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From: johnw@farside.eng.ready.com (John Wheeler)
Subject: Re: Spirituality as an Ordeal
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 91 01:37:22 GMT
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In article: 193 of soc.religion.eastern, Mr. Tye writes:

>>All of the great Sages invited *anyone* who is interested
>>to come to Satsang with them. Your teacher has built an *organization*
>>around himself which screens people before they can come to Satsang.
>>If the person wants to continue attend Satsang they must pay $100
>>per month for a six month trial period. After that discipleship
>>costs $200 per month. The organization, Society of Abidance in Truth
>>(SAT), is very rigid on these rules. In my view this is not in
>>harmony with non-duality, Love, or Truth. It is just another
>>organization set up to worship the Guru. I've been told master Nome
>>is in complete agreement with the policies of the organization.
>>Obviously, he has *landed* in the role of Guru and all the traps
>>that come with it.

Etc., etc... Come, come Mr. Tye! Yes, there is an organization of those
interested in supporting the teaching of Master Nome. What of it? How
else do you expect people to find out about it? To go hijack an auditorium
somewhere then advertise "It's all free!"? Please do enter the real
world, Sir! What club, society, or organization with regular events,
facilities, etc., have you ever belonged to that paid your way for
you? This is not hypocrisy; it is basic economics. If you choose to
ignore this and live in a fantasy world where "it's all free," by all means 
do so. By the way, next time you get your payroll check (minus twenty
to thirty percent in taxes) think again about how free everything is!

The philosophical society, SAT, does indeed exist to make the teaching
of non-duality, presented by Master Nome, available to interested seekers.
It is a non-profit group, consisting of a small staff of full-time office 
employees. The organization owns and manages the office headquarters and
facilities where Satsang is held. It's all very upfront.

Membership fees simply cover operating fees and staff salaries. It's simple
mathematics: overhead divided by number of members = membership cost.
Incidentally, no funds are used to support Master Nome or compensate
him in any way for his services. His teaching is done voluntarily and
and he receives no financial renumeration from SAT in any form. So there
you have it. Rather banal, isn't it? By the way, if you have a better, more
efficient or economical plan for running a non-profit group, speak up. A
lot of struggling churches and non-profit groups could use a hand. 

As far as your other comments, they are of a necessity (considering your
brief acquaintance with SAT) somewhat uninformed. But you are certainly
entitled to your opinions.

>>Forget Gurus, teachers, and enlightened beings. The only teacher
>>I've met that I truly respect is one that continually pointed
>>me back to the Self and told me I do not need them for answers. All
>>answers are right before our eyes, so to speak, and Truth will
>>manifest itself from a variety of sources.  Teachers are great
>>in the right context but ultimately fail when the seeker starts
>>identifying with them as, "My teacher", "My Sage", "My Guru."
>>It's a trap that the mind sets up. A person is exposed to a great
>>Truth, expands their consciousness/awareness, but *lands* in it
>>and becomes a follower of someone else.

Again, you are entitled to your speculations and opinions. I have, in
previous postings, responded to the attitude of "paranoia" about having
a teacher or competent guide on the spiritual path. I would maintain
that you simply have not considered the matter very deeply. Any number
of enlightened sages throughout history have had a spiritual master. This
is historical fact, and need not be disputed. To do so would be laughable. 
Sri Shankara, the preeminent Vedantic sage of antiquity, once said:
"By the word of my master, I have come to realize I am not an ego,
I am Brahman." Surely, Shankara, had no hang ups about having a good
master on the path. Gratitude? Yes!

I am not telling you what you should believe. If you are not interested
in a teacher, by all means do not seek one. Do not however assume that
your opinions are valid for everyone. 

In your post you close with the following quote: 

>>``You have been so accustomed to objectification that you lost the
>>knowledge of yourself, simply because the Self cannot be objectified.''
>>-- Ramana Maharshi

If you are not beyond quoting, perhaps I may be allowed a quote also--
it happens to be yours. In a previous post you said: "I am interested in 
hearing from you, from your own heart, not from someone elses words."
Perhaps, Mr. Tye, we may ask the same of you?