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Dear Steve,
I was not around the Maha closely, but I respect
the integrity of those that were who have come
forward. My husband received Knowledge from Michael
Donner. Michael Donner has named the people (Jeff
Grossberg, Joe Natter and others) who he says would
agree with him on some of the points he's made. One
of our best friends is a premie. Our premie friend
has a close friend who is an ex. This ex used to
spend every day at the residence doing direct
service and left the whole thing over the sordid
details of finances and the way things were managed
back then. My premie friend trusts this ex (I used
to know him also and he is a person of integrity).
Why shouldn't I??
The people who come on this Forum and try to
refute Donner and Dettmers and others PAMs had
nowhere NEAR the 24/7 access that these people had.
Going up to the res occasionally and having
personal contact and interviews does not tell the
real story.
In another system (Tibetan Buddhism) I became an
insider and was privy to the anger of a teacher. He
was very kind much of the time, and, I believe,
really wanted the best for his students. But he
would never have expressed his anger and wrath to
students that were on the perifery. It was only
when a student was more committed, working with him
personally, and perhaps then it was unavoidable,
that such things would come out. Because of the
system of never saying anything bad about a guru,
even people who walked away or found another
teacher are supposed to never criticize him. Those
who were closer or lived at the center at least
felt free to compare 'notes,' because we weren't
telling each other anything the other didn't
already know. The point is that unless you get to a
certain level of closeness, or are around 24/7, you
can't really say. I found kowtowing to him when he
was angry, especially in such a traditional
guru-disciple relationship, to be abusive. It is
only in those wacky Hindu and Buddhist stories
where you accept such treatment by teachers and
masters, and of course, the revisionism is that M
is not leaning on that tradition. And of course,
the analogy ends here because my former teacher
didn't want people to spend much money on his own
welfare, and even refused to have a wife or family
so that the center would not be burdened with the
expense.
So I hear you Steve. I'm sick of it, but I
believe, as I said to Donner somewhere below, that
you guys are lambasted even more than the rest of
us for being the bearers of bad news. Talk about a
hate club! The premies really have one going when
they throw verbal stones at you and other and call
you liars. Thanks for being brave. Also wouldn't
blame you if you just tossed in the towel and laid
low.
best wishes,
Francesca
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