One common question: Why are the courses so highly priced?

Let me tell you something: Courses ARE NOT priced so high. I know there are popular personality development gurus who charge atleast twice or thrice or even more than the course registration amount in Life Bliss Foundation. A three hour talk to a 10-thousand crowd by Deepak Chopra is priced S$ 228 / 188 / 158 / 128 / 88 (courtesy: http://www.singaporesunfestival.com/2009/event-details.php?id=deepaksunday&cat=WELLNESS ).

I have no problems with Deepak Chopra charging atleast S$88 for a three hour talk. But don't say that a S$100 two-day 1st level meditation program - Life Bliss Program 1 (where lunch, tea, juice, snacks etc. are provided) or a S$150 one-day Kalpataru Program with the Master is costly.

Many say, "why is the three month program – life bliss engineering, USD 8000?" People keep asking, "why should it be charged so high. What do they do with all that money?"

Lets do a simple costing, shall we!!

(1) Lodging (incl. accomodation, laundry, house-keeping) = $5400 at $60 for 90 days.
(2) Food (8 to 9 course lunch, dinner, breakfast & snacks) = $1350 at $15 for 90 days.
(3) Local sight seeing = $600 for 3 trips at $200 per trip
(4) Local transportation, miscellaneous = $900 at $10 for 90 days.

Total cost = $8250. Oh! By the way, these are the minimum costs in USD. So if we do simple maths:
Cost = 8250
Sale Price = 8000
Net loss = 250.

First of all the experience of this program is priceless. Being with an enlightened master for 3 months is not a joke. You should come once and see and hear for yourselves from the inner awakening participants. After seeing the kind of facilities, the food, the arrangements etc., the participants say, "USD 8000 is nothing for this course when there are people who charge exorbitantly high for other courses where you can't even think of such deep spiritual experiences."

Actually people who complain about money are not really bothered about money. They are just looking for an excuse for any program. I have seen it many times. Some people who cannot afford it ask for discounts. Money is just a convenient and easy excuse. They simply are not interested and they want to make the other side look bad.

Many people generally thing, "everything should be free." Spiritual knowledge is also a knowledge. When you go to school, you pay fees. Why? So that you learn something there, to help bear the cost of maintenance of the place and the leftover amount can be further used to take that knowledge to more places.

Then why not spiritual knowledge being taught in ashrams or monasteries be charged. They are charged to those people who can afford to give and what they give is used again for those people who cannot afford it. So whatever is got from the society is sent back to the society. Unlike us, who are bound to the comforts of our house or our car, an enlightened master lives like a king with whatever he has because he is not attached to them.

People will argue, "It was free previously."

It was free because there were people supporting it all the time. Enlightened masters' works were always supported by kings previously. Not anymore.

Like I said, money is not a concern at all. It is just an excuse. I have seen people earning pots of money and having 4-5 houses in different parts of the city saying a couple of thousand rupees or a couple of hundred dollars as too high. You really think that is the truth!! These same people spend $2000 on a 7-day Star Cruise in Hawaii or a yoga retreat in Bali.
There are people out there just to criticise. Where is all this money going? I think this is going to be our next post. But let me end by saying, every penny you give is accounted for.