It's either a result of ignorance, or perhaps they derive pleasure from manipulating others. Or maybe it's a sense of superiority gained by looking down on others. There are many unscrupulous spiritual teachers who mislead and manipulate others for various reasons, sometimes leading them to expensive seminars.

Therefore, if you don't understand something, it's best to avoid getting involved in spirituality. This is something that people who have a certain innate understanding do, or something that should be approached with a long-term perspective, such as "it will take a while to grow, perhaps even until the next life."

Recently, there's been talk of "the times are moving faster," but that's something people with a foundation say. Things are also getting worse faster, so what seems like progress might just be an illusion.

There are people who are brainwashed by cults, spread things that aren't true as if they were true, sometimes stir up others with secrecy, promote a special teaching or group to incite separation and fear, and manipulate others through black magic.

The "evil" lies in the ultimate goal of "expanding influence," which is "power," and in the old days, that would be called black magic.

In spirituality, there are things that "seem understandable but aren't," or "seem true but are actually not." Saying such things isn't necessarily harmful, but they lead to having people attend their own seminars or sessions, charging high fees, or joining cults.

Therefore, it's best not to take phrases like "saving others," "helping people," or "saving the Earth" at face value, and it's best not to get involved if you don't understand them well.

For example, even a statement like "stopping thoughts" can be misleading if not properly understood. Thoughts are an expression of consciousness, but if you don't know what level of thought it is or what it refers to, even if you hear or understand it, it can go in the wrong direction. Understanding this requires study. However, people tend to perceive things only through their own understanding.

Can a spiritual teacher who boasts about "stopping thoughts" explain what that means? In most cases, they can't. When they try to explain further, they often become "irritated" and start yelling, "You have to stop thinking!" like a stupid person, or like a monkey or beast is screaming. Sometimes, you see this scene with a wild tone and a high-pitched voice, and you wonder, "How can that be a spiritual teacher?" They say things that suit them, have shallow thoughts, and reject questions to understand them more deeply, and they look down on others with a smug expression if their claims are not accepted. There are quite a few such ridiculous spiritual teachers.

Even if they use the expression "stopping thoughts," it's still acceptable, but they often force it upon others with a smug expression, as if it were a matter of course, or they say things that imply there's no other way, or they talk about things that are too shallow to listen to, and there are many such people.

Furthermore, there are spiritual teachers and cult groups that, for some reason, try to have you receive their (seemingly ineffective) healing, which then leads to an entrance to a high-priced seminar costing over 100,000 yen.

It seems that spirituality has strayed from its original purpose and has become a hunting ground for mere profit.

It's like the situation when Catholicism became corrupt and Protestantism protested. The situation at that time, where only the church could connect with God, is similar to the situation where cults and pseudo-spiritual teachers talk about God or the higher self. And just as Protestantism advocated for a more direct connection with God, there is a need to shift towards a situation where people can connect with God directly, without going through spiritual teachers or cults.

What would you call this, if not the corruption of spirituality?

I'm not a Christian, but I think this kind of story has probably been repeated throughout history. A part of the organization represents the word of God, and in response, there is a flow that emphasizes individual, direct dialogue with God, which is happening again in this era.

Spiritual teachers who mislead others and try to control them by boasting about things like "stopping thoughts" will have no future. In most cases, even if they call themselves spiritual teachers, they don't understand much. That's my feeling.