When @_awbery_ first encountered TMI ~6 months ago, their initial reaction, oft repeated privately, was “all this purity stuff has GOT to cause harmful splitting.” Which they more recently said publicly, in terms that were perhaps too polite in retrospect. Unexpectedly prophetic.

FWIW best discussion of this I know of in a spiritual context is Kramer & Alstad’s _Guru Papers_. It’s a disorganized mess, but it lays out more explicitly than anything else I’ve read exactly why spiritual purification is both attractive & harmful meaningness.com/metablog/guru-…

That's all fine & good but I do think those who can should be critiquing methods & teachers before fuck ups occur. As far as I can tell, many so-called enlightened folks live in an expertise bubble in which they get little feedback, whereas they really need it.

Of course seeking purity leads to disassociation or in lay man's terms, bullshit & dishonesty. As another commentator mentioned to Kenneth's original tweet: we are animals first and foremost & John is no bloody different. He was just dumb enough to believe otherwise.