I hate to quote Adi Da, but it was him who made that statement and even tho he was a despicable man in my opinion, he did have some insights into the human condition.

The word 'cult' refers to a culture. A group of people who share the same values and ideas. Can you say that you're not one of those? Did you create all the ideas in your mind? Or were they given to you by your parents, teachers, friends and the greater society?

And when most people think of a 'cult' they think of brainwashed zombies who have no free will and are following the dictates and ideas of others. Is anyone really above that? Who is that rare person who has examined every single idea in his head to evaluate it's accuracy or usefulness? Have you? I doubt it. So although we like to think of ourselves as intelligent people, the truth is we are much more like Jim Jones and his Koolaid drinkers than we would ever want to admit.

Even the best thinkers that I've been exposed to have no idea where some of their beliefs come from or have even taken the time to wonder about them. I used to believe that this certain person was a Buddha, an enlightened being. But then when I really looked at his thoughts, I could see he was pretty chauvinistic and homophobic. And vain. Well, does that make him bad? No, it's not a question of good and evil, it's a question of accuracy and usefulness. And constructive and destructive.

What is required is a complete detachment from one's ideas of oneself. To view ideas as a means to an end and only that. If you identify with your ideas even a little, then you will be caught in this web of automatic action, of unconscious action and a part of you will remain asleep until you realize this is what you are doing.

I was going to expand on this concept but I think I have stated it completely. It's not really a complicated idea. It's a DIFFICULT to accept idea because it goes against what most people are doing. It goes against what is being taught in the most prestigious universities.

In the world of self-realization there are two things going on. One is the awakening of awareness to a higher level. The other is the complete transformation of the conditioned intellect. It must be done in that order and exactly the easiest way to accomplish this is not known as I have read precious few authors who even talk about this second phase of transformation. Most spend their efforts in trying to help others understand how awakening is even a real concept while at the same time trying to help them to understand that it is not a concept, but a change in awareness. And all the listener has is the conceptual mind to grasp this and usually the result is failure.

Well, you might think, I and anyone can grasp this truth that we need to be aware of how we identify with all of these conditioned ideas and change that. But I tell you it is a two-phased transformation. Without the greater awareness of awakening, there will be whole dimensions of experience that are needed in order to not just rearrange your inventory into a different seeming, but still the same basic illusionary library. You can't go to step 2 without step 1.

And yet, I am convinced 100% from over 30 years of research that this is exactly what is going on with us human beings and that all the drama that we see in the news daily and all the religious argument and warfare that exists is totally useless and pointless and has very little to do with this truth that I have observed.

And in my own experience, how we really change is to recognize this truth as being truth. But isn't this how it is with all truth that you own?