June 6, 2012

"Mysterious Buddhist Retreat in the Desert Ends in a Grisly Death."

NYT reports on a couple who were expelled had been "had been expelled from a nearby Buddhist retreat in which dozens of adherents, living in rustic conditions, had pledged to meditate silently for three years, three months and three days." In a cave in the Arizona desert, Christie McNally was near death from thirst, and her husband, Ian Thorson, was already dead. Their "spiritual leader was a charismatic Princeton-educated monk whom some have accused of running the retreat as a cult." You think?!
The retreat — in which adherents communicate only with pen and paper — was designed to allow participants to employ yoga and deep meditation to try to answer some of life’s most profound questions....

The monk who ran the retreat, Michael Roach... had described Ms. McNally for a time as his “spiritual partner,” living with him in platonic contemplation. What the other participants did not know is that before she married Mr. Thorson, Ms. McNally had been secretly married to Mr. Roach, in stark violation of the Buddhist tradition to which he belongs.

Even the manner in which Ms. McNally and Mr. Thorson left the retreat adds a fresh turn to an already twisty tale. It came days after she made a startling revelation during one of her lectures: she said that Mr. Thorson had been violent toward her, and that she had stabbed him, using a knife they had received as a wedding gift.

The authorities do not suspect foul play in Mr. Thorson’s death....
Oh, no. Why would you?

24 comments:

Crunchy Frog said...

What has this to do with the Walker Recall?

CJinPA said...

What has this to do with the Walker Recall?

The monks have organized a union. Nothing but silent chants, though.

Pilgrim in Progress said...

"a nearby Buddhist retreat in which dozens of adherents, living in rustic conditions, had pledged to meditate silently for three years, three months and three days.""

Did you know that the gestation length for a pig is three months, three weeks and three days? Karmic connection? Or just random coincidence? You decide which it is, and which is an illusion.

traditionalguy said...
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traditionalguy said...
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NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

What has this to do with the Walker Recall?

They were headed for Wilcox to mail their absentee ballots in and vote for Barrett.

Darrell said...

They had discovered the "Lost Dutchman" with meditation. That would have made all the difference in the Wisconsin recall. If only more people had know there was an election, Walker would be toast. Like Mr. Thorson.

Quaestor said...

Like the the mill that grinds slowly but exceedingly fine inexorable Nature kills off the hippies...

BarryD said...

Joe Arpaio went to Princeton?

edutcher said...

Shunning.

The Amish do this in OH or PA and people just leave.

In the Mojave, the logistics kill you.

BarryD said...

The Short, Happy Life of Ian Thorson?

In better times, this stuff was done with a safari rifle, and over more quickly...

David said...

Princeton will do that to you.

Synova said...

Organized religion has it's faults, but providing some measure of accountability is a good reason to favor the organized over the personality-driven.

Kirk said...
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Kirk said...

Truth follows fiction?

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/08/the-silence/8040/#

Donna B. said...

Ah well, what's more profound than death? All in all, a successful retreat!

Methadras said...

Paging Mr. Crack. Mr. Crack, you are being paged.

The Unknown Pundit said...

A man joined a religious commune whose members take a vow silence. Its members could speak one word annually on the anniversary date of their joining the group.

One convert, after being there one year uttered the word “food”.

The following year, this same convert uttered the word “bad”.

He received a note from the governing council of the group a few days later. He was being expelled as all he’d ever done in the two years he was there was complain.

Known Unknown said...

Yeah, but how much did it cost?

Why else would you run a cult?

Alex said...

This story is like a dog whistle for Crack.

The Crack Emcee said...

Methadras,

Paging Mr. Crack. Mr. Crack, you are being paged.

Alex,

This story is like a dog whistle for Crack.

You guys know what's incredible about this story? That anyone would suggest there was "no foul play" after the history these three creeps shared. I first covered their bullshit routine four years ago, when people were talking about Roach and "the Bill Clinton question," and now Christie McNally's other "husband" is dead? Puh-Leaze.

One day the rest of you are going to wake up to what cultism's doing to us, which - in my opinion - is more profound than the Walker recall that's dominating the news:

The Republican wins aren't "news" to me because I told you, months ago, they were going to happen. You guys are only going nuts about it because A) it's a way to pat yourselves on the back for nothing, and B) you don't listen.

Cultism is killing people, and destroying our culture, left and right, and it's eventually going to have a devastating effect on each and every one of us - individually or collectively. Walker's election isn't a "win" because - while it is a defeat for Obama - you've also set up a gain for Mormonism, so nothing's changed as much as you think. It's probably been made worse.

You don't see it, because you still see what you want to see, and your political celebration today is further proof you're blind - as blind as these fools in the desert.

Cultism is cultism, and none of you are free,....

Alex said...

Next thing Crack will define normal, everday consumerism as "cultism". So if I go buy a bottle of Jose Cuervo, that's cultism too. If I watch the latest episode of "Mad Men" - cult alert!

Wally Kalbacken said...

They were enjoying the 3-3-3 package.

Anonymous said...

Crack,

Cultism is killing people, and destroying our culture

Can you please define cultism? I understand that there are cults responsible for the deaths of people, to include murder, but do you have proof that this is somehow getting worse? Looking at the 200 plus year history of the US and the 400 plus history of Europeans in the Americas, there are plenty of cults. They look to be just as dangerous then as now. It seems to me they were more dangerous then than now.

Which part of the culture do you think is being destroyed? How are cults destroying them?

Calling me a fool isn't convincing me that you're right. You know what would? A clear definition of the culture you admire, a clear meaning of cultism and evidence that cults are destroying that culture you define.

Unless you can do that, you can suck it.