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(TM) on a "Spiritual" Practice (Was Re: The Comodification of Spirit)

  •  06-27-2006, 12:25 PM

    (TM) on a "Spiritual" Practice (Was Re: The Comodification of Spirit)

    vajrayogini:
    JasonD wrote the following post at 26 Jun 2024 7:02 PM: Hey bud.
    ...
    The comodification of spirit is an interesting topic.  In the time of the buddha, monks were supported by donations to temples or begging.  In the west a beggar has no influence. and therefore can not spread the dharma much past the dumpsters. Our spiritual leaders must make a living through writing  or workshops... and some become very wealthy this way. Is this kosher? Is this spiritual?
    righto,
    Jason

    I thought I'd move it here as it's an important discussion to be had and I didn't want it getting lost in the bigmind posts
    hope that's cool
    \/

    Hi, y'all!

    I confess!  It is my fault that this discussion has started.  When I posted in the "Big Mind: The Controller" thread, and asked about the usefulness of getting the ILP starter kit, I also asked (tongue-in-cheek) the following...

    [And I am wondering, had the Buddha lived in the 20th/21st century, would we have the following?Wink [;)]
    (1) The Four Noble Truths(tm)
    (2) The Noble Eightfold Paths(tm)]

    My hypothetical question is concerned with another line of thought. It is not so much as the paying/donating for some "spiritual seminar/help" that I was thinking of, but rather on what (tm) entails.  

    If Buddhism is only of recent occurence, would it have spread far and wide faster than the the way it did (within the last 2,500 years) or would the Theravadans be suing Mahayanans in the court of law in trying to prevent the divergence from the "true" teaching? And who would be considered the "true" teachers -- the one paying a %-age or franchise fee to the (tm) owner?  Or would the Mahayanans simply wait it out for the (tm) to expire or become genericized and the information becomes public domain? And, then, let fate unfold as it may for the next 2,500 years?

    My earlier  interest in the movie "What the (Bleep!) Do We Know?" (a Ramtha-influenced & -connected movie project) led me to an old news item that striked me as ridiculous and funny.  This one was about how JZ Knight had sued a certain pyschic named Judith Ravell of Berlin who claim to also channel Ramtha.  JZ Knight won the court case in Europe and was granted the Ramtha "copyright", making her as the one and only legal medium of Ramtha, worldwide. Anyone who would allow him/herself to be a channel for Ramtha will be taken to the cleaners! Surprise [:O] Not really... Judith Ravell of Berlin was asked to pay a paltry $800 for disturbing JZ Knight's spiritual channel. Smile [:)]

    --- Not that I am equating Ramtha-channeling with this whole Integral Life Practice practices (as contained in the Starter Kit).  Honestly, I don't.  Angel [A]

    It is just that whenever I see something that is claimed to be spiritual -- whether it is an activity, a method, what have you -- and it is trademarked, my skin simply crawls up on me. (OK, skin... Down skin... down... sit!)  My zany mind simply runs ahead of me and starts thinking of all the ridicuous ways that we can get ourselves into, whenever we start putting (tm)s on what are claimed to be "spiritual practices".

    Why can't there be un-(tm) for spiritual stuff like there is un-copyright or open license agreement for gnu or linux?

    But don't mind me. I am just being ridiculous.  I think, I just need to sit down and bring my mind back in the here and now. 

    Also, I like the direction that this "comodification of spirit" discussion is going.

    ... Will be back after "37 minutes of meditation"(tm)... Smile [:)]

    towers1209
    杜 偉 德
    -------------------
    "Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar..."
    [Traveller, there is no path, you create the path as you move forward...]
    Antonio Machado (1875-1939)
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