I taught at MIU, as it then was. I do think there are advantages in everyone doing the same meditation technique, especially for young people who are just developing the habit of meditating every day. I'm not sure that a "do whatever you want" approach, based on the belief that all methods "are of equal value" is necessarily the best approach to encouraging people to meditate. The all-TM environment helped to ground many young people in an understanding of spirituality and helped them to communicate with others about it on the basis of common ground. If everyone was doing something different, just according to their own feelings, I don't think it would have been as effective.
I don't agree with your characterization of MUM as a "cult" college. MUM states its principles up front, very clearly. It has a specific world view and it teaches everything in the light of that world view. In the average college, that doesn't happen. It may take a long time for students to figure out the underlying assumptions that guide the teaching they receive (a very limited, secular, materialistic understanding of the world, for example). Some students may just passively absorb it without ever realizing what they are absorbing. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > On Sep 2, 2008, at 2:49 PM, feste37 wrote: > > > MUM offers a lot more than just Green. I don't see the two colleges as > > comparable. They have different purposes. > > > The original post was in terms of Green colleges. MUM is just behind > the times in terms of being green--yet they're the loudest and fastest > to market and shout their wonderful green Sthapatya Veda homes and > trailers, their organic farms and the newest non-farting building at > MUM, etc., etc. You'd have thought they'd at least make the list, > wouldn't you? > > No real surprise here, as often is the case with TM Org-based > "technologies", teachniques and services; it's mostly all hype, little > on delivery and substance, big on exaggeration and bombastiness. > Anyone can sound good 'on paper' Feste! > > So if I had the choice as a High School student and the time was now > (as opposed to when I went to college in the 70's), I'd pick CotA over > MUM. Very diverse student life: Buddhist meditators and speakers are > common, as are many native American tribes which visit and I'm sure > Hindu meditation like TM as well (but it's not forced or required of > course...). Centering Prayer had a big origin and focus in Maine as > well so that's common there as well. The Unitarian currents are really > prevalent throughout New England. Campus on the sea in a very cool > town, right next to a National Park (the mountains of the park > actually overlook the town). Ferry for Nova Scotia and easy ocean > access to other ports of call. (Shambhala is really big in NS) > > More freedom of choice is what I'd go for, knowing what I know now. > > Did you go to MIU? >
