--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "pranamoocher" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > As the article states, I didn't realize MMY started the Movement in the > mid 1800's- is this really the case?
Yes, it is. Maharishi had heard about slavery in the United States and the bid to outlaw it by the North. He came in a desperate bid to preserve the system as it reflected the caste system of the Vedas and, he felt, promised the fastest route for evolution. Someone can correct me here if I am wrong, but I understand that he came over on steerage on the U.S. Constitution, arriving in the port city of New Orleans, Louisiana on May 22, 1859. A funny anecdote that Bevan Morris likes to tell is that when Maharishi disembarked at the docks, he was mistaken for a "Darkie" and immediately put on the auction block with some crazy Cracker pulling at his lips every which way in order to look inside his mouth and inspect his teeth! But, according to Bevan's version of the story, Maharishi apparently disarmed the would-be auctioneer with a giggle and a few swipes across the face with a coronation and a thorny yellow rose. But before you cast judgement on the man, Maharishi was quite clear that he believed that both slave and free Blacks were entitled to learn to meditate, although he insisted that they use a "walking mantra" until age 32. In his travels during this particular campaign, Maharishi would often cite himself as an example of a lower caste to demonstrate that this wasn't a case of prejudice on his side. He honestly felt that it was best for African-American evolution if they spent at least one life- time in servitude. Indeed, this was a form of "Bhakti Yoga" according to MMY and this one lifetime in slavery would propell one into at least a Cobbler/Blacksmith caste in the next lifetime. Ideally, one would reach Brahmin by the fourth lifetime by this method instead of, potentially, hundreds of lifetime if that silly old twat-beard Abe was listened to. As with many projects that didn't initially pan out, Maharishi got bored with his "Dawn of the Age of a new Slavery Caste" project and soon initiated the campaign to outlaw the newly discovered phenomenon of electricity claiming it rajasic and having the potential to interfere with brain waves if one stood too close to a kite.