It is simply the work of ignorance, or perhaps, they enjoy manipulating others. Or perhaps, it is due to a sense of superiority through looking down on others. There are many unscrupulous spiritual teachers who mislead and manipulate others for various reasons, and sometimes lead them to expensive seminars.

Therefore, if you don't understand something well, it is better not to get involved in spirituality. This is something that people who have a certain innate understanding do, or something that should be viewed from a long-term perspective, such as growing somewhat by seriously training over a period of time until the next life.

Recently, there is a talk about "the flow of the times is accelerating," but that is something said by people who have a foundation. The negative aspects are also accelerating, so what seems like growth may often be an illusion.

There are people who are brainwashed by cults, spread things that are not true as if they were true, sometimes use secrecy to incite others, promote special teachings or groups to incite separation and fear among others, and manipulate others through black magic.

"Unscrupulous" behavior ultimately leads to "expanding influence," which is "strong power," and in the old days, it would be called black magic.

In spirituality, saying things that "seem to be understood but are not" or "seem to be true but are actually not" is not inherently harmful. However, they lead to their own seminars or sessions, charge high fees, or try to get people to join cults.

Therefore, it is better not to take good-sounding words such as "saving others," "helping people," or "saving the Earth" at face value, and it is better not to get involved if you don't understand well.

For example, even when it comes to things like "stopping thoughts," if you don't understand it properly, it will completely mislead you. Thoughts are a manifestation of consciousness, but if you don't know what level of thoughts they are or what they are about, even if you listen to or understand them, they can go in the wrong direction. Understanding this requires study. However, people often only perceive things through their own understanding.

If a spiritual teacher proudly talks about "stopping thoughts," can they explain what that means? In most cases, they cannot. When they try to explain further, they often start to get "irritated," and they yell, "You have to stop thinking!" like a stupid person, or like a monkey or beast screaming. How can someone with that barbaric tone and a high-pitched voice be called a spiritual teacher? They say things that are convenient for themselves, have only shallow thoughts, and when asked questions to understand them more deeply, they yell and reject them, and if their claims are not accepted, they look down on others with a smug expression. There are quite a few such ridiculous spiritual teachers.

Even if I can tolerate the expression "stop thinking," what I cannot tolerate is when people exert pressure and force that idea upon others with a smug expression, as if it were a matter of course, or when they say things that imply there are no other options, or when they talk about things that are shallow and not worth listening to. There are simply too many such people.

Furthermore, there are spiritual instructors and cult groups that, for some reason, try to make you receive their (ineffective) healing, which then leads to expensive seminars costing over 100,000 yen.

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

It's like the situation when Catholicism became corrupt and Protestantism protested against it. The situation at that time, where the Catholic Church claimed that only the church could connect with God, is similar to the situation where cults and pseudo-spiritual instructors 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 one can connect directly with God, bypassing spiritual instructors and cults.

What should we call this corruption of spirituality?

I am not a Christian, but I think that these kinds of stories have probably been repeated throughout history. Just as some organizations claim to represent the word of God, and in response, there is a movement that emphasizes individual, direct dialogue with God, this will likely happen again in this era.

Spiritual instructors who mislead others by, for example, smugly talking about "stopping thinking" and trying to force others to follow them, have no future. In most cases, even if they call themselves spiritual instructors, they don't really understand much. That is my feeling.