Day 2 was a bit more lively as we got down to the business of "transformation." Given my experience the day before, I was determined to get something out of this. I was coming on faith and on my brother's advice since I had considered not returning after Day 1.
I decided to exercise more care in where I sat down before each session. There are some people who are taking the forum (I'd guess maybe 10%) who actually need more serious psychological treatment. After getting stuck beside one of those folks at dinner and having ungenerous sharing partners who were too wrapped up in their own drama to be present for another person, I decided to use my intuition more to find people vibing on higher frequencies.
I was rewarded in all of my partners. One was a lovely woman named F with a challenging past who was very wise and compassionate on one level even as she struggled on the human level in her own relationships. She reminded me a little of me.
With that success, I found myself seated next to S, who told me he'd been in the very first EST session in San Francisco. He had been sent by his guru to see the impact of what that movement had become. He told me how he'd introduced EST and founder Werner Erhard to the U.S. Space program in Houston as a young engineer making a difference for the astronauts and the program in general.
He told me that his own relationships were not perfect. They were a mess in his opinion, but that he was moved by how many people had had their lives changed indirectly from the work he'd done as one of the original 74 people in the very 1st seminar (Landmark bought out EST some years ago). He said it was incredible to know that through many many chains over the years, there were a few people in the room who were there because he had encouraged someone. Nine out of the 10 people he had encouraged to do EST or Landmark had said no thanks. But that 10th person always ended up to be a key person who affected the lives of all those around them. To know that hundreds of thousands of people, millions even, had been impacted -- he told me that what he saw was that you don't have to be a God to have a God-like impact in people's lives. He said that it gave him inspiration that at his age, he could still initiate something that would affect the lives of many others for the better even after he was gone. I said to him: Wow, now that you see what can happen in 30 years, think of what you can help create with this new knowledge! S smiled and got a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
I asked him if there had been changes in the program. He said oh yes, we did some really crazy things then -- it was San Francisco 1971! It has been made more accessible to a wider group of people. He was proud that the articles that said the hippies had contributed nothing were wrong. I agreed and said certain ideas have been mainstreamed into our institutions instead with little discussion of their origins.
I later ended up sharing this story with the other 110 people in the room which was very moving for all of us. The idea that you can have a God-like positive impact on others even if you yourself remain an imperfect being -- that inspires me, especially since I have met a few people like that and hope to be of service to others in that way myself someday...Session Leader R who told us he'd worked personally with over 500,000 people over the years thanked S in front of everyone for making this leadership possible which S told him was very touching for him.
S mentioned his new work in something called Synchronicity. I was curious about this and silently resolved to learn more since S was a cool dude. I ended up sitting next to a younger man B who turned about to be one of a delegation of American-based monastic residents who were attending Landmark in order to do knowledge sharing between their movement and Landmark. B told me later at dinner that it had started with one monk who did it. Then a couple more returned from Landmark changed. He told me, these were people who have been meditating non-stop using some of the most advanced technology around for over 10 years with a master who is enlightened. That such powerful people could benefit from the training was very intriguing and inspirational to B.
The session leader R told us that he'd taken Landmark Forum himself 27 years ago because he was curious and wanted to pick up a few business tips. What he got was a vastly improved relationship with his mother and this seemed to echo B's experience too.
It was fascinating and B was a great partner to have. S was part of their group too. I ended up meeting 2 more members of their delegation and today it's my aim to sit next to more of them if I can. The work they are doing in brainwave technology is something I too have explored a little and used to bring my meditation skills forward. Now that I know, they are not hard to pick out of the crowd. Sitting and talking with them was useful for me since we were able to speak in a different way about our experiences. What's remarkable about the Forum is that it is meaningful no matter where you are in your spiritual development, which is rare indeed.
I have to get going, but I have to say that Day 2 was worth my time. I only fell asleep once and got called out by one of the leaders! Ha! And that "minor epiphany" I had? Well, it turned out to be pretty major as I talked about it more. I also had been despairing about having to spend most of the beautiful weather locked in a windowless grey room. To my surprise, in the parking lot down where there are truck loading bays in this desolate, industrial part of suburban VA, I discovered a beautiful little neglected creek. I had to take my french snakeskin shoes off and navigate a few broken bottles, an old rusted muffler, some plastic bags and stones to get down there. But it was worth it -- a thin, peaceful and lovely slice of nature undiscovered. If I can, I'd like to show it to one of the monks -- I know they'd appreciate it coming from the woods outside Charlottesville.
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