I'm not sure why a supporter would be posting on this message board, but it doesn't look good.
My mother started doing this meditation. By the way, Maum is just a homonym in Korean for the word "heart". I'm guessing this is make it sound exotic and deep, even though it's a common word in Korean.
My mom started this meditation after visiting a center, which was not going by "Maum" but was just calling itself a local meditation center. After about a month, she was going for longer and longer, 5 hours a day, and seemed to be more and more distressed about how much progress she was or wasn't making. When I asked how you can make "progress", since to me, meditation has always been in the doing, she said that she wanted to reach the final "level", and explained that they told her of 8 levels. The completion would result in her having psychic abilities that are superhuman--she would know the future, what others are thinking, she would be happy all the time, be one with the energy of the universe--are a few of the things that I recall her telling me about.
I was subsequently surprised to find that the meditation practice is not like any meditation I've ever heard of--students are asked to visualize throwing away attachments and memories into a black hole, and can progress to a level 8, wherein they've reached completion. I can't say whether it's helped her to cope with life, but the opposite seems true. She told me that she was having trouble throwing her family into the hole, and that the helpers had told her it was because she was older and had more to discard. For the same reason, they added that the earlier she brought her children, the better.
My personal opinion is that they sized her up financially and encouraged her to make an upfront long-term commitment, and gave a reason that seemed plausible to her.
I have made a number of factual observations:
1.) She was asked immediately to pay a monthly $250 fee that supposedly goes to overhead. About a month in, she paid "sky funds" to help her dead relatives out of purgatory.
2.) She was asked to sign a waiver.
3.) She was encouraged to recruit her family members, myself included.
4.) When it was clear none of us were going to go to the center, she was told to cut off contact with us, so that she wouldn't be distracted. She left the United States for Korea indefinitely, after withdrawing half of her savings. Once there, she's paying more money for "overhead" in order to have a room and eat. My knowledge of real estate in Korea is iffy but I'm guessing they're turning a nice profit renting out a room for that much money in the middle of nowhere.
5.) Once there, she was not allowed her phone or iPad for one month. We had no contact with her.
6.) She is encouraged to believe Woo Myung is the creator of the universe, which she now believes.
7.) She texted me to say they don't get more than 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Anyone who has read up on undue influence knows that sleep deprivation is a key tactic to break down a recruit's ability to make sound decisions and to enhance suggestibility. These tactics are nothing new--they have been used by governments and factions alike to produce the same result. Yes, I realize this sounds like paranoid conspiracy theory but I wouldn't have believed it either until my mother left the country and I did some research. I'm still amazed at the level of sophistication and effort put forth by these people.
Now, I can't say whether or not the meditation has helped her. It's possible she's experienced a reduction in stress, increased happiness, enjoyment, satisfaction, etc. I'm not qualified to speak on the psychological benefits of this type of meditation.
HOWEVER, what I can say from these FACTS--not my opinion--is that
A.) She pays a lot of money, and I can imagine these numbers multiplied by the number of members. Not likely they are just "breaking even".
B.) She has withdrawn from her family and left the country. What I know about spirituality is that it is supposed to enrich your relationships and help you function BETTER in society. It should help you view others with compassion, make more sound decisions based on your values, not drive a wedge between nonbelievers and believers.
C.) There is consistent, systematic deception on their part. She has told me that the helpers have said that when she reaches the final level as they have, they will be happy all the time, and that a hand will reach down from the heavens and pull her into heaven on earth. She was encouraged not to watch tv, listen to radio, or go on the internet because untruths about the group are being spread maliciously.
To recap, A) They take her money and isolate her. B) They are not forthcoming about what it takes to complete levels, not forthcoming about Woo Myung's true identity, outright lied about his "bestsellers" and awards received, and promise something that sounds highly dubious.
and lastly,
C.) Starting a tax-exempt religious institution and charging money for it does not sound like honest-to-goodness helping the world.
This is not a judgement or hate-spreading. I have tried to be impartial as to the meditation itself. But the consistent, systematic use of identical tactics on many members spread across the globe are indicative of a top-down method to enhance donation, eliminate dissenting opinion, and foster a closed environment that ultimately results in the dependence of the individual.
I'm very sad to lose my mother. I still send messages and e-mails in the hopes that she reads them, but have yet to hear back. I'm concerned about the long-term effects of sleep deprivation on an elderly woman with health issues. If she were truly happy, then I would be happy. But if a tree falls in a forest...
My mother started doing this meditation. By the way, Maum is just a homonym in Korean for the word "heart". I'm guessing this is make it sound exotic and deep, even though it's a common word in Korean.
My mom started this meditation after visiting a center, which was not going by "Maum" but was just calling itself a local meditation center. After about a month, she was going for longer and longer, 5 hours a day, and seemed to be more and more distressed about how much progress she was or wasn't making. When I asked how you can make "progress", since to me, meditation has always been in the doing, she said that she wanted to reach the final "level", and explained that they told her of 8 levels. The completion would result in her having psychic abilities that are superhuman--she would know the future, what others are thinking, she would be happy all the time, be one with the energy of the universe--are a few of the things that I recall her telling me about.
I was subsequently surprised to find that the meditation practice is not like any meditation I've ever heard of--students are asked to visualize throwing away attachments and memories into a black hole, and can progress to a level 8, wherein they've reached completion. I can't say whether it's helped her to cope with life, but the opposite seems true. She told me that she was having trouble throwing her family into the hole, and that the helpers had told her it was because she was older and had more to discard. For the same reason, they added that the earlier she brought her children, the better.
My personal opinion is that they sized her up financially and encouraged her to make an upfront long-term commitment, and gave a reason that seemed plausible to her.
I have made a number of factual observations:
1.) She was asked immediately to pay a monthly $250 fee that supposedly goes to overhead. About a month in, she paid "sky funds" to help her dead relatives out of purgatory.
2.) She was asked to sign a waiver.
3.) She was encouraged to recruit her family members, myself included.
4.) When it was clear none of us were going to go to the center, she was told to cut off contact with us, so that she wouldn't be distracted. She left the United States for Korea indefinitely, after withdrawing half of her savings. Once there, she's paying more money for "overhead" in order to have a room and eat. My knowledge of real estate in Korea is iffy but I'm guessing they're turning a nice profit renting out a room for that much money in the middle of nowhere.
5.) Once there, she was not allowed her phone or iPad for one month. We had no contact with her.
6.) She is encouraged to believe Woo Myung is the creator of the universe, which she now believes.
7.) She texted me to say they don't get more than 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Anyone who has read up on undue influence knows that sleep deprivation is a key tactic to break down a recruit's ability to make sound decisions and to enhance suggestibility. These tactics are nothing new--they have been used by governments and factions alike to produce the same result. Yes, I realize this sounds like paranoid conspiracy theory but I wouldn't have believed it either until my mother left the country and I did some research. I'm still amazed at the level of sophistication and effort put forth by these people.
Now, I can't say whether or not the meditation has helped her. It's possible she's experienced a reduction in stress, increased happiness, enjoyment, satisfaction, etc. I'm not qualified to speak on the psychological benefits of this type of meditation.
HOWEVER, what I can say from these FACTS--not my opinion--is that
A.) She pays a lot of money, and I can imagine these numbers multiplied by the number of members. Not likely they are just "breaking even".
B.) She has withdrawn from her family and left the country. What I know about spirituality is that it is supposed to enrich your relationships and help you function BETTER in society. It should help you view others with compassion, make more sound decisions based on your values, not drive a wedge between nonbelievers and believers.
C.) There is consistent, systematic deception on their part. She has told me that the helpers have said that when she reaches the final level as they have, they will be happy all the time, and that a hand will reach down from the heavens and pull her into heaven on earth. She was encouraged not to watch tv, listen to radio, or go on the internet because untruths about the group are being spread maliciously.
To recap, A) They take her money and isolate her. B) They are not forthcoming about what it takes to complete levels, not forthcoming about Woo Myung's true identity, outright lied about his "bestsellers" and awards received, and promise something that sounds highly dubious.
and lastly,
C.) Starting a tax-exempt religious institution and charging money for it does not sound like honest-to-goodness helping the world.
This is not a judgement or hate-spreading. I have tried to be impartial as to the meditation itself. But the consistent, systematic use of identical tactics on many members spread across the globe are indicative of a top-down method to enhance donation, eliminate dissenting opinion, and foster a closed environment that ultimately results in the dependence of the individual.
I'm very sad to lose my mother. I still send messages and e-mails in the hopes that she reads them, but have yet to hear back. I'm concerned about the long-term effects of sleep deprivation on an elderly woman with health issues. If she were truly happy, then I would be happy. But if a tree falls in a forest...