I think the point is that we each have to decide for ourselves how we relate this "promise." Such agreements are always context dependent, they don't exist in some magical space of promise land, they are an aspect of the relationship itself. I am against people being censored for talking about the so called "secrets" on an open forum. People who don't want to discuss such things don't have to.
Turq brought up many good points about the nature of this agreement. With the unequal power balance, and the legal bluff aspect, I don't view this agreement as the same thing a promise to a friend or family member. In the case of equals, promises for confidentiality bind you together and enhance trust and intimacy between you. This was never the case with the movement's agreements which were veiled threats for revealing corporate secrets. That said, if the movement had gone about it in a legal above board manor (giving us a copy for one) they would have the legal protection of the law. Instead they did it with their typical disregard for the law, invented their own rules for a contractual relationship, and tried to frighten legally naive followers. Not by using it as a tool for intimacy, but under veiled threats, showing that you were not trusted. Going on courses we also signed away the right to sue if we were injured. Again, not given a copy of the "secret" document which invalidated it for legal purposes. But its purpose was an act of bluff and bullying as Turq pointed out. It was a creepy trick. If they had done it in a legal way they would have had to give up the document for others to see and the secrecy obsession always rules in the movement. They would rather have an invalid agreement than let the world actually shine a light on what their documents. Very Catholic church IMO. The same secrecy dominated martial arts for centuries. Only very recently can anyone could learn the secrets of the systems of fighting around the world without pledging total allegiance to the "master." And you know what such openness brought? The most amazing renaissance of the fighting arts in history. Bullshit techniques are exposed for what they are, and what is emerging is mixed martial arts were only the best techniques prevail. Such openness might help us figure out which meditation practices have the most to offer beyond the followers strong biases in a cloud of secrets. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "feste37" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I agree with Peter here. I promised that I wouldn't reveal details of > the TM teaching process, and I never would. It's a matter of > integrity, of keeping one's word. You could waterboard me and I > wouldn't tell. (Well, maybe I might, but I would say that my mantra is > ka-ching). > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Peter <drpetersutphen@> wrote: > > > > My attitude is that I made a promise not to reveal > > certain things and I won't regardless of what the > > other person does regarding that promise. > > > > --- curtisdeltablues <curtisdeltablues@> > > wrote: > > > > > > I understand your desire for freedom of speech but > > > the limit comes > > > > with your responsibility to the promises you made > > > and the intention > > > > of this website. > > > > > > No teacher promised to suppress this information > > > expressed by others. > > > Exposing details of the practice has nothing to do > > > with the movement > > > destroying itself. IMO the attitude that > > > information must be > > > suppressed is a much bigger threat to the movement > > > than someone > > > talking about their advanced technique. > > > > > > Everybody has their own relationship with promises > > > made it the past > > > and sometimes people feel that the integrity of > > > those promises was > > > broken by the movement. Expecting someone who no > > > longer values the > > > movement to abide by promises made when they were in > > > it seems so > > > unrealistic. It can be very liberating to discuss > > > secrets openly. I > > > think it is polite to include a spoiler alert for > > > people who don't > > > want to read such posts but deleting posts is a dark > > > path IMO. > > > > > > Stay true to your beliefs about such things. But > > > leave people alone > > > who don't share your values. There are way too many > > > POVs being > > > expressed here to have any deletion policy be fair > > > and unbiased. > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, m2smart4u2000 > > > <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Rick > > > Archer" <rick@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > From: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > On Behalf Of m2smart4u2000 > > > > > Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2008 8:02 PM > > > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Promises and Ethics > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > > > <mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com> , "Rick > > > Archer" <rick@> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Which ones have I broken? > > > > > > > > > > Confidentiality of the techniques. You are the > > > moderator of this > > > > > website so you can delete things that break that > > > promise. > > > > > I am sure you promised not to reveal the > > > techniques and that you > > > > > accepted that you were not guaranteed that you > > > would be satisfied > > > > > with the results of them. > > > > > > > > > > Even if you divorce yourself from someone,you > > > don't go speak all > > > > > their secrets. > > > > > > > > > > I have seen, in the past that you are careful to > > > not reveal names > > > > of > > > > > people who you have suggested had inappropriate > > > relations, and yet > > > > > you allow the techniques that you promised to > > > protect to be > > > > discussed > > > > > in full. > > > > > > > > > > Your point is not without merit. I do feel a bit > > > squeamish when > > > > people start > > > > > revealing mantras and techniques. I have > > > occasionally deleted posts > > > > when > > > > > something was said that left a permanent record > > > on the net > > > > embarrassing > > > > > someone. For instance, there was a fellow in > > > town who had some > > > > mental > > > > > problems and there were some posts about him > > > here which his mother > > > > didn't > > > > > want him to find. So she asked me to delete them > > > and I did. I also > > > > have to > > > > > contact the webmaster of a mirror site and have > > > him delete stuff, > > > > which is > > > > > an imposition. But if I agreed to delete > > > everything which the TMO > > > > didn't > > > > > want posted, it would be a full-time job. That > > > info about the > > > > mantras and > > > > > techniques is posted elsewhere on the web, in > > > numerous places, so > > > > having it > > > > > on FFL is merely redundant. I want to maintain > > > freedom of speech > > > > here, and > > > > > that means that very few things are going to > > > qualify for censorship. > > > > > > > > I understand your desire for freedom of speech but > > > the limit comes > > > > with your responsibility to the promises you made > > > and the intention > > > > of this website. Alot of the stuff I don't really > > > care about, people > > > > vent,have different opinions about ayurveda, > > > chopra, stapatya veda > > > > etc. If those opinions bothered me, I wouldn't > > > read the messages > > > > here.Allowing posting of the details of > > > techniques makes you > > > > squeamish for a reason. Listen to your gut > > > reaction and keep the > > > > promises you agreed to. I realize that that > > > imformation is available > > > > on certain other sights, however the point of > > > those sites is > > > > extremely anti TM. They want to completely destroy > > > the movement and > > > > the revelations are intentionally to hurt. That is > > > not the object of > > > > this website. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > > > > > To subscribe, send a message to: > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > Or go to: > > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > > > and click 'Join This Group!'Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > > >
