TranceNet: How Much Does Enlightenment Really Cost?

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Worksheet: How Much Does Enlightenment Really Cost?

People often deceive themselves about their level of involvement in coercive groups. I can't count how many friends who have conspiratorially whispered to me that they were never deeply involved in their group because they were never "joiners." I'm thinking of having cards printed up, "I never really bought all that crap -- I was just watching."

But I've found one question cuts to the bone, revealing more about the depth of one's group involvement than any other: "How much money have you really spent with them?" (If you are muttering to yourself, "I never spent any money on my group," about now, I suggest you read on. In particular, review questions 17 and 18 very thoroughly. You should find them very revealing.)

Many groups charge little or nothing for beginning courses -- and will sanctimoniously point this out to anyone who will listen. But fees for techniques, seminars, courses, audiences with group leaders, and so forth rise exponentially as you ascend to "higher levels" -- frequently as the actual techniques or knowledge imparted become more and more simple-minded. And groups that do not charge for instruction usually require ever greater donations of money, time, labor, or professional services.

In my experience, most current and former members of abusive meditation, "tech," self- improvement, or seminar-training groups have only the vaguest notions of the money they have spent or donated. Frequently when I ask, members respond they have spent at most a few thousand dollars -- far less than a semester in college.

But the truth is, even members who have left coercive groups are frequently in deep, deep denial about the money -- much like the alcoholic who "only drinks socially" or the gambler who perenially "breaks even." I have yet to find a current or former member who has spent less than $10,000 -- and it is common for committed members in the 90s to have spent significant six-figure amounts.

You may find these questions useful in creating a fearless personal inventory of the money you have spent. I've included typical answers for my cult, Transcendental Meditation. You should find it easy to translate this worksheet to the terminology of your group. After all no matter what their ideologies, cults have more in common than differences dividing them -- when viewed from the outside.

We suggest that you fill in the amounts below, then print this browser page for future reference.

          Subtotals               TM          Your Group

How much did your first technique/course cost? (in 1972 -- today TM costs $1,000)
```
                                 $  $
```
Did you buy books or materials for this course?
```
                                 $  $
```
Cost of travel to learn first technique/course?
```
                                 $  $
```
Cost of advanced techniques, ea.?
```
    $ $
```
How many did you learn?
```
        
```
Travel cost/advanced techniques?
```
    $ $
```
Total for advanced techniques?
```
                                 $  $
```
Cost of weekend seminars, ea.? ("Residence Courses")
```
    $ $
```
Number of weekend seminars?
```
       
```
Travel cost/weekend seminars?
```
    $ $
```
Total for weekend seminars?
```
                                $  $
```
Cost of week seminars, ea.? ("Citizen's Courses")
```
    $ $
```
Number of week seminars?
```
       
```
Travel cost/week seminars?
```
    $ $
```
Total for week seminars?
```
                               $  $
```
Cost of long courses? ("Six Month Course")
```
    $ $
```
Number of long courses?
```
       
```
Travel cost/week seminars?
```
    $ $
```
Total for long courses?
```
                               $  $
```
Cost of ultimate technique? ("Sidhis")
```
    $ $
```
Travel cost for instruction?
```
    $ $
```
Total for ultimate instruction?
```
                               $  $
```
Cost of theoretical courses? ("Science of Creative Intelligence")
```
    $ $
```
Travel cost for course?
```
    $ $
```
Total for theoretical courses?
```
                               $  $
```
Cost of teacher training? ("Phase I and III")
```
    $ $
```
Travel cost for course?
```
    $ $
```
Total for teacher training?
```
                               $  $
```
Cost of refresher teacher courses? ("ATR" & "WPA")
```
    $ $
```
Number of refresher courses?
```
       
```
Travel cost for course?
```
    $ $
```
Total for refresher courses?
```
                               $  $
```
Cost of alternative health care? ("ayurveda"?"pancha karma"/"aromatherapy"/ "yogic breathing"/"bliss techniques"/others)
```
     $ $
```
Number of treatments?
```
        
```
Travel cost for treatments?
```
     $ $
```
Total/alternative health care?
```
                               $  $
```
Cost of vitamins/food supplements? (various, per month)
```
     $ $
```
Number of months?
```
        
```
Total/alternative health care?
```
                               $  $
```

Cost of astrology/psychics? ("jyotish")

$ $

Number of constultations?

Total for psychics?

                               $  $

Cost of spiritual care? ("yagyas"/sacrifices to gods)
```
     $ $
```
Number of treatments?
```
        
```
Travel cost for treatment?
```
     $ $
```
Total for spiritual care?
```
                               $  $
```
Cost of spiritual fetishes/ritual objects? ("ayurvedic jewels")
```
     $ $
```
Number of fetishes?
```
        
```
Total for spiritual fetishes?
```
                               $  $
```
Cash donations? (Many group leaders "suggest" you donate inheritances, estates, tax returns, birthday presents, personal gifts, monthly pledges, or a "tithe" of your income to their group. Frequently this is couched as a "spiritual," "political," or "humanitarian" act -- or as a practice that reduces "wordly tempation" or teaches "egolessness" and "humility.")
```
                               $ $
```
Labor donations? (This is a valid and very important measure of your financial involvement in your group. First, your labor or professional expertise builds wealth for the group. Most corporations in America factor your salary by 10 -- that is, if they pay you $30,000, they expect to gross $300,000 in revenue from your labor. Second, the U.S. and other governments recognize "pro bono" work as having true monetary value -- which can be deducted from taxes. Third, many groups acknowledge the true monetary value of your labor by giving credit for "volunteer" work toward their seminars, instructions, and products. Finally, I've found that this worksheet, in particular questions 17 and 18, has good predictive power. Questions 22 and 23, the average individual totals multiplied by numbers of committed members, give a true approximation of a group's total wealth.)
Number of months donated?
```
       
```
Your average adult monthly salary?
```
     $  
```
Total value of donated labor?
```
                               $ $
```
Incidental costs? (books, pictures, incense)
```
     $  $
```
Total amount you spent or contributed:
```
                           $ $
```

List the things that you could have done with that money, such as purchased a home, donated to charity, paid for advanced education, supported an ailing parent, and so forth.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________.

How many committed members have been in your group?
```
                                   
```
Your total $ X total committed group members. (Interestingly, the The Illustrated Weedly of India reported January 17, 1988, that TM's world-wide holdings had topped $3.5 billion.)
```
                               $ $
```

Where do you think that money has gone?

_____________________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________

The number of courses/techniques your leader guaranteed you would need to reach the "goal": ("enlightenment," "Cosmic Consciousness")
```
                                  
```
The number of years your leader guaranteed it would take you to reach the "goal":
```
                                  
```
The actual number of years you've spent pursuing the "goal":
```
                                  
```

Where has that time gone?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________.

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