I went on a trip down memory lane to an archived version of on | SHIFT

I went on a trip down memory lane to an archived version of one of my earlier websites, Ascended Beings, where I shared this in 2006, and find it still is something that needs to be said given how many still get sucked into destructive groups:

Seeking a Spiritual Community

In a book called A Path With Heart, Jack Kornfield suggest some key questions to ask when considering a spiritual community :

In the spiritual community, are you asked to violate your own sense of ethical conduct or integrity?

* Is there a duel standard for the community versus the guru and a few people around him [or her]?
* Are there secret, rumors of difficulty?
* Do key members misuse sexuality, money, or power?
* Are they mostly asking for your money?
* Are they asking for your body?
* Are you not allowed to hang out with your old friends?
* Do you feel dependent? Addicted?
* Is the practice humorless (This is an important sign.)
* Does the community have a heaviness and an anti-life feeling about it?
* Are you asked to believe blindly without being able to see for your self?
* Is there something powerful going on that may not really be loving?
* Is there more focus on the institution and membership than on practices that lead to liberation?
* Is there a sense of intolerance?
* When you look at the oldest and most senior students, are they happy and mature?
* Do they have a place to graduate to, to teach, to express their own dharma, or are people always kept in the role of students and children?

Asking yourself these questions may save you from many years of misery and anguish so take some time to contemplate them and see if the organization you want to join answers those questions correctly.