and to anyone else who may have been offended
by my statement regarding
'Only a stupid, ignorant, or Masochistic person
could choose James Swartz as a teacher."
My full paragraph was:
'Quote
Traveler
In the Forum, and in and by his entire life, Swartz has been shown to teach others to and himself behave as a Sociopath, using his distorted versions of Advaita Vedanta to promote his "I can't sin, since you don't exist," philosophy. To the question, "How could anyone even consider such a person as a teacher?" the only possibility can be terrible stupidity or blind ignorance. That, or a masochistic nature
Just to be very clear, as I hope the paragraph shows, I was talking about NOW. Certainly by the end of 2019 and going into 2020, only someone stupid or masochistic could choose a criminal fraud like James Swartz to be their spiritual Teacher. That, or someone who has somehow remained totally ignorant of Heather, the book "Guru? The Story of Heather", and the contents of the "James Swartz -- What Is the Truth?" thread here on Cult Ed Forum.
Conversely, any person new to Advaita Vedanta who came to Swartz before 2017 simply suffered from bad luck. (As I wrote before, I myself experienced such bad luck with a cult a few decades back. It wasn't Swartz's, but it might as well have been. Thankfully, I escaped it, as have EQ, ziziz, and others from Swartz's.)
The "tweener group" consists of those who came to Swartz in 2017 or 2018. By mid-2017 Heather's claims were well known. Did some just not hear, or choose not to believe? Yes. But then the Cult Ed Forum 'Swartz topic' started, and more and more evidence piled up regarding Swartz being:
1. A criminal narcissist
2. A liar about his spiritual background and 'credentials.'
3. A teacher of false and distorted Advaita Vedanta, and more.
I do wonder what the people new to Swartz in 2017 and 2018 are thinking and doing now.
In fact, more and more, I believe that the (hopefully) few who remain with James Swartz now, in 2020, have NO EXCUSE for doing so, no matter when they came to him. As has been conclusively proved, James Swartz has nothing for anybody besides lies, 'half-assed' teachings, pain, and abuse, and by staying with him a person passively, if not actively, encourages others to do so.
I stayed with a teacher for too long. I knew things had gone bad but I wanted to "help" or "save" this teacher. This teacher had charm, charisma, and "siddhis" (powers), but fell hard to Sex, Drugs, and Money, and would not have minded more Fame and Power. It was only when I realized that my efforts were hopeless that I left.
If you're trying to "save" Swartz, please reconsider. Ramana Maharshi (always) gave great advice. Paraphrased, it's "Fix yourself first. Then you can help others." (I didn't hear about Ramana until after my time in the "group." At least Swartz mentions him, even as he distorts what Ramana shared.)
In other words, don't let yourself go down the drain trying to "help," "save," or "change" Swartz. And if you still believe he can "help" or "save" you, please read the posts on this topic completely, and read Heather's book.
Then, if you still think Swartz is a worthy teacher or a person you want in your life in any way, please see the three words I used above, but take out "ignorant." (And good luck.)