[omarchowdhury]

publisher: Noun A person or company that prepares and issues books, journals, music, or other works for sale.

You are not only preparing [publishing] it. You are creating it, marketing it, and billing for it.

Are you seriously going to try to bullshit us here? You are trying to shift blame regarding the efficacy of these products onto the authors (like Burt Goldman, "the 85-year-old man who jumps across universes" as your sales page puts it), which is obviously one of the very reasons you license authors to be the face of each of these products (the other reason is because people would rather trust personalities instead of companies).

If you really cared about "reaching a billion people with enlightened ideas" you would not be selling this BS...

[mvadmin]

We are in every way a publisher. And no, meditation is not BS. Google the scientific evidence. 30% of the US population bill themselves cultural creatives. They embrace yoga, alternative healing, meditation and more. We cater to that market. Another 30%, such as you, are billed modernist. They tend to shun religion, and by default anything that smells of spirituality. Both are opposing cultural ideas - but just because you don't believe in something does not make it false.

To understand this, read the work by socialogist Paul Ray. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cultural_Creatives

Now we cater for the Oprah audience - the cultural creatives. And have a crazy loyal following.

[davidw]

> you don't believe in something does not make it false.

What makes things false are empirical studies.

I'm cool with people catering to that market, but I think there's a fine line to walk between selling stuff that's maybe not really that useful, but makes people feel good about themselves, and snake oil. Yoga is probably beneficial for people; 'alternative healing', maybe not so much, in many cases.

I guess you can make the argument that people are going to buy that stuff in any case, but that's kind of going against the idea that you're making the world better, which was a very nice statement in the actual article.

[omarchowdhury]

I practice Buddhism. I also study Islam, Hinduism and Christianity.

I said your products are BS, not that meditation is BS. The Buddha's teachings are free, he preached his Dhamma to kings and peasants alike.

You've basically resorted to ad hominem because you know you are peddling scams, and you can't argue that.

And showing statistics proving there is a market does not change the nature of your business. That is analogous to me saying it's okay to sell illegal drugs because people buy illegal drugs.

[subpixel]

This is basically the Scientology business model: "you can solve your neuroses by paying us for tools and training": http://www.silvalifesystem.com/

[mvadmin]

sigh Scientology is a cult. Silva Method is a health program. Try looking it up before making associations based on your ignorance.