Thank you for not being nice. Thank you for writing so deeply and clearly. I have also come to appreciate those who “cut through.” Here’s my attempt at dropping the niceness and cutting through:

I really like your image of the sleepers in the burning house. And, when you said, “I can accept others and let them be if my attempts to awaken have brought either a drowsy denial or vehement ire,” I said, “Yes!” And part of me said, “Yes” when you said, “I can let go, having done my best, walk out of the burning building and find the others who have awakened to do the same.” But another part of me balked. Part of “cutting into” my own denial has been to sit with the possibility that there is no such place as, “out of the burning building.” I’ve been trying on the idea that there may be nothing to be done (where “done” implies helping, protecting, preserving, waking up, etc.). I still get up every day, I still work, I still see and participate in the redemption of individuals. But more and more the idea of the redemption of humanity in any collective sense seems a fantasy.

I’ve been wondering about what the Buddha meant by ~”being released from the cycle of rebirth.” Was that just a “nice” way of saying, “Stop reproducing because this whole human experiment is a big mistake!”? Is that what “enlightenment” is, “the recognition of the mistake, which mankind at large has chosen to sanctify”? If so, enlightenment is not light, it’s heavy and dark.

I used to think that celibate societies like the Shakers were nuts.
(I’m still madly in love with my 3 yo grandson)
I used to think that “original sin” was totally nuts.
I used to be an engineer and I believed in technology.
I became a counselor because I believed in psychology.
Now, I wonder what it means for individuals to awaken if we’re all trapped in a burning building.
Yet, as frightening as the view is, I’m glad my eyes are even a little bit open.
And because it _is_ so frightening I can respect those who keep their head under the pillow. There are advantages to being a sound sleeper.

Paul

It does not matter in the slightest what you or others call me or other est graduates. The fact that my life turned around in two weekends after years of struggle is most important. This is also true of my family and my friends who benefited immensely from the training. You can do the name calling – we have the results.

We called them ESTians and the comment of an earlier poster that they came out like pod-people is apt. Ultimately smug posts like this reinforce the “I got mine bub.” image that people have of liberals and environmentalists in general. Gone is the commitment to political, community, solutions (no, your friendship circle doesn’t count) that address the problems of the least and the pestilence of the few.

The ‘you can’t judge as you weren’t there’ defense of EST simply doesn’t wash. The entire S.F. Bay Area had ample opportunity to observe thousands of EST graduates and the consensus was not positive. “Three-year-olds” and “pod people” were some of kinder things said about the “transformations” that happened to people.

If your pocket of personal happiness gets hammered from the outside don’t wonder that there’s no real help for you. You’re responsible as individuals, right?

Having been involved with est and Landmark (as a volunteer only), my experience is that the organization always operated at the highest level of integrity and any methods used during the training were used for one reason – because they worked to deliver the purpose of the training – to transform the quality of life for the trainees..

BTW, I did see Werner Erhard in July of 1983 at Bucky’s and Anne’s (his wife) funeral service in the Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA. I remember parking my ratty VW Beetle behind Werner’s BMW. Well, they were both German cars.

I would not classify myself as someone who is easily fooled and I’m certainly not under the influence of any Christian Anti-Cult Crusaders. So please don’t feel sad on my behalf. I’m a former Catholic who is now an agnostic.

I have no personal axe to grind against anyone who attend the est training and found it useful in the conduct of their life. As for my opinions about est, I’m certainly entitled to them no matter how ill-informed you may find them based on your own experience. After all, that is your experience.

tim wessels

It is sad to see so many people like Tim Wessels fooled by the distortions of the Christian Anti-Cult Crusaders whose opposition to Werner is strictly on an ideological basis. None of them have ever met the man or taken any of his programs. I’m sorry to hear such tripe as calling it an “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (though he does give him credit in the Bucky matter).

I participated both as a trainee and a volunteer in about ten full weekend est trainings and I can tell you these were among the most inspiring experiences of my life. Seeing people open up and transform their lives in the course of one or two weekends was magical. One recalls the words of Anais Nin who said, “the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

Of course it was challenging. Werner was not an easy person to be around but his life was dedicated to making others experience their greatness. Both my sons and their wives have done either est or Landmark and their lives are rich and full and dedicated to others.

We’re also the happy beneficiaries of the work started by Erhard, in the form of a community in Ottawa called The Inner Journey. While it has developed a lot since est, their core mix of TA, Jung, Taoism, Buddhism, Eckhart Tolle and a touch of Osho, all in an experiential framework designed to get you out of your head is more potent than ever.

As you say, it is too late to change the trajectory of climate change (or Peak Oil, or complexity-driven social failures or a hundred ecological horrors). However, it’s never too late to change the trajectory of human beings, and that’s what this work is all about. Luckily, a miracle is afoot in that regard, something that you and Tim and many, many others are witting or unwitting parts of. Have you read Paul Hawkens’ book “Blessed Unrest”?

I can’t wait to meet you both in a couple of weeks.

With great love,
Bodhisantra

Also I love that you made a list of things you love and I am going to do the same Right Now.

It has been a long time (over 30 years) since I heard anyone talking or writing about est. Thanks for mention of the “Transformation” movie. I’ll be sure to watch it soon.

Est appeared on the East coast in the mid-1970swhen I was working for Bucky Fuller in Philadelphia. Bucky’s grandson, Jaime Snyder, who traveled with Bucky for a number of years, lived on the West coast and had attended the est training. He brought Werner Erhard to Bucky’s attention and the two men met on a number of occasions. Most of us in Bucky’s office were suspicious of Erhard and his est organization. I recall reading an article titled “The Fuhrer Over est” that pretty much confirmed my suspicions. And thanks to the wonders of the Internet here is the url so you can read it too.

http://www.rickross.com/reference/est/est38.html

I will say one thing of a complementary nature about Erhard, although I can’t vouch for his motives. Bucky was losing some of his institutional sponsorship in Philadelphia in 1978. The local papers reported that Fuller was about to be put out on the street. When news of this situation got back to Erhard, he called up Bucky and asked what he could do to help…how much money did Bucky need? Fuller pulled a number out of thin air…it might have been $200K and Erhard said fine. He told Bucky he would setup a series of joint lecture engagements on the East and West coasts and he would send Bucky all of the proceeds after expenses. So while all of Bucky’s friends were wringing their hands, Erhard stepped up and actually did something with Bucky that helped him to keep going financially.

Est still creeps me out…the only thing I can compare it to is the movie, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”…the original that is…not the remake.

tim wessels