Breaking the Cultural Spell - Mark Griffin

[konchog uma]

[konchog uma]

thanks Hundun!

[daojones]

I would be interested to hear him elaborate on the mechanisms of mind control. Does he ever talk about this subject?

[Creation]

>Get blissed out watching Mark Griffin videos

>Entitiy shows up, hungry for an easy meal, as soon as I go to bed

>Similar thing happened last time I got blissed out on Mark's energy, and the time before that

>fml

Edited October 9, 2012 by Creation

[Creation]

Nothing I have tried has worked. For example shielding, prayer, mantra, and various qigong tecniques.

[Creation]

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

[Aetherous]

I typically get ungrounded-as-fuck watching him...

[thetaoiseasy]

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Edited October 9, 2012 by thetaoiseasy

[thetaoiseasy]

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Edited October 9, 2012 by thetaoiseasy

[Birch]

It's interesting he's talking about this topic. I guess I agree with a lot of what he's saying. The main thing I think is weird about him are the pauses. And that he reminds me of Marlon Brando.

Not blissful for me, however.

 

 

[thelerner]

Haven't listened to it yet, but I will. I like the idea of putting up particularly good videos and getting feed back on them.

Thanks Anamatva.

 

edit-listened to it. I've enjoyed many of his talks. This one I didn't. Felt I was hearing the same line hook and sinker every group uses to justify there beliefs. Everyone else is mind controlled, they're all conditioned; You should believe the real way.. my way.

 

Ajahn Brahms had a similar talk but he was clear on the individual finding your own way, the Americans are wrong, the Thai monks were wrong, as long as the prism is cultural conditioning its wrong. Griffin was in the same vein but got too wrapped up in the Good Us, the bad Them rhetoric. Ironically using the control methods he rallied against.

Buddha said it best, "Don't believe anything you see, read, or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts. Don't rely on logic alone, nor speculation. Don't infer or be deceived by appearances.."

Edited October 9, 2012 by thelerner

[Birch]

Haven't listened to it yet, but I will. I like the idea of putting up particularly good videos and getting feed back on them.

Thanks Anamatva.

edit-listened to it. I've enjoyed many of his talks. This one I didn't. Felt I was hearing the same line hook and sinker every group uses to justify there beliefs. Everyone else is mind controlled, they're all conditioned; You should believe the real way.. my way.

Ajahn Brahms had a similar talk but he was clear on the individual finding your own way, the Americans are wrong, the Thai monks were wrong, as long as the prism is cultural conditioning its wrong. Griffin was in the same vein but got too wrapped up in the Good Us, the bad Them rhetoric. Ironically using the control methods he rallied against.

Buddha said it best, "Don't believe anything you see, read, or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts. Don't rely on logic alone, nor speculation. Don't infer or be deceived by appearances.."

That's interesting. What mind-control techniques is/was Mark Griffin using?

 

[konchog uma]

Haven't listened to it yet, but I will. I like the idea of putting up particularly good videos and getting feed back on them.

Thanks Anamatva.

 

edit-listened to it. I've enjoyed many of his talks. This one I didn't. Felt I was hearing the same line hook and sinker every group uses to justify there beliefs. Everyone else is mind controlled, they're all conditioned; You should believe the real way.. my way.

 

Ajahn Brahms had a similar talk but he was clear on the individual finding your own way, the Americans are wrong, the Thai monks were wrong, as long as the prism is cultural conditioning its wrong. Griffin was in the same vein but got too wrapped up in the Good Us, the bad Them rhetoric. Ironically using the control methods he rallied against.

Buddha said it best, "Don't believe anything you see, read, or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts. Don't rely on logic alone, nor speculation. Don't infer or be deceived by appearances.."

 

bright observations Michael, thank you!

 

I still love him but lately i have been seeing some of the holes in Mark's approach myself, his mixing in of hindu terminology when talking about buddhist topics, and some things, like what you just pointed out, just seem like "guruspeak" instead of plain english, which i much prefer.

 

I think that buddha quote is one of my favorite things he ever said, thanks for sharing

[thelerner]

That's interesting. What mind-control techniques is/was Mark Griffin using?

well, mind control is probably too strong a word. He uses long pauses naturally, but there are people who use long pauses as a quiet way of shouting quietly.

 

K. I have something... .... important... ... to tell you. ... ... Everyone in your life... ... has been brain washing ... you... .... I am... ... telling you this.... because I... ... know.. the truth... when you realize... ... this... ... you will... $end money... ...

 

that's exaggerating a bit. I have one guided meditation where two stories are read at the same time that have nothing to do with each other or the subject, in this case procrastination. You hear them at the same time through different ear pieces. So you listen to one story on the left, another on the right. Nothing to do with procrastination, but you tend to focus on one story and the other is mostly missed. But at times lines in both story come together so they're saying the same thing. I think thats the power, the sublimity of two story lines connecting for a sentence. The style is disorienting but strangely relaxing. Again due I think to suggestions where words meet between the ears.

 

Regular hypnotic tapes use imagery and accenting suggestions a little stronger. Ofcourse that's what all good readers, actors and teleprompt reader do. I suggest we are more suggestible then we believe. I forget the street magician who'd ask people for a number and was able to repeatedly guess it. Turns out they'd been walking down Eighth street and several advertisements and boards on the way had prominent 8's in it. Didn't work all the time, but enough.

Edited October 9, 2012 by thelerner

[Birch]

well, mind control is probably too strong a word. He uses long pauses naturally, but there are people who use long pauses as a quiet way of shouting quietly.

 

K. I have something... .... important... ... to tell you. ... ... Everyone in your life... ... has been brain washing ... you... .... I am... ... telling you this.... because I... ... know.. the truth... when you realize... ... this... ... you will... $end money... ...

 

that's exaggerating a bit. I have one guided meditation where two stories are read at the same time that have nothing to do with each other or the subject, in this case procrastination. You hear them at the same time through different ear pieces. So you listen to one story on the left, another on the right. Nothing to do with procrastination, but you tend to focus on one story and the other is mostly missed. But at times lines in both story come together so they're saying the same thing. I think thats the power, the sublimity of two story lines connecting for a sentence. The style is disorienting but strangely relaxing. Again due I think to suggestions where words meet between the ears.

 

Regular hypnotic tapes use imagery and accenting suggestions a little stronger. Ofcourse that's what all good readers, actors and teleprompt reader do. I suggest we are more suggestible then we believe. I forget the street magician who'd ask people for a number and was able to repeatedly guess it. Turns out they'd been walking down Eighth street and several advertisements and boards on the way had prominent 8's in it. Didn't work all the time, but enough.

 

Interesting stuff. I figure you're right. I'm definitely suggestible (although it has been slowly improving, but it's a bit of a fishing net in there :-( ). Knowing this, I try to keep myself away from things that will work on me. Or if I find something that's creeped in, remove it. Case in point yesterday, I was watching a movie and could really feel the adrenaline working on me. It was only a movie! My pre-sleep mind was filled with the images I'd watched earlier that evening. No idea what they'll go and associate themselves with while I'm not watching. Or while I'm asleep.

 

I'm interested in this stuff but above all interested in the motivations of the folks that actively do it (attempt or succeed to control minds). Sure, it can be as petty as 'buy my product' but there's other stuff, some of it a bit more socially/culturally ambitious than that. I'd say that's the stuff I'm interested in.

[skydog]

hmmm my feelings when watching third eye feels pulsating a bit, heart does as well more open, more stillness more bliss, more quiet, also some strange fuzziness. (only aware of this feeling others thing recently so experimenting with it)

 

Anyways yes I agree with this...the more one meditates examines things, the more things (done to control people) get uncovered, perhaps I have it easy since I choose not to work, and isolate myself (try to find similar minded friends) also turning off the tv, radio, films, avoiding advertising...bla bla

[thelerner]

I was listening to some Ajahn Brahm audios (diydharma.org free!). He was saying the measure of meditational maturity was in ones deep living calmness. The fruits of long proper meditation was increasing peace. Calm is the byproduct of true reality perspective.

[Tibetan_Ice]

I was listening to some Ajahn Brahm audios (diydharma.org free!). He was saying the measure of meditational maturity was in ones deep living calmness. The fruits of long proper meditation was increasing peace. Calm is the byproduct of true reality perspective.

 

I was meditating, watching the breath a couple days ago and I saw nimittas.. The first one was a small bright white light but it quickly disappeared.. The second one, which occured about 5 minutes later was white light so bright and intense that it caused excitement and disturbed the stillness. That one was by far the brightest most intense white light I've ever seen. I must admit, I do have to deal with a fear of going blind. That light is so bright!

 

I really like Ajahn Brahm's teaching that the light is a reflection of the mind in stillness.

 

Also, this talk is pretty good, about the nimittas and re-incarnation..

It is the one called "2003-02-14- What is Meditation"

 

http://brahmstalks.wordpress.com/2003-2/

 

 

 

TI

[Aaron]

First thing, the first page of this thread is really disappointing. The speaker in this video made it a point to mention how we divide ourselves by pointing out people's differences, and here you are making fun of the guy because of how he speaks, very childish and mean. Second, I never got anything that seemed to me to indicate he had an agenda with this message, but rather he was just pointing out his observations.

 

I've made the same observations he has, maybe not as subtly, but I see them. Think about this, what do your children learn about in school, well what to think. They think that capitalism is a good thing, because they're told it is a good thing. They think that Christians are good and Muslims are evil, because they learn this from their parents, not the news.

 

Most of the things we believe are not our own ideas, but ideas that we have been BRAINWASHED into believing. That's what this guy is saying, but I get the feeling no one wants to hear that, then they might have to question their ideals and we can't have that.

 

Aaron

Edited October 10, 2012 by Aaron

[Birch]

I'm not seeing the 'making fun' part Aaron. Maybe it got edited out.

 

I have in mind the thread on the monk 'brainwashing 30 med students' up in the Buddhism section of the forum as well as the discussion here of potential brainwashing techniques used by Hardlight. I said I agreed with a lot of what Mark is saying in this video but there's something interesting about the appeal to being the only person in a group of 20 who can see the truth. I see that very much as an appeal to the part of people who would like to be special. It's like the current promo technique of putting 'You' on everything.

 

There's also something else I've been pouring over. It has to do with meditation stages or states. There are some IME that leave one so wide open that pretty much anything can fill it (Especially in the throes of kundalini stuff, you may believe anyone who offers to help you. This has also been my experience.) So best to be careful what it gets filled with:-) If it got filled with BS the first time round, it's still a possibility the second.

 

-- opinion alert--

[Creation]

At first I figured thelerner was referring to the "Us and them mentality" when he mentioned mind control techniques. But that can also give encouragement, a sense of solidarity, that you are not alone, that not everyone thinks you are a weirdo, etc. So I think it is rather one sided to say any time anyone is encouraging solidarity they are trying to control you, or at least doing the same thing that people who try to control you do, and it is therefore a bad thing to do. I agree that it is good to be mindful of how such things influence you.

 

As for the pauses, has anyone else noticed that that is where much of the magic happens? Mark is in a superconscious state when he gives these talks, so there is a lot of communication happening on subtle levels. For example, around 24-40 seconds in he says, "A person to do so has to have come to grips to some degree with the whole idea of who they are and what they want. 'Cause it's... [long pause]" and then, instead of finishing his sentence, he starts a completely new sentence. During said pause I felt a huge blast of energy in my solar plexus, which is the energy center dealing with "who I am and what I want". So as far as I am concerned, that sentence was finished energetically during the pause.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Creation

[Jetsun]

I noticed the gaps in the way he talks too, I thought he might be doing that as a sort of teaching like in meditation when you have gaps in your thoughts and gaps in your breath is when things really start happening. But it is right to question what's going on as it can be used as a hypnotic technique to interrupt normal flows in interraction, in some NLP techniques you intentionally do that by creating a gap in your speech or by doing things like widening your eyes, if you study people like the illusionist Derren Brown he does it all the time as you can add a hypnotic script to the subconscious that way, most people don't notice what's going on and are amazed when they say or do the exact thing he wants them to do; I don't think that is going on here as the pauses are too regular and obvious but its useful to be wary of these things, especially when it comes to gurus.

[zanshin]

Is he okay? I like the talk, but seemed like maybe he had a little facial droop on the left. Wondered if that and the pauses were due to something neurological?

[thetaoiseasy]

haha, you'll find many people with type of energy talk like this. when your energy is all in your head, language is not your primary faculty. He does the pauses because he's at loss for words. as he should be. but i doubt its any mind control or deliberate.

[Birch]

Creation, my take is the SP blast came from yourself as a reaction to the pause.

There's a story about a Sufi doing similar to a great singer. Singer refuses to sing unless he wants to. Sufi starts to sing. Great singer can't stand it, starts singing himself.

That, I reckon would play on the singer's SP.

 

-----opinion alert---