Letting someone else think for you.

[LMNO]

Well, yeah.  That was just the spark that set me off.

Think about New Agers who use "Quantum" to justify their shit.  The Secret already has thousands of adherents, and it's not even 5 years old, yet.  Give it another thousand.

[fomenter]

i think the TM zen experience does have value, and as lmno is saying the understanding of it is lost by those who try to describe it with words, get it from preachers or pay for it from gurus,
the noob spiritualist is  lost, as soon as the guy who understands it and knows to point at it without speaking is dead, all second generation teachers are suspect, because its a DYS project and the further you get from the guy that knows it, the more verbal diarrhea and for money/power con-artistry there will be piled on the DYS message.
the OP science-quantum description of this is a good one ...
why i think the TM zen experience is useful is well discussed in the chi and zen swordsman threads,

[P3nT4gR4m]

I commented once, during a religion-centric conversation, "If Jesus really was as smart as everyone seems to think he'd have known to keep his fucking mouth shut"

Something about these texts seems to make them ideal fodder for mind control cults. I guess it's because the "trancendental effect" is replicable - you can lead an initiate to the gates and push him through but, as you so correctly pointed out, "It's what you do afterwards in reaction to the trip"

If you work it out or have it explained to you by someone who has your best interests at heart then you win a watch. If, however they guy who's leading you through it decides to palm you off with some insane fairy tale about an invisible all seeing monster judging your immortal soul, and puts himself in the position of said monster's executive officer on earth then you have a whole world of stoopid ahead.

It get's worse with subsequent generations, the blind lead the blind and, very quickly, the whole system becomes a totally co-opted money making mindfuck.

I'd go out on a limb and say that the chances of any "classical" religion or sect thereof, surviving more than a couple of milliseconds after the original bodhisattva kicks the bucket (if it even goes that long) is about a billion to one (approx)

Give it a couple of thousand years and adherence will pretty much guarantee complete lack of enlightenment.

So yeah, once in a while, the penny may drop for one of the cultists, via one or other of the alternative ways of experiencing and lead a small but growing band of followers to the promised land but the same rule applies - give it a couple of years and someone will be making a shitload of cash from other peoples ignorance.

*edit* was writing this while fomenter posted and we seem to be on the same page but I used much moar words so fuck you I win 

[fomenter]

*edit* was writing this while fomenter posted and we seem to be on the same page but I used much moar words so fuck you I win 

[Triple Zero]

I'd go out on a limb and say that the chances of any "classical" religion or sect thereof, surviving more than a couple of milliseconds after the original bodhisattva kicks the bucket (if it even goes that long) is about a billion to one (approx)

agreed.

but you cant really tell an 'original bodhisattva' from a clever conman that thought to start this cult, either.

[P3nT4gR4m]

The danger that comes with "Letting someone else think for you."