Perspective

The author analyzes the western seeker/eastern teacher dynamic of exploitation from a variety of perspectives. Without explicitly saying so, and taking all those perspectives into account, she seems to be writing with the intent of drawing the attention of both cultures to the frailties and flaws of each other's systems and practices - the east, she says, is far from the idealized source of spiritual grace and selflessness that western need has turned it into. She is, in a sense, appealing to audiences in both cultures, saying to both east and west that the potential and reality of exploitation is inherent in the principles and practices on both sides of what was once perceived as a profound spiritual divide but which is, in fact, becoming less and less of one. In terms of the book's effect on the intended audience, there is the sense that, as the...