--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Tart, *not* wishing to argue with you or diminish what you say in any
> way, just presenting a Deva's Advocate position the same way Curtis
> might, do you notice that the "personalized feedback" I have highlighted
> below, along with my occasional comments in brackets, is a lot like
> "cold
> reading" of pretend psychics or stage magicians or charlatan
> astrologers?
> 
> That is, no actual "personal" information is conveyed at all. Instead, a
> general statement that could apply to anyone is presented, leaving the
> person to whom it is presented to "project into it" whatever "meaning"
> they wish to. In other words, each of these statements can be seen as
> fodder for confirmation bias, and not "personal" at all.
> 
> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain <no_reply@> wrote:
> >
> > My experience and observation was that MMY was quite involved in
> acknowledging and providing feedback on experience. First, in every
> flower line [* Just pointing out that "waiting in a flower line" is in
> itself setting up confirmation bias. You're standing there for minutes
> or hours waiting, waiting, waiting, priming yourself for "something good
> to happen." Who should be surprised when it does? *]  (4-8 per day) he
> would stop at at particular person and say "*Hmm, enjoying", "Hmm, very
> good*" or something similar -- which appeared to be an acknowledgment
> and encouragement of their particular state or experience at that time.
> For example, as MMY entered into the lecture hall, a woman (said later)
> she was seeing the heavens open up, and hordes of angels or such descend
> as MMY entered the hall) and he stopped and said "*Hmm, its beautiful,
> yes*".
> >
> > And he acknowledged personal situations. At the beginning of my TTC he
> asked each of us to come forward, to approach him (I think we gave him a
> flower, or simply bowed our heads) and he said to me "*ah, you made
> it*". Prior to that, while I had been on two courses with him, up to
> that time there was no reason for him to know who I was - I had not met
> privately with him or been at the mic for questions. But it had been a
> big production to get to TTC -- and he somehow knew that and
> acknowledged it.
> >
> > Some years later, a friend who had been teaching in a distant land
> came back to see him and the first thing MMY said was "*Hmm, so you have
> been bored, yes?*" My friend was very clear in his mind that MMY was
> referring to his many dalliances with local women. [* Again, no specific
> information was conveyed, merely a vague, generic statement that could
> have meant anything, but was interpreted by the student to "mean"
> whatever he determined it "meant." *]
> > <snip>

True. These were vague (understated, or subtle are other perspectives) and 
surely a LOT of mood making came from such. I am reflecting on my impression -- 
and my experience. Just providing a counter point to the comments, as I 
understood them, that MMY did not provide much feedback on experience. Maybe 
that's true, maybe its not. Maybe there is a huge in between. 



> > And sometimes, *it was just a look he gave - and that was all that was
> needed. Or, he would just start lecturing on a point that was on
> someones mind* (which may have been coincidental -- but happened a lot.)
>

Again, there is no way to validate this -- other than the people, including 
myself, got useful feedback. Maybe it was all internal. But even then points to 
PERHAPS more refined intuition and self-sufficiency (which MMY would have 
enjoyed more to see, IMO)

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