

    I did not have a big, dramatic enlightenment experience with Big Mind, although other people reported wonderful experiences. Unfortunately, like most seminars, there was no followup. There was also a host of other experimental techniques, making effectiveness impossible to identify.

    I find the Core Transformation process I work with now both more effective (at least intuitively and from what I've experienced with myself and about 20 clients), more practical (it aims to change specific unwanted emotions and behaviors), and more empowering (seminars involve trading off facilitation in pairs, thus teaching you to be your own guru). It's no panacea either, but it's better.

    I also don't care for Bill Harris's hyped-up marketing. I purchased Holosync way back when, and got on an endless stream of marketing hype sent to my mailbox every week. Personally, I see his style of marketing (which wasn't invented by him, but by our culture of separation) as an obstacle to enlightenment.

    I also agree with the critique of the finite enlightenment game in this post, at least in terms of needing credentials or to be a lineage holder to be enlightened.

    I saw Dr. Sha speak tonight in Boulder. He's like the Chinese Tony Robbins of Soul Healing. He's obviously motivated to help others heal, but just as obviously manipulates others to give him more money. He said that if you buy one book, he'll sign it; if you buy two books, he'll sign them and give you a 5 second soul healing. As if there's something wrong with your Soul's ability to heal itself! As if Dr. Sha has some magic power that you do not or could not have! This is just as much nonsense as Catholic priests having a closer connection to God than the average peasant, and the reason for the Protestant Reformation.

    On the other hand, this critique of the enlightenment game is also a critique of the academic game (to be correct or intelligent you must be recognized and have gone through a Ph.D. program, etc.), the therapy game (to be helpful to another human being you must have gone through extensive schooling, have an office with 50 minute sessions, speak the right jargon, etc.), the criminal justice game, and many, many more games we play.

    Keep going deeper with this critique. I like the direction it's headed. But ask it about other areas of life and culture as well.

    For example, selling food is in many ways MUCH worse than selling spirituality. Food used to be free and totally abundant. It was a sacred act to find food, cook it, and feed another human being (or animal). Now it is totally desacralized. Etc. etc.

    None of us are free from this deeper critique, spiritual teacher or not.

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  3. Hey Crazy!

    Thanks for the kind words. Yes, clearly, any "awakening" or "enlightenment" must occur with one or more. I truly believe that enlightenment is with and through others. Individual experiences are fine, but Truth (cap T) is for the many and can never be 'realized' by the one.
    More on that in future posts

    Thanks,
    mikeS

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  4. Hey Duff,

    Great Comments. I'm currently set to post some ideas on this concept referred to as 'permanent enlightenment' since I believe that an ego-self in pursuit of such a concept can only engage permanent suffering.
    Very true. All the games seem to adhere to the same hierarchical paradigm of learning and stages and states of learning. I am aware of the "therapy game" since as a licensed psychotherapist I play by those rules (but not too seriously). I suppose the question is can one achieve the outcomes desired by going outside the paradigm of hierarchical learning? Or make up one's own rules to playing that game? Hmmm.....

    Thanks,
    mikeS

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