Secret Teachings, The Internet, and the War for your Mind
Secret Teachings. Anyone who's been around spiritual circles long enough will eventually hear about or encounter the idea of secret teachings. Typically, these teachings started as 'mouth-to-ear' teachings, never written down due to the powerful nature; And major negative effects if practiced improperly. Over the centuries these teachings evolved and were written down. But kept secret either by using an obscure language, or literally hiding them in caves and monasteries.
Secret Teachings in the Information Age
Nothing could have prepared the traditions of the past for the Information Age. The spark that lit the proliferation of teachings on the internet and worldwide was the disruption of Tibet; Monks and families were evacuated and took with them whatever teachings they could. Spreading worldwide, these monks were no longer in monasteries and had to engage in the marketplace. Finding ways of making ends meet that did not rely simply on Dana, or generosity.
Many turned to writing. Writing in a crowded marketplace eventually leads to the proliferation of niche content - that is secret training.
The Cat is Out of the Bag
Now we live in a world where if you know the right search terms, names of things, you can gain access to some of the most carefully guarded secrets of the universe. This, has lead to proliferation of secret teachings in the form of easily digestible practices, like; “The Secret” or other manifestation practices. Traditionally these were used to manifest better body, speech, and mind in service of consciousness. Now it can be used for, well maybe a new Ferrari.
Traditions are now in a bit of a dilemma. The teachings are out, however their policies are still archaic. They still require major hurdles to be passed before full initiation and training in some of these advanced secrets.
Alternatives to traditions
The one thing about Nature I know to be true - is that she abhors a vacuums. This is true in any garden as much as a marketplace. If there is a gap in a market, she will fill it, and secret teachings is no exception.
The problem is that the model of a single guru and multiple students who come to train in person doesn’t scale well. Now some may argue that you NEED this type of in person instruction, however if you truly understood how consciousness worked, you would realize that time and space are not so relevant.
Especially in the Information Age.
Lighting a Fire in Consciousness
There is this push, for consciousness to grow, to enlighten. This push is Eros, and it is driving a massive unmet need right now. I can’t read a forum online where there isn’t someone seeking a qualified teacher - never mind one of the more advanced topics. The teachers that I do know are overloaded, and really not taking on many advanced students.
In absence of access to proper instruction, people turn to their default teacher, that being Google. And she will teach you anything, even if it’s done improperly.
Let’s be frank, consciousness wants to evolve, and there are forces trying to devolve it constantly. We are hitting a scaling problem with the current guru model, and some innovation is required. Little by little, I’m hearing this is being realized whether it’s in classical Tantra, Buddhism, or even the Mystery Schools.
Guidance to Open the Teachings
Numerous teachers I’ve spoken to have indicated that they’ve been receiving guidance to open the teachings. If we really look deeply at why many of the teachings were secret - it’s basically because there was a huge connection to physical presence and the body.
What that means is that you had to be in the presence of a physical teacher in order to receive the teachings. And many of these teachings would create a huge backlash from society if they were heard about (just read up on the burnings of witches, the Spanish Inquisition, etc).
The physical bodies
The physical bodies of the teachers, students, and teachings (books), were at risk. Secrecy was paramount because society was not ready to hold this stuff in consciousness. The teachings could only be released because a contract had to be formed between teacher and student to protect the teachings, and to ensure that they were done properly and in service of the greater good - not for selfish reasons…which leads to ruin for both the student and the teacher (think about the Agents in the Matrix - programs that seek out glitches and those causing glitches).
The Battle for your Mind
Now there are fragmented teachings out there, released by those who learned portions of this stuff on their own, disconnected from a proper lineage. This may be of some service to people who are seeking, however it is incomplete. It’s helping the scaling problem, but it’s also introducing potential for corruption.
The Buddha talked about an age where Dharma would no longer exist - and many thought it meant the destruction of the knowledge. We now know that this is simply impossible. However, the dilution of the knowledge is totally possible, and it’s happening. It’s happening because it’s out there, and no one is in control of it, and those who were in control of it before are still watching the front door of the barn while all the horses have gone out the back.
The Universe & Your Attention - The Secret Teachings
The Information Age is all about owning the most valuable resource in the Universe - your attention. What you pay attention to grows. So there are all these competing ideas in the marketplace - pornography, entertainment, religion, spirituality, etc… All wanting to stay alive by gaining your attention. How do they gain your attention? They provide you a glimpse of what you’re looking for.
We’ve all seen that there is a need to provide an ever evolving consciousness access to these advanced teachings. That need will be met - but by whom? That’s the real question. Will it be a pure signal that’s been protected for hundreds or thousands of years, or a fragment with obscurations introduced by someone who has some realizations and is trying to serve in the best way they know how?
The need will be met
Nature abhors a vacuum.
This is the war cry for those who hold these secrets to look carefully at the surrounding policies and evolve WITH consciousness, not against it. We are in an age of 7 Billion People, and scale is a real thing that we must look at least our bright light becomes diluted in the mud at the bottom of the sea of chaos.
Blessings,
Cian Kenshin - The Executive Alchemist
