Don,

You're clearly grinding an axe right down to a razor-sharp chopping blade in your excellent articles. I'm sure, however, that it didn't occur to you - it couldn't have occurred to you - that your comment could easily be misinterpreted as:

1) implying that whether or not a former follower practices or rejects the teachings is a determining factor in credibility or qualifications to criticize the teacher;

2) implying that former followers who do not practice the teachings may have less of an inner experience;

3) implying that you're concerned that being associated with such ex-premies might tarnish your credibility; and

4) implying that former followers who call themselves ex-premies and who stopped meditating may be suspect and therefore dismissed.

I too "had a cult brain" and "needed to undo years of programming to extricate myself." If it helps, I was programmed to believe that the ex-premie website (Ex-Premie.org) you linked to in your article was taboo, totally off-limits and orchestrated by a hate group. Once I extricated myself, I came to know many of the contributors to that website and posters here as among the kindest and most caring people I've encountered. After all, they were once premies people who received the techniques of Knowledge, no different than you and me in that regard.

Many of them are the people who long ago had the courage to shatter cult taboos and do exactly what you are doing. They've helped countless people extricate themselves from the teacher regardless of whether or not they continued to practice any of the teachings. I've been helped immensely by ex-premies who no longer meditate.

Lastly, in terms of advancing what you want out of all that criticism of Prem, you ARE credible. There's no need to try to enhance it. That comment shouldn't have been necessary unless you were concerned about being rejected by certain individuals. If so - and this is difficult to say - please don't throw ex-premies who stopped meditating with an axe to grind under the buss just for them.

Sincerely,

Just another ex-premie who stopped meditating with an axe to grind, i.e., a lot of criticism of Prem Rawat.