Landmark Forum - Cult?

[Banano]

http://inthelimelight.net/landmark-forum-the-aftermath/


What is deal with Landmark, its been a huge hit down under over the past decade or so. Some of my friends attended seminar but nobody can explain exactly wtf is going on. I find it frustrating. My female friend signed up and got mental breakdown on last day, graduation day , ended up in mental hospital for a few day so they got her all money back.
After she got out she was almost like brainwashed, acting like possesed, talking about some transformation

Looked it up and nobody can give me exact details of really goes on, what exactly they teach you?

'Landmark Forum teaches you what you don’t know you don’t know. And when you discover what that is, you will simultaneously be shocked, and wonder why you didn’t realize something so obvious.'


They are banned in some countries including France for having cult status

I find it puzzling

Anyone attended, how was it? Did you 'pop' ?

[lavezzi]

ive looked at it breifly after PAN (RIP) was spewing about it before on here in his usual incoherent fashion. i beleive its a rip off of an old form of buddism where by a master would verbally degrade a student, tears apart any philiosphy on life or religious beleifs they may hold, and so on. basically the point is to absolutely destroy the individuals ego as to provide a perfect opportunity for them to awaken as they have lost all pride, beleifs etc., basically everything ones ego attatches on to. once this is acheived, the master then teaches the student basic spirituality concepts (exactly the type of stuff i preach on a regular basis here on this forum) so that the student then becomes awakened. thats basically what this landmark thing appears to do, except in larger groups.

the thing is though, secular orginizations like this tend to get a big ego about themselves and start beleiving theyve devised some ingenious, never seen before, revolutionary idea which has the power to transform humanity. when in reality, anything, and i mean anything to do with spirituality in terms of ideas, techniques etc. has been thought of by a buddhist in some place and at some time period, and has been written down and hidden away in some archive somewhere branded as a buddhist concept. nevertheless, its great to see how ideas revolving around spirituality are being popularized around the world and people are starting to become awakened spiritually, wehatever way they may do choose to do it.

i inadvertantly had a similar technique done to me by the world. i was severely attatched to my korean ex gf, when she left my ego was destroyed and because i had already awakened just prior to meeting her, our relationship seemingly was all that my ego was attatched to. so after a brief period of devastation, i saw things from a higher perspective and accepted that she was gone never to return. i was instantly reawakened spiritually to an incredible level which has continued ever since.

[S_Parc]

Landmark is the reincarnation of Werner Erhard's est workshops.

I do know of folks, who're psychologically & financially damaged by it, meaning est. I don't know of anyone who's done Landmark.

They use similar breakdown tactics, as the Navy Seals BUDS training, however, it's psychological than physical in nature. All and all, avoid 'em and do your own thing.

[S_Parc]

ive looked at it breifly after PAN (RIP) was spewing about it

What happened to PAN?

[MrPeabody]

I took one of the first seminars many years ago. It was an update of EST. They changed the name because EST was getting such a bad reputation. These large scale group experiences were popular in a different era but times have changed and most have gone out of business. Also, people have had a chance to see that it doesn’t work over the long term. A disciplined meditation practice is much more effective. I actually took a seminar with Werner Erhard and the guy can talk nonstop for hours. Women would fall all over him like he was a big time guru. He sold the Forum to his trainers and didn’t do any of the things he claimed he was committed too. Watch out for the shysters.

[gsjackson]

the thing is though, secular orginizations like this tend to get a big ego about themselves and start beleiving theyve devised some ingenious, never seen before, revolutionary idea which has the power to transform humanity.

Interesting observation. I can recall many years ago John Denver, in the heady thrall of EST insight and close friendship with Erhard, said: "Werner and I are gods." Maybe it worked for him. He certainly met a godlike end -- pitching down into the beautiful Monterrey Bay while piloting his private airplane.

[Banano]

My concern is huge number of people who had mental breakdown, its safe to assume many came close to it...

Mr peaboy

How did you feel during and after seminar, how is it that they break you down, could you just be cool and just listen to these gurus without getting sucked in,
why let them break you down?

Why people let guru yell and swear at them, What if you retaliate ?

Would they kick you out for resisting

[gsjackson]

They don't let you go to the bathroom. I guess the idea is to show you that you are just a machine, life is meaningless, and ergo, aha, the machine can make anything it wants to out of life (except, apparently, meaningfulness). But I never took it, so this is just based on what I've heard and read.

[royalism]

This sort of forum is kind of a cult too hehe

[lavezzi]

I took one of the first seminars many years ago. It was an update of EST. They changed the name because EST was getting such a bad reputation. These large scale group experiences were popular in a different era but times have changed and most have gone out of business. Also, people have had a chance to see that it doesn’t work over the long term. A disciplined meditation practice is much more effective. I actually took a seminar with Werner Erhard and the guy can talk nonstop for hours. Women would fall all over him like he was a big time guru. He sold the Forum to his trainers and didn’t do any of the things he claimed he was committed too. Watch out for the shysters.

anyone can take acid and feel the experience of awakening, afterwards they will still feel different for a while, but the ego will simply reform in no time at all. this landmark thing probably works similarly, basically someone or something does it for you, which can only be ineffective. an effective awakening has to be spontaneous and done out of ones own volition. anyway, i have you to thank for waking up. i clicked on a link you posted here, read and resinated with what was written within it, then after more research, a week or so later came the life changing awakening. so thank you.

[MrPeabody]

My concern is huge number of people who had mental breakdown, its safe to assume many came close to it...

Mr peaboy

How did you feel during and after seminar, how is it that they break you down, could you just be cool and just listen to these gurus without getting sucked in,
why let them break you down?

Why people let guru yell and swear at them, What if you retaliate ?

Would they kick you out for resisting

The Forum is pretty mild. They don't yell at you. And yes you can go to the bathroom.

[PeterAndrewNolan]

ive looked at it breifly after PAN (RIP) was spewing about it

What happened to PAN?

I left because ASIO were spamming winstons site with porn to have his advertiser suspend their advertising on his site.

I also left because men here did not turn out to be nearly so intelligent as I thought they might be.

[PeterAndrewNolan]

ive looked at it breifly after PAN (RIP) was spewing about it before on here in his usual incoherent fashion. i beleive its a rip off of an old form of buddism where by a master would verbally degrade a student, tears apart any philiosphy on life or religious beleifs they may hold, and so on. basically the point is to absolutely destroy the individuals ego as to provide a perfect opportunity for them to awaken as they have lost all pride, beleifs etc., basically everything ones ego attatches on to. once this is acheived, the master then teaches the student basic spirituality concepts (exactly the type of stuff i preach on a regular basis here on this forum) so that the student then becomes awakened. thats basically what this landmark thing appears to do, except in larger groups.

For a 20 year old who is extremely ignorant you show your elders and betters very little respect.

One of the most amazing things I see in young men nowadays is total lack of respect for their elders and betters. It is as if you are so stupid and so arrogant and so full of yourselves that you imagine you are in some way "equal" to your elders and betters.

But hey...its YOUR life....I handed you the keys to the prison you are in....I can't use them for you. You have to free yourself. You are responsible for educating yourself....and, as you have shown, you are not about to do that.

[PeterAndrewNolan]

http://inthelimelight.net/landmark-forum-the-aftermath/


What is deal with Landmark, its been a huge hit down under over the past decade or so. Some of my friends attended seminar but nobody can explain exactly wtf is going on. I find it frustrating. My female friend signed up and got mental breakdown on last day, graduation day , ended up in mental hospital for a few day so they got her all money back.
After she got out she was almost like brainwashed, acting like possesed, talking about some transformation

Looked it up and nobody can give me exact details of really goes on, what exactly they teach you?

'Landmark Forum teaches you what you don’t know you don’t know. And when you discover what that is, you will simultaneously be shocked, and wonder why you didn’t realize something so obvious.'


They are banned in some countries including France for having cult status

I find it puzzling

Anyone attended, how was it? Did you 'pop' ?

Banano,
I did the LF in 1995 two times...once in February and once in december for entirely different reasons. I did it again in December 2000 for entirely different reasons again.

I also did the Advanced Course, the Self Expression and Leadership program. Sex and Intimacy. And one other I can't remember the exact name of now. During 1995 I also assisted at Landmark...some times I would be over at the center three nights a week. I was there because I knew that what I was getting out of it was extremely valuable for myself and my former family. I also invited my former children to do it and my step son did it when he was about 24 or 25.

As far a I am concerned the Landmark Forum is easily the best training I have ever done. I am about to put a video up about it as a recommendation for people to do it. I use it each and every day of my life. Indeed when I was suicidal in April 2008 some of the ideas I learned at Landmark helped me through. When my former son had cancer in 2006 my training at Landmark pulled me through. There was no way I could have endured the stresses I endured in 2006 and remained able to function without my year at Landmark. Period.

Some people come out of Landmark and seem "strange". This is true. This is because they gain some breakthroughs that people who have not done landmark do not have....for example "what is the meaning of life?" "Who am I?" "What is the purpose of my life?"

Landmark Forum is NOT are rehash of EST as so many people claim.....that would be to compare a biplane with a concord. They are both aeroplanes and they do both fly....but the experience of each is significantly different.

I have personally enrolled many family and friends into the forum. ALL of them have thanked me for doing so. I have had grown men married 25 year burst into tears in the middle of the office and hug me and cry on my shoulder thanking me for taking the time to be interested in them and inviting them to do the forum.

It does really spook my colleagues when that happens by they way. Grown men bursting into tears and hugging someone is not the run of the mill event in an office, right?

I recommend every young man go and do the forum up front...then, if you want to do the advanced course and the self expression and leadership program I really highly recommend them.

As far as some woman going into the psycho clinic after the forum? I would argue she belonged in the psycho clinic BEFORE she did it and was MUCH SANER after she did it. And that sanity is what looks insane.

To be well adjusted to a severely sick society, as Australia is today, is not a sign of being well adjusted.

As for "you do not get it"? You are not supposed to "get it" without doing it. No one can tell you what the forum is. No once can tell you what you will get out of it. It is an experience that you have to do for yourself. There is no explaining it. I do not bother to explain it to people any more. I tell them this.

"This is the most valuable training I have ever done. I did it in 95. It has paid for itself 10,000 times over. In all honesty there is a very real question as to whether I would be alive today if I did not do it. If that is not a good enough recommendation for you from a man like me? I am not going to waste an more time on you. I have better things to do like re-introduce the rule of law in to Australia and Ireland and stop the murder of 6 billion people. ok?"

[PeterAndrewNolan]

i was severely attatched to my korean ex gf, when she left my ego was destroyed and because i had already awakened just prior to meeting her, our relationship seemingly was all that my ego was attatched to.

Oh...that would be the SAME woman I told you would dump you? LOL!! You are such an arrogant stupid young pup.