We don’t need them and never have. But there is a large proportion of humanity who don’t want to or cannot think for themselves and very much want to be told precisely what the rules are.
I think that is the unfortunate outcome of all this. Gurus are indespensible. BUT,you need to find a good one. They usually aren't plastered out in the big lights though. Don't trip on your own ego because others are corrupt.
Why are gurus indispensable? Because they hold some key that we don’t have access to? Maybe we have learned to follow externally for answers. But we don’t learn in school how to examine our own life and mind.
Climbing the heights of spiritual reality is like climbing the highest mountain. Sure you can do it on your own, but unless you have come into this life with some significant past life skills - you are bound to go insane or end up in some other extremely precarious situation. Anyone who understands the true depths of spiritual life and what the Indian religions offer will recognize this. There is extremely good reason the guru is so lauded in all significant traditions and texts. We are also living in considerably dark times so you also get the above happening as a seemingly status quo. People writing articles and posting comments on the internet thinking they can just "do it themselves" are like kindergarten children who don't know any better.
You don’t need a guru because you have Deva Premal slaughtering mantras disrespectful to the wisdom/science bastardizing it for her own pocketbook to the blind, dumb, and naive.
Bogdan. Divinity is not us and divinity. I agree. I see divinity as the souls expression. It's your breath. Your life force. Your eros. Your eros is your sex. Your sex is either seed or womb. The womb and the seed are divine they are the elexir of life and the source of the continuation of life. The human species are noticing a decline in seed potency. Sperm count is drastically down. I heard a 50% drop since the late 1990's till now. What changed? Some say micro-plastics. But if we look to the bull stud we learn that seed on speed doesn't breed so good. It product poor quality stock. We also learn that the bull/cow does not like to consume from itself. Cannibalism produced mad cow disease. The cows killed the humans with their offspring and by turning their flesh and blood into a weapon against humans. So too, does a child raised in Eros violation, raise up to pas on the violation. Not all children whose innocence was taken during 0-7 years old, pays forward the violation, but social science shows that those who DO justify eros betrayal upon innocent and vulnerables, were themselves pre-awakened too young with Eros. In 2026 children are starting porn as young as 9 years old. It was 11 in 2015. That is to say the area of divinity is the seed and the womb and the tomb of human life. This is the sacred kingdom of humans that has been cast aside as product and purely dopamine. Today, in 2026, a peeping tom is now referred to as a pornographer. Legal. ✅ As long as it's behind a screen in your hands, you are good to go. No eros is left for home. Good-enough sex-less performative superficial marriages lead to sickness and mental illness. Labels and pills are created every year for every new kind of emotional expression in denial. Psychologists are trained to leave you there. The stuff you need to know is written down. Lest you cry and rage in front of them. We can't have that. And so...our divinity is squandered. Eros is denied and hidden. The child, adult, employer, turns to look at the trusted adult authority figure, who holds eros in the airspace, and sees a blank face. At which point the blame and violation is typically dismissed and blamed on themselves. The predator of Eros counts on it. Divinity is our eros our life-force our continuation as a species. When a child is awakened prematurely, 0-7 or 8-12 years old, even with pornography, this is sex abuse to their own sexual sacred divinity. Humans actually banished Sheela na gigs' which were to remind us of the innocence and vulnerability of the divine kingdom of the womb and the tomb of life. I never knew any of this. It was kept from me. I was raised to give my eros away to the highest, kindest performative bidder. I was raised to deny my own eros and to worship the Eros of man. Handsmaid tale.
So, let’s get this straight. Lissa Rankin’s latest post isn’t about the people who were actually harmed. Nope. Predatory abuse gets a token mention, like a footnote no one reads. The real story? How Gabor was mean to her. No shit, Sherlock. Gabor is mean to everybody. That’s literally what he does. And yet somehow, her bruised feelings become the centerpiece of a conversation about decades of abuse and exploitation. Naturally, what we need is a telesummit featuring her and a few wellness celebs to tell us how to process her feelings — victims? Peripheral. Invisible. Completely irrelevant.
Girl. Here’s the script for real bravery: Hey, my industry is fucked up. I’m part of it. I didn’t speak up sooner. I’m really sorry. End of story. No self-congratulations. No victim positioning. No five-thousand-word essay about “healing us” from discovering our spiritual heroes might be predators. Nobody asked for that. And if you think that’s too simple, congratulations — you just proved my point.
And don’t even start with the language. “Healing.” “Divine feminine.” “Trauma expert.” “Integration.” All shiny, polished words for a system that is still whitewashed, patriarchal, and appropriative as hell. Want to sell it as salvation? Go ahead. But calling yourself a whistleblower while centering yourself is literally whitesplaining your way through decades of harm. Hint: centering yourself doesn’t save anyone.
Let’s talk names. Tony Robbins. Deepak Chopra. Rhytmia in Costa Rica. Gabor Maté. I could go on, but you get the picture. These people have been protected by the very system now suddenly posturing about accountability. I’ve spoken directly with women and men harmed by this industry. Threats, lawsuits, silencing tactics — all standard operating procedure. And now? Now it’s brand-safe to “speak up.” That’s the pivot. That’s the moment everyone loves — after it’s safe, after it’s profitable, after the story has momentum.
And let’s be real. Gabor isn’t brilliant. He found a marketable buzzword and built an empire. That’s it. And the industry expects us to process that trauma through panels, telesummits, and long reflective posts about our feelings — while the “healers” maintain the illusion that we’re being guided. No. Stop outsourcing accountability. Stop letting brands sell themselves as salvation. The people harmed? Still invisible. Their suffering? Still secondary.
Here’s the accountability playbook: see abuse, call it out, stop giving platforms to people who harm others emotionally, spiritually, or physically. Loudly. Clearly. No long essays. No circles. No brand-friendly language. Just truth. Say it publicly. Say it repeatedly. Say it until they have no choice but to listen.
Because this industry is built on brokenness. Trauma is profitable. Influencers package it, sell it, and now want to sell healing for the exact trauma they created. And we’re supposed to sit quietly, nod, and thank them for their wisdom? No. That’s not healing. That’s marketing. And if you still don’t get it — broken is profitable. That’s the entire business model.
And if my tone stings? Good. Brutal love is still love. Truth doesn’t need to be polite. Polite silence is part of the problem. At this point, nobody should have the patience for it. The industry needs accountability, not more panels, telesummits, or posts about how you felt when Gabor was mean.
thanks for your truth and clarity. I agree. keep singing this tune. question? what has gabor maté done? he is literally a hero I see he is repentant and speaks for the voice of the ghost child hiding inside the adult.
Girl, I’ve been singing this tune for a very long time… I mean, there’s only a platform because of a couple of films, right…. you mentioned Gabor, look everyone’s monetizing trauma at this point… But just to speak to your essay, you’re looking to what is the next modernization… “leader” When you speak of leadership in this space anymore, you speak of who’s gonna monetize the next thing… I’m just gonna inspire people to stop paying for this shit. and not because I don’t believe in personal transformation. But from someone who is sat in the green rooms, with Gabor, as well as everybody you’ve ever thought of, yeah… Hang out with your cat they’re gonna be your best leader.
So you sat with Gabor in the green room, are you saying that gabor is like Tony Robbins now? taking our traumas, our trust and our love and using it against us? that is to say, flaming people's insecurities and vulnerabilities and charging hundreds of dollars to heal? I followed Tony Robbins for years, not affording him, imagining how lucky those were who could. Until I saved up and realized the truth. In the end we already have the truth and the power. Our fear of speaking our truth keeps us stuck in the screaming of the silence of the unsaid. Protecting parents, men and the family dynasty. The war is against children. Stephen King is right, 'we use their love against them'. 🍄
thank you. exactly. I always saw that Rumi and j Krishnamurti understood the power and the force of emotional embodiment. constantly reminding people to stop latching on. know yourself. don't believe me believe you. etc. i feel this. if you ever care for a child you feel the power. so yeah.. I felt disgusted by et after a while as well. being in the now feels a lot like spiritual bypassing. it means drop the past. let it go. I don't like that approach now. not at 55. I hear spiritual bypassing. I hear denial of genocide and genuine suffering. I hear 🙉 I hear code for confession and do it again the next time I'm hungry. I hear nobody is perfect. I hear Mr robot and westworld and Truman show. I hear gattaca and revolutionary road and the sex-less performative superficial good-enough marriage that gabor maté captured and how it is women dying inside of them. so it is a shock to hear gabor maté slipped. but it was not sexual in manner. it was control and domination of his own fear and discomfort of his matriarchal lineage, by the sounds of it. ego out wild and untamed. the threads of our learning still scrambling...
Hi Be, I agree entirely with your stance. Thank you for the depth of investigation and perseverance in calling out the systemic harm.
I post below a comment I wrote to Lisa Braun Dubbles article; “I helped build this industry. Deepak Chopra’s Epstein problem shows us why it needs to fall apart” a few weeks back.
“ I so appreciate this article and feel compelled to add my own New Age industry perspective below.
The Findhorn Foundation was, for many decades, a ‘radiant node’ on the international spiritual speaker circuit. I write this as its former CEO and head of programming, which included working closely with visiting teachers, their agents, publishers, and the wider events ecosystem. My perspective here comes from long-term immersion and subsequent personal reckoning.
I believe the recent critiques by Lissa Rankin and Scott Mills offer a useful jump-off point for long overdue criticism - and necessary aeration - of the, dare I say, Americanised New Age/Wellness template. Rankin’s essay, “Blowing the Whistle on Deepak Chopra, The Epstein Files, Cancel Culture & Holding My Influencer Peers (& Myself) Accountable” (https://lissarankinmd.substack.com/p/blowing-the-whistle-on-deepak-chopra) and Scott Mills’ related commentary calling for public accountability among wellness leaders, surface dynamics that plenty of insiders have observed for years.
Importantly, what is being criticised is not primarily individual misconduct, but the incentive architecture that gathers around charismatic authority once it becomes commercially productive. Spiritual capital—perceived insight, healing presence, moral credibility—rarely remains symbolic; it converts into revenue through books, conferences, certifications, speaking circuits, and the dense web of cross-promotion that binds recognised names together. Once that conversion occurs, the preservation of charisma becomes economically relevant. Agents, publishers, programme directors, and event curators operate in the space between idealism and logistics, often smoothing reputational edges and maintaining coherence so that neither the brand nor the income stream destabilises. No overt conspiracy is required; alignment of financial and relational interests is sufficient.
The cultural framing adds another layer. Authority is presented as humility, hierarchy as service, revenue as “energy exchange,” and loyalty as love. These rhetorical moves soften the visibility of power, making it harder to recognise when influence slides into dependency or when dissent begins to carry social cost. Many participants enter such spaces seeking meaning, healing, or belonging, which heightens attachment to central figures. Therapeutic language deepens perceived intimacy while subtly reducing critical distance. Within this atmosphere, public positivity can function as a regulator: critique is not merely disagreement but misalignment.
Under these conditions, silence becomes structurally intelligible. Speaking out can threaten stage access, collaboration opportunities, and network capital; remaining quiet preserves stability. Over time, a feedback loop forms in which moral branding builds trust, trust strengthens economic interdependence, and interdependence complicates accountability. Structural dynamics do not preclude individual misconduct; they can, at times, shield it. The tension is structural, emerging wherever charisma, commerce, and ethical aspiration converge—and where maintaining harmony quietly hollows out integrity.”
"the incentive architecture that gathers around charismatic authority once it becomes commercially productive. Spiritual capital—perceived insight, healing presence, moral credibility—rarely remains symbolic; it converts into revenue through books, conferences, certifications, speaking circuits, and the dense web of cross-promotion that binds recognised names together. "
so spiritual capital converts to $
and we all see all too clearly where it goes from there.
Thank you for writing this. As someone who was deeply interested in Buddhism for a lengthy period of time, I also saw quite a bit of enabling, though I was lucky enough to not become involved with any teachers myself who appeared to be engaging in these practices.
There is a lot of misunderstanding here in the Western world about Buddhism and its very strict reverence of teachers and their various lineages. This leads to defense of the teacher at all costs, and is one of several things that ultimately dampened my interest.
This is exactly the authoritarian system of the west with corporal punishment on children being legalized since the 1800s and children learn to obey to the authority figure of the parent teacher preacher. This is how Eros is stolen during zero to seven years old from the most trusted souls around them who have no boundaries like the Buddhist teachers you mention. And children are the victims because the law protects the parents the same way the Buddhists protect their teachers.
You can’t deny the faith . It motivates the humans to believe in something which they consider pure and true. Religion thus holds precedence over individuals and their lives. Similarly certain individuals who rigorously involve in meditation or spiritual practices hold their esteem amassing wealth and power . They even involve in humanitarian activities . Yet their actions sometimes go beyond human perception and decency . Reports of fair sex abuse need to be condemned . Otherwise the virtuous meaning of faith loses its credibility.
There’s a real ache running through the modern spiritual world, and this article doesn’t shy away from it. People set out searching for truth, healing, or some deeper meaning. Sometimes, though, they end up getting hurt—betrayed by those they trusted most. That kind of betrayal cuts deep. But there’s something else going on, too. In Sufi tradition, they call it *kashf*—the lifting of veils. In other words, the truth eventually shows itself, even when power tries to hide behind spiritual language. The Qur’an puts it plainly: “Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished; surely falsehood is ever bound to vanish.” That’s 17:81, if you want to look it up.
First things first: victims need to be seen, heard, and supported. No excuses. There’s nothing spiritual about manipulating or abusing people in the name of enlightenment. That’s just the ugly side of the ego—the unpurified nafs—trying to control instead of transform. The Sufi path has always called out this kind of abuse. A guide who exploits others betrays both the people who trusted them and the very essence of the path.
Sufi teachers didn’t mince words about this. They warned: don’t mistake charisma or mystical talk for real spiritual maturity. Think of Rumi or Ibn Arabi—they kept saying, the real journey to the Divine isn’t about fame or followers. It’s about humility, compassion, and real inner work. A true guide helps dissolve the ego, not puff it up. If a teacher starts chasing power over people, they’ve already lost the scent of truth.
Still, the mistakes and wrongdoings of a few shouldn’t cast a shadow over the whole spiritual path. An ocean doesn’t dry up just because some sailors get lost. Rumi said, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Pain can wake us up. It teaches us to be wiser, to listen more carefully—not to every personality, but to the quiet voice inside, that spark of the Divine.
In traditions that stay true to themselves, a teacher’s job isn’t to make you dependent. It’s to help you find the Divine that’s already inside you. Sufi masters always reminded their students: God is the real guide. Teachers are just mirrors, and if that mirror gets smudged with ego or control, it stops reflecting the Light. Then it’s time to turn back to your own soul—your ruh. That’s the part of you no corruption can touch.
Paradoxically, these kinds of crises can actually spark something better—a more honest spiritual awakening. When the illusion of celebrity gurus falls apart, seekers can finally focus on what matters: humility, sincerity, remembrance, service. The real journey was never about personalities or institutions. It’s about waking up to the Source inside you. And that Light—the Divine breath in each of us—can’t be tainted by anyone’s failures, no matter how loudly they claim to speak for it.
Thanks for the article. This is a common problem for gurus. Meditation and other spiritual practices often produce special powers; The guru begins to believe in his/her superiority and in being above the law. This perception of specialness is continuously fed by acolytes who need to believe in an all-powerful being that can redeem them. Stop giving your power to others! Spiritual life demands discipline over time; spiritual practices may create a path, and teachers may light the way --but the cardinal rule for yourself and your teachers is for each of you to behave with decency. If you blind yourself to reality, the possibility of causing a deep spiritual wound exists.
I have read a good deal about Chogyam Trungpa. Exposes that confirm all you wrote here. And yet in my local Buddhist Centre in Queensland there is a shelf full of his works. No one there I speak to there mentions his dark side. Before I knew all this I bought a couple of his books. A bit like the notorious Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh/Osho. Still with us is the odious Mooji who a friend thinks is wonderful.
Back in the Buddhist area there is Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the biggest selling book on Buddhism to date, Tibetan Book Of The Dead, who ran a centre in France where people (devotees) mostly women were abused often sexually exploited. For those interested there was eventually a government investigation and report validating the claims of abuse. The man is dead. So many people know but it was all covered up (Epstein anyone?). Even the Dalai Lama refused to out him and made official visits to his centre during the time of the abuses which were widely know to insiders.
I spent ten years as a follower of Radha Soami Satsang in North India. My guru passed on after a year of me following the path. A family member Gurinder Singh Dhillon was appointed as the new guru in what I see as a dubious way. A previous job as IT sales person in Spain. A quick upgrade to God/Man. Down the track exposes have been done and a book published. Somehowt he family are now super rich and devotees are pressured to tithe 10% and leave all their assets to the organisation. I see it all now as yet another cult. it is huge in India.
One of the problems with these gurus is they tend to come from a base of solid teachings from which they gain an adoring and sincere following. So the books and teachings can themselves be in some cases at least valid and inspiring teachings. And people suspend judgment about the teachers.
One of my best reads on this is a book "Poison is Medicine" by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. He is a Bhutanese Vajrayana buddhist and teacher of tantra. The book is both a guidebook and warning for would be tantric devotees. It goes into depth about the abuses of both Chogyam Trungpa and Sogyal Rinpoche. As he explains part of the tantric path is total obedience to your guru.
Few humans have the purity not to be corrupted by power.
For those interested "Poison is Medicine" is a free download as a PDF from the Siddhartha s Intent website. Also I recommend the riveting four part documentary on the Osho cult to be found on Netflix, "Wild Wild Country." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Wild_Country
Scary, thought provoking and a lesson in how easily people can be manipulated.
Isn't Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche also said to sleep with his students? And to have told students that were abused by Sogyal Rinpoche to keep quiet?
I know he is still held in incredibly high regard by many, but I feel very uncomfortable whenever I read anything by or hear about this man. I fully expect many more stories to surface about him in the future.
I have never heard any stories to that effect about Dzongsar Khyentse . I have heard those stories about Sogyal Rinpoche. At the end of the day you make your own judgement.
But if you read his book Poison is Medicine it may change your view. In the work he actually exposes Sogyal's abuses.
It doesnt matter if they’re politicians or gurus or kings or footballers…avoid being sideswiped by distracting detail…they’re men who have been socialised in a particular way, to exercise entitlement to women and children’s bodies as a means of escaping existential terror. The impulse they follow is called craving; none of those guys has transcended either craving or the fear of death. Always best to hold the words of conditioned humans lightly and rely on your own intelligence and intuition. In terms of evolution, insight and ethics, these guys are at the bottom of the pile.
“Cognitive sovereignty is the right of an individual or community to maintain integrity of their bioelectric and electromagnetic field, free from unauthorized external modulation, manipulation, or disruption. It encompasses both the physical substrate of consciousness and the cultural-spiritual dimensions of personhood.”
I’ve met so many powerful teachers in my studies - As a teacher & life coach my quest for wisdom has been my passion - I would say a large percentage of spiritual leaders I have met have turned out to disappoint me - I have met some you spoke of as well as others- to me there are gems in their teaching which they are just transmitting it’s like worshipping your telephone when it’s just the device to get the wisdom -you can care for it -honor it pay a small fee but you do not need to give your soul -there are one or two exceptions and they are wonderful but they are also very discrete they do not promote themselves they just promote their cause to help humanity. I’ve had some of my yoga students call me guru- I asked please don’t - look within to that guru inside -
I have seen when you’re willing to give your power away there’s something at the core that Lacks confidence A True teacher will try to build that up with compassion instead of taking advantage of it and controlling - spiritual power does not mean spiritual grace - take the wisdom leave the bullshit has been my motto and o try and polish it up and transmit it to my students who I love seeing soar
I used to cook for Amma in the early 90s before she was a big deal I went taking my children the crowds almost knocked me over holding my babe - my jewelry was stolen that they said I should take off to get blessed - her diksha // hug can be powerful but sad to hear about her abuse to her staff - for some reason the last 10 years or so I have not had any desire to follow her or make a special trip to the city when she comes et cetera now that I’ve read this i understand why I was turned off- we all need teachers I think it’s time for us to honour the ones they are quiet and also find the one within 💖
Thank you for exposing the corruption makes me sad because some of what they are teaching is really valuable
Thing is we don’t need these gurus or preachers or any intermediaries between us and divinity. That has been the greatest con.
Well I just wrote about this here: https://awakefree.substack.com/p/spiritual-gurus-trust-yourself
We don’t need them and never have. But there is a large proportion of humanity who don’t want to or cannot think for themselves and very much want to be told precisely what the rules are.
I think that is the unfortunate outcome of all this. Gurus are indespensible. BUT,you need to find a good one. They usually aren't plastered out in the big lights though. Don't trip on your own ego because others are corrupt.
Why are gurus indispensable? Because they hold some key that we don’t have access to? Maybe we have learned to follow externally for answers. But we don’t learn in school how to examine our own life and mind.
Climbing the heights of spiritual reality is like climbing the highest mountain. Sure you can do it on your own, but unless you have come into this life with some significant past life skills - you are bound to go insane or end up in some other extremely precarious situation. Anyone who understands the true depths of spiritual life and what the Indian religions offer will recognize this. There is extremely good reason the guru is so lauded in all significant traditions and texts. We are also living in considerably dark times so you also get the above happening as a seemingly status quo. People writing articles and posting comments on the internet thinking they can just "do it themselves" are like kindergarten children who don't know any better.
You don’t need a guru because you have Deva Premal slaughtering mantras disrespectful to the wisdom/science bastardizing it for her own pocketbook to the blind, dumb, and naive.
🤣
Sorry, it’s just an example
Divinity does not exist. There is no such thing as "us and divinity".
That depends entirely upon one’s view and understanding of what Divinity is.
really?
Bogdan. Divinity is not us and divinity. I agree. I see divinity as the souls expression. It's your breath. Your life force. Your eros. Your eros is your sex. Your sex is either seed or womb. The womb and the seed are divine they are the elexir of life and the source of the continuation of life. The human species are noticing a decline in seed potency. Sperm count is drastically down. I heard a 50% drop since the late 1990's till now. What changed? Some say micro-plastics. But if we look to the bull stud we learn that seed on speed doesn't breed so good. It product poor quality stock. We also learn that the bull/cow does not like to consume from itself. Cannibalism produced mad cow disease. The cows killed the humans with their offspring and by turning their flesh and blood into a weapon against humans. So too, does a child raised in Eros violation, raise up to pas on the violation. Not all children whose innocence was taken during 0-7 years old, pays forward the violation, but social science shows that those who DO justify eros betrayal upon innocent and vulnerables, were themselves pre-awakened too young with Eros. In 2026 children are starting porn as young as 9 years old. It was 11 in 2015. That is to say the area of divinity is the seed and the womb and the tomb of human life. This is the sacred kingdom of humans that has been cast aside as product and purely dopamine. Today, in 2026, a peeping tom is now referred to as a pornographer. Legal. ✅ As long as it's behind a screen in your hands, you are good to go. No eros is left for home. Good-enough sex-less performative superficial marriages lead to sickness and mental illness. Labels and pills are created every year for every new kind of emotional expression in denial. Psychologists are trained to leave you there. The stuff you need to know is written down. Lest you cry and rage in front of them. We can't have that. And so...our divinity is squandered. Eros is denied and hidden. The child, adult, employer, turns to look at the trusted adult authority figure, who holds eros in the airspace, and sees a blank face. At which point the blame and violation is typically dismissed and blamed on themselves. The predator of Eros counts on it. Divinity is our eros our life-force our continuation as a species. When a child is awakened prematurely, 0-7 or 8-12 years old, even with pornography, this is sex abuse to their own sexual sacred divinity. Humans actually banished Sheela na gigs' which were to remind us of the innocence and vulnerability of the divine kingdom of the womb and the tomb of life. I never knew any of this. It was kept from me. I was raised to give my eros away to the highest, kindest performative bidder. I was raised to deny my own eros and to worship the Eros of man. Handsmaid tale.
So, let’s get this straight. Lissa Rankin’s latest post isn’t about the people who were actually harmed. Nope. Predatory abuse gets a token mention, like a footnote no one reads. The real story? How Gabor was mean to her. No shit, Sherlock. Gabor is mean to everybody. That’s literally what he does. And yet somehow, her bruised feelings become the centerpiece of a conversation about decades of abuse and exploitation. Naturally, what we need is a telesummit featuring her and a few wellness celebs to tell us how to process her feelings — victims? Peripheral. Invisible. Completely irrelevant.
Girl. Here’s the script for real bravery: Hey, my industry is fucked up. I’m part of it. I didn’t speak up sooner. I’m really sorry. End of story. No self-congratulations. No victim positioning. No five-thousand-word essay about “healing us” from discovering our spiritual heroes might be predators. Nobody asked for that. And if you think that’s too simple, congratulations — you just proved my point.
And don’t even start with the language. “Healing.” “Divine feminine.” “Trauma expert.” “Integration.” All shiny, polished words for a system that is still whitewashed, patriarchal, and appropriative as hell. Want to sell it as salvation? Go ahead. But calling yourself a whistleblower while centering yourself is literally whitesplaining your way through decades of harm. Hint: centering yourself doesn’t save anyone.
Let’s talk names. Tony Robbins. Deepak Chopra. Rhytmia in Costa Rica. Gabor Maté. I could go on, but you get the picture. These people have been protected by the very system now suddenly posturing about accountability. I’ve spoken directly with women and men harmed by this industry. Threats, lawsuits, silencing tactics — all standard operating procedure. And now? Now it’s brand-safe to “speak up.” That’s the pivot. That’s the moment everyone loves — after it’s safe, after it’s profitable, after the story has momentum.
And let’s be real. Gabor isn’t brilliant. He found a marketable buzzword and built an empire. That’s it. And the industry expects us to process that trauma through panels, telesummits, and long reflective posts about our feelings — while the “healers” maintain the illusion that we’re being guided. No. Stop outsourcing accountability. Stop letting brands sell themselves as salvation. The people harmed? Still invisible. Their suffering? Still secondary.
Here’s the accountability playbook: see abuse, call it out, stop giving platforms to people who harm others emotionally, spiritually, or physically. Loudly. Clearly. No long essays. No circles. No brand-friendly language. Just truth. Say it publicly. Say it repeatedly. Say it until they have no choice but to listen.
Because this industry is built on brokenness. Trauma is profitable. Influencers package it, sell it, and now want to sell healing for the exact trauma they created. And we’re supposed to sit quietly, nod, and thank them for their wisdom? No. That’s not healing. That’s marketing. And if you still don’t get it — broken is profitable. That’s the entire business model.
And if my tone stings? Good. Brutal love is still love. Truth doesn’t need to be polite. Polite silence is part of the problem. At this point, nobody should have the patience for it. The industry needs accountability, not more panels, telesummits, or posts about how you felt when Gabor was mean.
thanks for your truth and clarity. I agree. keep singing this tune. question? what has gabor maté done? he is literally a hero I see he is repentant and speaks for the voice of the ghost child hiding inside the adult.
Girl, I’ve been singing this tune for a very long time… I mean, there’s only a platform because of a couple of films, right…. you mentioned Gabor, look everyone’s monetizing trauma at this point… But just to speak to your essay, you’re looking to what is the next modernization… “leader” When you speak of leadership in this space anymore, you speak of who’s gonna monetize the next thing… I’m just gonna inspire people to stop paying for this shit. and not because I don’t believe in personal transformation. But from someone who is sat in the green rooms, with Gabor, as well as everybody you’ve ever thought of, yeah… Hang out with your cat they’re gonna be your best leader.
So you sat with Gabor in the green room, are you saying that gabor is like Tony Robbins now? taking our traumas, our trust and our love and using it against us? that is to say, flaming people's insecurities and vulnerabilities and charging hundreds of dollars to heal? I followed Tony Robbins for years, not affording him, imagining how lucky those were who could. Until I saved up and realized the truth. In the end we already have the truth and the power. Our fear of speaking our truth keeps us stuck in the screaming of the silence of the unsaid. Protecting parents, men and the family dynasty. The war is against children. Stephen King is right, 'we use their love against them'. 🍄
thank you. exactly. I always saw that Rumi and j Krishnamurti understood the power and the force of emotional embodiment. constantly reminding people to stop latching on. know yourself. don't believe me believe you. etc. i feel this. if you ever care for a child you feel the power. so yeah.. I felt disgusted by et after a while as well. being in the now feels a lot like spiritual bypassing. it means drop the past. let it go. I don't like that approach now. not at 55. I hear spiritual bypassing. I hear denial of genocide and genuine suffering. I hear 🙉 I hear code for confession and do it again the next time I'm hungry. I hear nobody is perfect. I hear Mr robot and westworld and Truman show. I hear gattaca and revolutionary road and the sex-less performative superficial good-enough marriage that gabor maté captured and how it is women dying inside of them. so it is a shock to hear gabor maté slipped. but it was not sexual in manner. it was control and domination of his own fear and discomfort of his matriarchal lineage, by the sounds of it. ego out wild and untamed. the threads of our learning still scrambling...
Bingo!! Great comment!
thanks 🍄🐦🌳🤟
Well said. 👏
thank you... interesting to read again 🍄🐦🌳🤟
Hi Be, I agree entirely with your stance. Thank you for the depth of investigation and perseverance in calling out the systemic harm.
I post below a comment I wrote to Lisa Braun Dubbles article; “I helped build this industry. Deepak Chopra’s Epstein problem shows us why it needs to fall apart” a few weeks back.
“ I so appreciate this article and feel compelled to add my own New Age industry perspective below.
The Findhorn Foundation was, for many decades, a ‘radiant node’ on the international spiritual speaker circuit. I write this as its former CEO and head of programming, which included working closely with visiting teachers, their agents, publishers, and the wider events ecosystem. My perspective here comes from long-term immersion and subsequent personal reckoning.
I believe the recent critiques by Lissa Rankin and Scott Mills offer a useful jump-off point for long overdue criticism - and necessary aeration - of the, dare I say, Americanised New Age/Wellness template. Rankin’s essay, “Blowing the Whistle on Deepak Chopra, The Epstein Files, Cancel Culture & Holding My Influencer Peers (& Myself) Accountable” (https://lissarankinmd.substack.com/p/blowing-the-whistle-on-deepak-chopra) and Scott Mills’ related commentary calling for public accountability among wellness leaders, surface dynamics that plenty of insiders have observed for years.
Importantly, what is being criticised is not primarily individual misconduct, but the incentive architecture that gathers around charismatic authority once it becomes commercially productive. Spiritual capital—perceived insight, healing presence, moral credibility—rarely remains symbolic; it converts into revenue through books, conferences, certifications, speaking circuits, and the dense web of cross-promotion that binds recognised names together. Once that conversion occurs, the preservation of charisma becomes economically relevant. Agents, publishers, programme directors, and event curators operate in the space between idealism and logistics, often smoothing reputational edges and maintaining coherence so that neither the brand nor the income stream destabilises. No overt conspiracy is required; alignment of financial and relational interests is sufficient.
The cultural framing adds another layer. Authority is presented as humility, hierarchy as service, revenue as “energy exchange,” and loyalty as love. These rhetorical moves soften the visibility of power, making it harder to recognise when influence slides into dependency or when dissent begins to carry social cost. Many participants enter such spaces seeking meaning, healing, or belonging, which heightens attachment to central figures. Therapeutic language deepens perceived intimacy while subtly reducing critical distance. Within this atmosphere, public positivity can function as a regulator: critique is not merely disagreement but misalignment.
Under these conditions, silence becomes structurally intelligible. Speaking out can threaten stage access, collaboration opportunities, and network capital; remaining quiet preserves stability. Over time, a feedback loop forms in which moral branding builds trust, trust strengthens economic interdependence, and interdependence complicates accountability. Structural dynamics do not preclude individual misconduct; they can, at times, shield it. The tension is structural, emerging wherever charisma, commerce, and ethical aspiration converge—and where maintaining harmony quietly hollows out integrity.”
"the incentive architecture that gathers around charismatic authority once it becomes commercially productive. Spiritual capital—perceived insight, healing presence, moral credibility—rarely remains symbolic; it converts into revenue through books, conferences, certifications, speaking circuits, and the dense web of cross-promotion that binds recognised names together. "
so spiritual capital converts to $
and we all see all too clearly where it goes from there.
Thanks for this clear analysis
“insiders have observed for years.”
No, decades.
Same shit was back in the 60’s and 70’s
Westerners never learn
Another great article Be. Prem Rawat belongs in this article too. Corrupt, molester of his own two sons, misogynist, womanizer, heavy drinker and self-absorbed and power and wealth obsessed. Here’s my piece on him: https://dojomanrocks.substack.com/p/behind-the-peace-talk-the-lies-money
Thank you for writing this. As someone who was deeply interested in Buddhism for a lengthy period of time, I also saw quite a bit of enabling, though I was lucky enough to not become involved with any teachers myself who appeared to be engaging in these practices.
There is a lot of misunderstanding here in the Western world about Buddhism and its very strict reverence of teachers and their various lineages. This leads to defense of the teacher at all costs, and is one of several things that ultimately dampened my interest.
This is exactly the authoritarian system of the west with corporal punishment on children being legalized since the 1800s and children learn to obey to the authority figure of the parent teacher preacher. This is how Eros is stolen during zero to seven years old from the most trusted souls around them who have no boundaries like the Buddhist teachers you mention. And children are the victims because the law protects the parents the same way the Buddhists protect their teachers.
You can’t deny the faith . It motivates the humans to believe in something which they consider pure and true. Religion thus holds precedence over individuals and their lives. Similarly certain individuals who rigorously involve in meditation or spiritual practices hold their esteem amassing wealth and power . They even involve in humanitarian activities . Yet their actions sometimes go beyond human perception and decency . Reports of fair sex abuse need to be condemned . Otherwise the virtuous meaning of faith loses its credibility.
thanks
Check out Poison Is Medicine - Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, free from Siddharthas Intent website
There’s a real ache running through the modern spiritual world, and this article doesn’t shy away from it. People set out searching for truth, healing, or some deeper meaning. Sometimes, though, they end up getting hurt—betrayed by those they trusted most. That kind of betrayal cuts deep. But there’s something else going on, too. In Sufi tradition, they call it *kashf*—the lifting of veils. In other words, the truth eventually shows itself, even when power tries to hide behind spiritual language. The Qur’an puts it plainly: “Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished; surely falsehood is ever bound to vanish.” That’s 17:81, if you want to look it up.
First things first: victims need to be seen, heard, and supported. No excuses. There’s nothing spiritual about manipulating or abusing people in the name of enlightenment. That’s just the ugly side of the ego—the unpurified nafs—trying to control instead of transform. The Sufi path has always called out this kind of abuse. A guide who exploits others betrays both the people who trusted them and the very essence of the path.
Sufi teachers didn’t mince words about this. They warned: don’t mistake charisma or mystical talk for real spiritual maturity. Think of Rumi or Ibn Arabi—they kept saying, the real journey to the Divine isn’t about fame or followers. It’s about humility, compassion, and real inner work. A true guide helps dissolve the ego, not puff it up. If a teacher starts chasing power over people, they’ve already lost the scent of truth.
Still, the mistakes and wrongdoings of a few shouldn’t cast a shadow over the whole spiritual path. An ocean doesn’t dry up just because some sailors get lost. Rumi said, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Pain can wake us up. It teaches us to be wiser, to listen more carefully—not to every personality, but to the quiet voice inside, that spark of the Divine.
In traditions that stay true to themselves, a teacher’s job isn’t to make you dependent. It’s to help you find the Divine that’s already inside you. Sufi masters always reminded their students: God is the real guide. Teachers are just mirrors, and if that mirror gets smudged with ego or control, it stops reflecting the Light. Then it’s time to turn back to your own soul—your ruh. That’s the part of you no corruption can touch.
Paradoxically, these kinds of crises can actually spark something better—a more honest spiritual awakening. When the illusion of celebrity gurus falls apart, seekers can finally focus on what matters: humility, sincerity, remembrance, service. The real journey was never about personalities or institutions. It’s about waking up to the Source inside you. And that Light—the Divine breath in each of us—can’t be tainted by anyone’s failures, no matter how loudly they claim to speak for it.
Right! Learn to listen to the quiet voice inside yourself. Teachers should help empower and free you. If they don't, they're not helping.
Thank you!
Thanks for the article. This is a common problem for gurus. Meditation and other spiritual practices often produce special powers; The guru begins to believe in his/her superiority and in being above the law. This perception of specialness is continuously fed by acolytes who need to believe in an all-powerful being that can redeem them. Stop giving your power to others! Spiritual life demands discipline over time; spiritual practices may create a path, and teachers may light the way --but the cardinal rule for yourself and your teachers is for each of you to behave with decency. If you blind yourself to reality, the possibility of causing a deep spiritual wound exists.
First up thanks so much for the work you do.
I have read a good deal about Chogyam Trungpa. Exposes that confirm all you wrote here. And yet in my local Buddhist Centre in Queensland there is a shelf full of his works. No one there I speak to there mentions his dark side. Before I knew all this I bought a couple of his books. A bit like the notorious Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh/Osho. Still with us is the odious Mooji who a friend thinks is wonderful.
Back in the Buddhist area there is Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the biggest selling book on Buddhism to date, Tibetan Book Of The Dead, who ran a centre in France where people (devotees) mostly women were abused often sexually exploited. For those interested there was eventually a government investigation and report validating the claims of abuse. The man is dead. So many people know but it was all covered up (Epstein anyone?). Even the Dalai Lama refused to out him and made official visits to his centre during the time of the abuses which were widely know to insiders.
I spent ten years as a follower of Radha Soami Satsang in North India. My guru passed on after a year of me following the path. A family member Gurinder Singh Dhillon was appointed as the new guru in what I see as a dubious way. A previous job as IT sales person in Spain. A quick upgrade to God/Man. Down the track exposes have been done and a book published. Somehowt he family are now super rich and devotees are pressured to tithe 10% and leave all their assets to the organisation. I see it all now as yet another cult. it is huge in India.
One of the problems with these gurus is they tend to come from a base of solid teachings from which they gain an adoring and sincere following. So the books and teachings can themselves be in some cases at least valid and inspiring teachings. And people suspend judgment about the teachers.
One of my best reads on this is a book "Poison is Medicine" by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. He is a Bhutanese Vajrayana buddhist and teacher of tantra. The book is both a guidebook and warning for would be tantric devotees. It goes into depth about the abuses of both Chogyam Trungpa and Sogyal Rinpoche. As he explains part of the tantric path is total obedience to your guru.
Few humans have the purity not to be corrupted by power.
For those interested "Poison is Medicine" is a free download as a PDF from the Siddhartha s Intent website. Also I recommend the riveting four part documentary on the Osho cult to be found on Netflix, "Wild Wild Country." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Wild_Country
Scary, thought provoking and a lesson in how easily people can be manipulated.
Isn't Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche also said to sleep with his students? And to have told students that were abused by Sogyal Rinpoche to keep quiet?
I know he is still held in incredibly high regard by many, but I feel very uncomfortable whenever I read anything by or hear about this man. I fully expect many more stories to surface about him in the future.
I have never heard any stories to that effect about Dzongsar Khyentse . I have heard those stories about Sogyal Rinpoche. At the end of the day you make your own judgement.
But if you read his book Poison is Medicine it may change your view. In the work he actually exposes Sogyal's abuses.
Now do psychedelic shaman clowns. 10x worse.
Nah, it’s about the same
It doesnt matter if they’re politicians or gurus or kings or footballers…avoid being sideswiped by distracting detail…they’re men who have been socialised in a particular way, to exercise entitlement to women and children’s bodies as a means of escaping existential terror. The impulse they follow is called craving; none of those guys has transcended either craving or the fear of death. Always best to hold the words of conditioned humans lightly and rely on your own intelligence and intuition. In terms of evolution, insight and ethics, these guys are at the bottom of the pile.
There are a lot of women there too. Didn't you notice that???🫵🤣🤣🤣
🥱
“Cognitive sovereignty is the right of an individual or community to maintain integrity of their bioelectric and electromagnetic field, free from unauthorized external modulation, manipulation, or disruption. It encompasses both the physical substrate of consciousness and the cultural-spiritual dimensions of personhood.”
Most spiritual guru’s have been contaminated by the mental parasite (symbiote).
Nice job.
Been calling all this out for decades.
Cannot fix stupid. And the masses won’t listen. Instead they just go find their new fraud
It is nothing but the Spiritual Industrial Complex on display for you. It is like Religion and Church 2.0.
I’ve met so many powerful teachers in my studies - As a teacher & life coach my quest for wisdom has been my passion - I would say a large percentage of spiritual leaders I have met have turned out to disappoint me - I have met some you spoke of as well as others- to me there are gems in their teaching which they are just transmitting it’s like worshipping your telephone when it’s just the device to get the wisdom -you can care for it -honor it pay a small fee but you do not need to give your soul -there are one or two exceptions and they are wonderful but they are also very discrete they do not promote themselves they just promote their cause to help humanity. I’ve had some of my yoga students call me guru- I asked please don’t - look within to that guru inside -
I have seen when you’re willing to give your power away there’s something at the core that Lacks confidence A True teacher will try to build that up with compassion instead of taking advantage of it and controlling - spiritual power does not mean spiritual grace - take the wisdom leave the bullshit has been my motto and o try and polish it up and transmit it to my students who I love seeing soar
I used to cook for Amma in the early 90s before she was a big deal I went taking my children the crowds almost knocked me over holding my babe - my jewelry was stolen that they said I should take off to get blessed - her diksha // hug can be powerful but sad to hear about her abuse to her staff - for some reason the last 10 years or so I have not had any desire to follow her or make a special trip to the city when she comes et cetera now that I’ve read this i understand why I was turned off- we all need teachers I think it’s time for us to honour the ones they are quiet and also find the one within 💖
Thank you for exposing the corruption makes me sad because some of what they are teaching is really valuable