John de Ruiter

John de Ruiter (born November 11, 1959) is a Canadian nondualist[1] author who conducts meetings in Edmonton, Alberta[2][3] and abroad.

John de Ruiter
BornJohannes Franciscus de Ruiter
(1959-11-11) November 11, 1959
Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Canada
OccupationSpiritual teacher
LanguageEnglish
NationalityCanadian
GenreMetaphysics, Spirituality, Psychology, Philosophy
Notable worksUnveiling Reality (1999)
Website
johnderuiter.com

He operates a centre called the "College of Integrated Philosophy." However, the organization cannot legally be considered a college as it is not formally accredited by the Government of Alberta.[4] De Ruiter conducts his seminars and lectures from the Oasis Centre, a large auditorium venue in west Edmonton also used to host weddings and events.[5]

Notably, De Ruiter has been implicated in a number of public controversies, including accusations of being a cult leader by multiple independent news outlets,[6][7] and a civil lawsuit in which he was sued by two sisters, who alleged he was in a three-way common law marriage with both women simultaneously.[8] De Ruiter has been accused by former followers of using faith-based claims to coerce them into sexual acts.[9]

Profile

John de Ruiter was born on November 11, 1959, to Dutch immigrant parents in the town of Stettler in Alberta, Canada. He had a brother and two sisters.[2] While still a boy, he was taught shoe repair by his father, who had come from a long line of shoemakers from De Bilt in the Netherlands.[2]

De Ruiter claims to have experienced a spontaneous state of awakening,[1] at the age of 17. It lasted a year, then left him equally abruptly.[1] Following this experience, de Ruiter spent years in the investigation of mystical and philosophical traditions in an attempt to regain that which he had lost.[1] He concluded that no existing system, religious dogma or technique provided the means to fill the void felt by him.[10] According to de Ruiter's account, only unconditional surrender returned him to the state of awakening.[1][10]

He founded the College of Integrated Philosophy in 2005 in Edmonton. Here he holds weekly meetings when not traveling.[11]

Teachings

De Ruiter rarely addresses the whole group in public meetings but answers questions on a one-on-one basis with individuals from the audience. He often responds after lengthy pauses, sometimes of half an hour or more.[12][13][14][15] De Ruiter's unusual seminar practices have been the subject of reporting; VICE described his practice as the "staring cult."[16]

During these periods of silence, de Ruiter claims to be in a deep state of Samadhi.[17] De Ruiter's teaching style has been compared to oral-based teaching of Tibetan Buddhism where detachment and release are also key principles.[13][2]

Professor Paul Joosee, in his 2009 study of de Ruiter published in the peer-reviewed academic Journal of Contemporary Religion, concluded that de Ruiter's silences can inspire devotion in three ways. First, they may elicit projection. In other words, listeners often interpret silence as understanding. Second, silence sometimes serves as a punitive purpose, as a display of power. Third, combined with the act of gazing into another's eyes, silence can create intimacy of a kind usually exclusive to lovers. Followers may confuse an act that usually accompanies intimacy with actual intimacy and feel a loving devotion to de Ruiter.[18][12][19]

"Okayness" is central to de Ruiter's philosophy. It is best understood as "loving acceptance" that may exist even "in moments of intense sorrow or immense physical pain".[2] De Ruiter states that "Truth lives in each one of us," and that a high level of awareness that can only come from "core splitting honesty" is required to understand that there is no necessity to search.[2] De Ruiter is said to practice and recommend inner quiet and integrity on all levels of life, from the superficial to the profound.[17]

Controversies

Controversy concerning the movement arose in 1999 when, in a public meeting, de Ruiter's wife confronted him after learning that he was involved with two daughters of a devotee who had invested into the organisation. The sisters, themselves followers of de Ruiter, would later sue him in court for support.[19][20][21] In a sworn affidavit from Benita von Sass in 2013, she alleged that he claimed to be "Christ on earth" and "defying him was to defy truth, goodness and God. Accordingly, I (von Sass) obeyed and submitted."[8]

Further controversy has arisen in 2014 after the death of one of de Ruiter's female followers under mysterious circumstances and in 2017, after de Ruiter publicly admitted that he had had sex with a number of his female followers. He has referred to this as the Calling.[22][23]

Jasun Horsley's 2017 book Dark Oasis: A Self-Made Messiah Unveiled examines de Ruiter's life and teachings in critical and skeptical terms.[24]

Publications

Books
  • The Intelligence of Love: Manifesting Your Being In This World, Dragon Hill Publishing Ltd, 2015 ISBN 978-0-994882-00-4 (PB)
  • Unveiling Reality, Oasis Edmonton Publishing, 1999 ISBN 978-1894538008 (PB)

Audio CDs
  • True accompaniment, 2005 ISBN 1894748883
  • A renaissance of being, 2005 ISBN 1894748905
  • Sincerity and comprehensiveness, 2005 ISBN 1894748891
  • Sustaining being with being, 2005 ISBN 189474893X
gollark: We WERE meant to have an election. I'm sure this is planned, else we will need !gibson!demote!establish!communism!.
gollark: The rules are probably mostly okay ish.
gollark: Destroy mankind.
gollark: It's populace.
gollark: They're owner.

References
  1. Marvelly, Paula (2003). Teachers of One Living Advaita. New Age Books. p. 138. ISBN 978-8178221441.
  2. Brummelman, Neils. "Honesty is the Best Policy". John de Ruiter Website. Translation of an interview with John de Ruiter (originally published October 2010 in the magazine Paravisie). Retrieved 17 January 2017.CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. Christi, Nicolya (2011). 2012: A Clarion Call: Your Soul's Purpose in Conscious Evolution. Rochester, Vt.: Bear & Co. p. 207. ISBN 978-1-59143-129-9.
  4. https://www.alberta.ca/designated-post-secondary-institutions-alberta.aspx
  5. https://oasiscentre.com/
  6. https://thegriff.ca/2016/10/edmonton-cult-brings-spooky-stories-to-life/
  7. https://edmontonsun.com/2015/02/26/edmonton-cult-leader-john-de-ruiter-making-headlines-again/wcm/f006f4ac-f77f-4695-bfb0-b4ac132fa241
  8. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/edmontonspiritualleader
  9. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/staring-back-john-de-ruiter-alberta-spiritual-leader/article37071277/
  10. Parker, John W. (2000). Dialogues with emerging spiritual teachers (1st ed.). Fort Collins, Colo.: Sagewood Press. p. 43. ISBN 0-9703659-0-X.
  11. de Ruiter, John. "The Official Website of John de Ruiter". Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  12. Eaves, Elisabeth (8 November 2006). "Leadership 101: Be Quiet". Forbes. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  13. Dann, G. Elijah (2007). Leaving fundamentalism : personal stories. Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-55458-026-2.
  14. Polster, Kaya (2011). In Search of Freedom: A Memoir. eBookIt.com. p. 312. ISBN 978-1-4566-0605-3.
  15. Smith, Ryan (17 November 2006). "Study reveals religious leader's silent secret". Folio. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  16. https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/xd5eqz/inside-a-canadian-staring-cult-224
  17. Willis Toms, Justine. "The Direct Route to Awakening with John de Ruiter". New Dimensions Radio. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  18. Joosse, Paul (24 Nov 2006). "Silence, Charisma and Power: The Case of John de Ruiter". Journal of Contemporary Religion. 2006 (21:3): 355–371. doi:10.1080/13537900600926147.
  19. Joosse, Paul (2011). "The Presentation of the Charismatic Self in Everyday Life: Reflections on a Canadian New Religious Movement". Sociology of Religion. 2012 (73:2): 174–199. doi:10.1093/socrel/srr045. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  20. Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta Action no. 1603-0116-AC "Von Sass v De Ruiter", Edmonton, 07 October 2016. Retrieved on jan 2017.
  21. Hutchinson, Brian (2013). "When lovers turn litigants: Edmonton sisters sue spiritual leader for support". National Post. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
  22. "The Casualties of "Truth": Deconstructing John de Ruiter's Sexual "Calling"". Auticulture. 2017-04-11. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  23. "Are a spiritual leader's sexual relationships a calling or a dangerous abuse of power?". Globe & Mail. 2017-11-25. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
  24. William Ramsey Investigates (2017-12-02), Dark Oasis A Self Made Messiah Unveiled, by Jasun Horsley, retrieved 2018-04-17
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