To show you why, let me ask you something. What do you imagine happens to a guy who gets a wild tripped-out dissociative experience in an afternoon and has some other person who’s supposed to be a “spiritual master” interpret that experience for him as enlightenment just like Buddha’s? How does the guy feel about the master who he thinks gave him this great gift? Does he owe the master something now? And will the guy do pretty much anything the master asks him to just so the master will keep on confirming the guy’s enlightenment? What if the guy does something the master doesn’t like and the master starts telling everyone the guy isn’t enlightened anymore? Does the guy’s enlightenment even exist without the master’s confirmation? That’s a key question.
And, for bonus points: Having just parted with a hundred and fifty smackers, is the guy
a) more or b) less likely to admit he’s been ripped off? Answers on a postcard, please.
People love to be told they can get a big payoff with no real investment. But when was the last time you got something for nothing?
Of course, that's also why it's absolutely necessary to "kick the tires" when approaching any teacher, spiritual, religious, or otherwise: the more time invested the less likely one is going to admit he's been abused or exploited.
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