On Sep 28, 2007, at 10:15 AM, Ron wrote:
My experience with it is I have been with and read about both those self proclaiming as above and also those proclaimed enlightened by their Guru who also were proclaimed enlightened by their Guru in a chain continueing upwards. The Self procalimed fell apart every time under scrutiny. I have seen a lot in the last two years like this- maybe 20.
I've had the exact same experience. And you're right it's becoming almost a common claim in some circles. The common denominator is almost always some sort of involvement in Neo- / Pseudo- advaita movements / gurus or their writings. From my POV, this is largely a Green Meme pathology (aka "the Mean Green Meme" or MGM). Some believe it may be a stalling mechanism in the jump to a more collective increase in world consciousness.
It would be very interesting in the future to see some psychological and sociological research on this phenomenon.
