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On awful behavior from awakened people - by Sasha Chapin

sashachapin.substack.com · 1,984 words · saved by 1 readers

Sometimes spiritual teachers engage in really awful behavior. This can be everything from petty internecine warfare to full-on sexual assault. Often, the teachers who do so are teachers who talk about being awakened, or enlightened. That causes many reasonable people to think, “Well, this awakening you’re talking about must be pretty shitty if you can’t even keep your hands off your students—maybe it’s not even real.” I think this is a real shame. Serious meditation has transformed my life to an extent I wouldn’t have thought possible. Everything is better, richer, smoother, more interesting, and there are few downsides. You know that little God-shaped hole, the sense of being perpetually alone and unworthy? That can be largely dispensed with, even as you remain a functional person with a job and relationships. It’s not that serious meditation doesn’t have extreme benefits. It’s that it doesn’t make you perfect, and being a spiritual teacher is a potentially perilous situation. Sports

On awful behavior from awakened people ... Sasha Chapin Jun 14, 2024 167 26 5 Share Sometimes spiritual teachers engage in really awful behavior. This can be everything from petty internecine warfare to full-on sexual assault. Often, the teachers who do so are teachers who talk about being awakened, or enlightened. That causes many reasonable people to think, “Well, this awakening you’re talking about must be pretty shitty if you can’t even keep your hands off your students—maybe it’s not even real.” I think this is a real shame. Serious meditation has transformed my life to an extent I wouldn

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