Interesting ... the only contact details and domain registration details given are;
taotraveller.com wrote:Registrant: Saligram Studios, 65-69 Pound Lane, London NW10 2HH UK
which may sound familiar as it is the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University's Global Co-operation House, aka London BK center.
Just a postscript on Taoism. Taoism is a collection of philosophical approaches to living derived from ancient China. Roughly translated, it is used to mean the flow of the universe, or the force behind the natural order and often very poetically describes a way of life in harmony with that flow which if practised well if claimed to lead to supernatural results. It is also connected to particular ethics and value systems. Perhaps its most famous book, and a recommended read for anyone, is the Tao Te Ching. Whereas BK might be about a final destination, Taoism is more about the immediate universal path in front of each and every one of us.
Taoism has pretty good press and is highly regarded in the West. It has not suffered public criticism or excessive behaviour of lustful, greedy gurus, it has not led to cults, it does not manifest in the tawdry fashion that many Indian religions do. Largely, it is very reasonable, non-materialistic and presented very well. I am absolutely sure that the Ramsays, inc have a very high regard and attraction to it ... but it is not BK Gyan.
It is also a reasonable spinner for many new agey types writing books etc and a few seminar guru. Stick "The Tao of ..." in front of your book title and it will be popular with a particular audience in a way that books on Nazis, sex or kittens will be popular to others. Indeed, so much so that I must sit down and write, "The Tao of Nazi Sex Kittens" and include a BK Jayanti meditiation commentary ... it will bound to make me rich, famous, increase my status and then I will be able to use it on my CV to gain other opportunities.
The arts are a very high risk, high reward speculative market in which many people have to invest their time and money for nothing in order to reap cumulative rewards in the future which are often valued on the basis of percentages if a project is successful. Value is very largely based on exposure not necessarily virtue.
Personally, I am upset at the BKWSU ... AGAIN ... latching onto and piggybacking on someone else religion, spirituality and credibility, using it as a guise to promote their thing. For me, they and their spirit guide (who ever he may be) have been doing so right from the beginning of the Yagya. Despite its claims to be the origin of all religions, it is has always been a parasitic, syncretic religion picking, choosing and accruing added values from others; Raja Yoga ... Shiva ... Krishna ... Brahma ... a bit of Sikh here ... a bit of Abrahamic monotheism there. For a religion that claims to promoting "being your true self", why does it not just be its true self? Words or actions, folks?
Taoism is the path of ignorance to these people. It is stumbling in the darkness. It is futile seeking with no god and no enlightenment at the end of it. It is Bhakti, and we know the condemnation that word is used with.
So why go hiding behind it to pull the crowds in because the hoodoo voodoo of rank Hindoo-ism is not good enough, or appealing enough to do so? Is Gyan not good enough by itself? BKs go to someone else's spiritual treasure island to pillage without paying respect to where there is no one else to defend with counter threats and attorneys.
For me, it also exemplifies a fetish and over-valuing within the BKWSU for worldy talents virtues ... where putting on a "good show" is what counts most and damn the ethics of it all. It seem the BKWSU business franchise system has latched onto this obviously expensive international production and it is being used as this season's core service tool. I wonder how much and where the money came from? I wonder if external money has been used? The job of a producer is to pull in investment, manage the finances and return financial rewards. In real terms, such a production would cost 100s of thousands of dollars.
Coincidentally to other posts regarding the start of Bhakti, it looks like the film starts with an ancient book found in the earth. So it is pretty much par for the course Western BK seva.