The Bright Path Reviews 

CULT WARNING! STAY AWAY OR LEAVE NOW.

As someone who was deeply involved in this organization for over 10 years, I can 100% confirm that 'The Bright Path' is a cult. It may look all 'love and light', from a distance or at the start, but it has a dark side, that if you get involved can harm you - mentally, emotionally, spiritually and sometimes even physically. Don't be drawn in by the pretty marketing, the charismatic ‘leader’ or smiling 'monks'.

The self-appointed leader, who wants to be referred to as 'Maharishi', is a narcissist, sociopath, control-obsessed, manipulator. If you google 'narcissist' - he checks every box. Even worse, he appears to take pleasure in covertly hurting people. He is a bully and he shames people into obedience. Although he acts humble, he expects you to stand up when he walks into the group meeting rooms, and he subtly pressures you (using spiritual concepts) into being his 'student' - so you then take vows to 'surrender' to him.

From first hand accounts from people who have no reason to lie, and from what I have witnessed, I know he has abused a number of his 'students' - verbally, mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically. He is an actor, playing the role of 'enlightened guru' and he is a fraud.

Recently, word got out that 'Maharishi' had physically attacked one of the female 'inner circle' Bright Path meditation teachers - when he was drunk. To distance himself from the problem, 'Maharishi' quickly dropped her as one of his 'students' and removed her from the organization. Proof of guilt, in my opinion.

Because of this, and other reasons, over 200 of The Bright Path' monks/meditation teachers left the organization. This amounts to around half of the organisation's teachers - all leaving after proof surfacing of abuse.

'Maharishi' (and his loyal inner circle of enablers) then tried to cover up the truth by saying the ones that had left were 'conspiracy theorists' - along with other lies. Not the actions of a so-called ‘spiritual organization’ that promotes itself as being dedicated to 'the healing of humanity'. And certainly not the actions of 'conscious meditation teachers' who have anything useful to teach you about spirituality.

This is not the first time that the leader of the organization (‘Maharishi’) has been accused of physically attacking women. This is not a safe or honest organization.

At the beginning of your journey with ‘The Bright Path', it can all look innocent and positive. The 'monks' (a.k.a. meditation teachers who've paid thousands of dollars for the privilege to promote the 'techniques' and organization) can all appear to be happy and peaceful, but there is a dark side to all of them. Namely, they now all know that they are involved with an organisation and 'spiritual leader' who has abused people.

They have been trained to 'look the other way' and discard anything negative about 'Maharishi' or 'the organization'. They have been told it's just 'gossip' or a 'distraction'. Or if it hasn’t happened to them personally (yet), then they are told to just ignore it.

DO NOT ATTEND A 'FIRST SPHERE COURSE' with any Bright Path monk. Every 'meditation teacher' still involved in this organization is COMPROMISED as they know the truth, but choose to hide it, and/or are too conditioned or scared to leave. Do you really want to learn about meditation and spirituality from people who are brainwashed and living in fear? All of the meditation teachers have gone through a six month 'teacher training', which has conditioned them, removed their critical thinking, and made them believe they are involved in a 'sacred spiritual path that will save the world'.

I am one of the monks/meditation teachers who left two years ago and I am still recovering from the manipulation, abuse, coercive control, mind-games, and bullying that I experienced during my time involved in The Bright Path Cult.

Do not trust the so-called 'Maharishi'. Do not trust the so-called 'monks' / meditation teachers. Do not trust The Bright Path organization. They will most likely use you, abuse you, take your money, time, confidence and eventually spit you out - when they are done with you and you are no longer of any benefit to them.

Finally, a word to any of the 'monks' still involved, who may be reading this: Nobody intentionally joins a cult, they join what they believe is a good thing. It's not your fault that you put your faith in the wrong man. He is not a 'Maharishi'. He has not 'transcended the illusion'. Actions speak louder than words. The 'teacher-student' relationship with him is based upon a lie and an illusion. You are free to walk away, and you can. Although uncomfortable to accept, you know the truth. Transcend your cognitive dissonance, see through the fakery, and take your life back.

I learned ascension techniques in 2009 and it was wonderful. Fabulous warm teachers. We continued in the small town where I lived, gathering at someone's house. A couple of lovely Ishayas moved to town and facilitated our groups, and it got even better. But.
1. visiting Ishayas would push hard for us to get more and more techniques (meditation thoughts). At $100 a technique. Like, seriously push.
2. a couple of us (not me) went to deeper training in Mexico and it got a bit out of hand in demands and expectations for the rest of us.
1 and 2 sound cult-like? Yeah, me too.

Then more people joined who were, shall we say, determined to dominate discussions. The two monks were able to contain them, but then they left and the group fell apart. No one wanted to go any more as it became a 'listen to me' and a therapy session.

So then a couple from a town a few hours away came to facilitate day long meditation retreats regularly. They were completely unable / unwilling to shut down the incessant chatter. We had a day-long meditation retreat, and got a whole 90 minutes of meditating in. The rest of the day was listening to people moan and literally cry about the hard things in their lives (not what the day was about at all), or listen to one lady go on and on and on and on about her deep retreat in Spain and how wonderful MSI was. This after despising him for years for mysogyny and hypocrisy.

That's not what I want on my meditation retreat day at all. And I was getting more upset every half hour and it was visible. After the day, I got a condescending email from the male Ishaya saying he would pray for me.
That was the end for me. He destroyed my love for the techniques by belitting and criticizing me.

They're still great techniques, but Rob and Bettya (I'm not gracing them with monk names as they're not deserving of them) totally and utterly destroyed my peace.
Another lady is quite spiritual, and she also got reprimanded by Robert for talking about spiritual things.
Those two monks (they've now moved out west, lucky BC), should be totally removed from the organization.

Be warned before you jump into this organization with an open heart and a desire to know thyself, god, universal love…its a trap!

This organization claims to own the ancient techniques of Ascension which have been around for era’s.

Ascension meditation leads you to your heart and is amazing. If you want to learn these beautiful techniques find yourself a teacher to learn this from outside the Bright Path!!! The Teaching of the Ishayas Ascension has evolved into a more whole, human, real, female energy and inclusive approach… welcoming every experience incl emotions, senses and dealing with past hurt - that The Bright Path all denies (because they neglect to look at this themselves and have no experience with).

The people at the center of this top down organization have lost their purity and sense of reality a decade ago and are conditioned into power and financial benefits. With their emotional and spiritual manipulation, which filters down through all their brainwashed teachers (trained by these people), it’s almost impossible to see. Hence this friendly warning to you heart.

Their leading teacher is the guru AND the financial and commercial leader. The time of the guru is over. That’s why 400 of their best teachers run away over the last yrs, there almost no teachers left in this criminal organization - just the conditioned, fearful ones with no authenticity or voice. They are working so hard to hide the truth but energy doesn’t lie.

Go well, use your intuition, before you decide to attend any of their courses

The Bright Path is a cult. It may seem innocuous, but the way it wraps their followers in their belief system leads to hundreds of people disconnected from themselves with an abducted mind. Once in, it is hard to spot or get out of. Like cults do.

Not to mention their "guru" is a narcisstic sociopath that abuses and shames people all behind a mask of enlightenment and holds no accountability because he is "not responsible for the words he says" since it all comes from the source or silence.

People are expected to serve because it is the quickest path to englightenment which is convenient since they have dozens of people working for free or for pennies. No benefit, no pay raise, insurance, no nothing.

They say their mission is to help heal humanity but in reality they teach people how to be disconnected from everything that makes them human. The games and constant moving goal post that happen in that place can tire anyone´s will. Which, of course, is part of what is expected of you. "Surrender your will to the will of God and you will be free." Which basically means, surrender to the leader and his flying monkeys.

There is a constant mask of happiness that if you scratch the surface you will see that the "examples of enlightenment" are nothing other than people suffering and constantly using all their energy to push down, ignore, deny and deflect their true feelings and thoughts. The better you get at this, the more put on a pedestal you are.

They put people's wellbeing in their hands with zero knowledge or regard for their mental health (they say they do, but not really). It is disastrous what happens in there.

The guru controls the lives of his "inner circle" and many others that are constantly trying to be a part of it. From telling them what to do or not to do (behind the mask of "if it serves their growth", which usually means if it will benefit him or them), to constantly playing triangulation, creating conflict and shaming, mixed with love bits, so they keep trying to get his approval. All the games sociopaths play.

This cult claims to be the only true guardians of the only true teaching (as all cults do), and they say you are free to go, but if you go that means you really didnt want to become englightened in the first place (manipulation) and you will lose all connection to the "lineage" - "god"- you name it. They claim they belong to a lineage of enlightened beings, and only if you remain in that lineage can you keep the teaching pure.

And there are five appointed teachers to take "students" (aka to help them be engligthened) which are all dysfunctional traumatized humans that cannot move a finger without the approval or instruction of the guru -who still controls the whole thing.

The whole thing is a scam.

The meditation techniques are effective, yet in no way shape or form do they wake you up to your best self or whatever new slogan they have now. Nor they are mystical sentences used by Jesus Christ and protected for thousands of years until the world was ready to wake up. No. The techniques were created by a man who clearly had a brilliant mind and was able to create the whole mistique around it, and also enjoyed sleeping with underage girls and allowed sexual abuse in his meditation center, in the name of "letting go of your attachments"

His self proclaomed successor claims to be pure, but there have been women coming out with their stories of sexual harrasment which he keeps swept under the massive rug they call "Silence".

Do not come close to this place.

The bright path is a cult. The head of the organisation is misogynist and sociopath. Users meditation techniques as commercial hooks and to control others.

The Bright Path is a cult. Make no mistake about it. It has one leader who controls everything. The people, the money, the narrative. His name is Maharishi krishnananda ishaya. Birth name is Bill McConnell. 

The devotees wear white, black or red clothing, adopt Sanskrit names and take vows - yes VOWS! - to this man. 

Typical cult group thinking happening here and anyone who has the balls to question anything is told to "choose for the silence, you are in your mind, what part of you is questioning anything?" 

The danger here is the lack of autonomy and encouragement for people to THINK for themselves, because one of the goals is to not think. 

STAY AWAY from The Bright Path Ishaya.

The underlings, Manyu, Jaya and Priya... cannot think for themselves. Priya is so far up Bill's bum that she cannot see any light. They all use "WE THINK" because they are copy cat wannabes.

Jaya = control
Manyu = denial
Priya = emotionless
Bill = narcissist

Be warned.