i was bumming around new england in the 90s and found myself in need of a place to go. i had met members at some phish concerts where they were known for recruiting pretty heavily among the lost or disillusioned heads. "don't get on the bus" was good advice. they would offer people food and try to get them to leave with them. they handed out neat little magazines about the 3 eternal destinies of man and asking questions like why aren't i satisfied by drugs and rock music? they were kind of fascinating to me, and it was my only exposure at that age to any kind of communal living situation. at one point i called them up on the phone and spoke at length about how they lived and what they believed, and was warmly invited to come check it out for myself. so it was both opportunistic and anthropological, but i was much more of a seeker than a believer, and when the novelty wore off, i was ready for something different.