Will, that's an excellent point about the basic contradiction in Rawat's ideology, the trust yourself/trust the master contradiction.  Of course, the cult's aim is to tell people that it's just an experience of peace, and your true self, and then not give the experience to people until they slowly accept and to some extend engage in, "trusting the master."  This is why propagation is so difficult.

It was much easier in the 70s because people were just told that Maharaji was the real deal, the Lord, and what he offers is an experience of God that makes you high and blissed out.  For all the absurdity, it at least was a consistent message.  That is no longer true.  Now, it's completely messed up, confused, and Maharaji seems to think he can make up with glitz what he has failed to do with the basic message.  This has never worked for him, despite the many, many "fresh starts," and "new phases" of propagation that cult has engaged in, spending God knows how much money down a black hole.

So now there are new videos, and a more rigid process.  So what?

In addition to the basic contradiction you mentioned, there is the corollary problem that when people are first introduced to Rawat, it's completely unclear what his role is.  Because all he says is that he offers an experience of peace -- why doesn't he just give people the experience?  Why do they have to be indoctrinated first?  There is nothing to learn, no suppposed belief system to understand, and only an experience to have.  So why doesn't he just give the experience to people at the first meeting, instead of making them be "prepared?"  Why do people have to be "prepared?"  If someone doesn't get past this question, basically repress the question because you won't get a good answer, they probably would not proceed.

Well, we know why the cult makes them do it, but I don't think the cult has a very good answer to that question because the cult feels it has to hide the fact that it is basically a personality cult, and it's the "preparation" process, and the vagueness in the way it is described,  that screams "CULT" to most people.