[Buddha-l] Re: Hindu Fundamentalism

[Bshmr at aol.com]

Stormy, 

Last fall, a local eclectic dharma/meditation study group concentrated on 
Wilbur's the 'Best of Ken Wilbur' plus added exercises/recordings selected from 
the Integral Naked website. Although I had been a faithful regular, I found 
something else to do very quickly. 

I found Wilbur's writing to remind me of the 'ecstatic' school of meditation, 
more akin to poetry along the lines of Rumi, or New Age and USAn Republican 
motivational. That is, I notice the manipulative and emotional nature 
dominates, with facts scarce and preachy interpretations characteristic of 
fundamentalism. Reading or listening made for a revealing 'labeling meditation'.

Then, there were the recordings which were heavily psycho-theraputic and 
work-shop-esque. In light of your comments vis a vis psychotherapy, I will say 
that his saying/writing must diverge from his heavily laden doing. I recall 
someone once saying that the content of a psychotherapist's publications often 
deviated from what the therapist actually did so that the conscientious 
practitioner not only read but observed their mentor (or popular hero of the moment). 

For what it is worth (FWIW), I know others, with differing given names, who 
feel similarly put off by Wilbur. 



Richard Basham