--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_re...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" > <curtisdeltablues@> wrote: > > > > It underlines the point that enlightenment gives you wisdom. > > The story I was referring to was when Trotaka revealed his > > enlightenment to the others. Shankara was insisting that they > > all wait for him [Trotaka] and the others snickered that he > > didn't understand it anyway. He came in singing his "cognized" > ? Trotaka stakham sp? verses revealing his complete knowledge. > > Which, coincidentally, just happened to be > a sappy love song to his teacher, expressing > his total devotion to him. THAT is what Maha- > rishi was trying to put forth as the primary > criterion of enlightenment. > > I memorized them on my TTC, it is a beautiful song. This is > > from a TTC tape on him. His wisdom came from his enlightenment > > and he put all the smartypants guys to shame. > > And his enlightenment came from being slavishly > devoted to his "master" and willing to do any- > thing that this "master" said, without a moment's > hesitation. > > Notice the trend here? > > > His verses were so perfect that it blew them away with his > > mental ability gained not through pulling all-nighters, but > > by his devotion and enlightenment. > > And the "lesson" being clearly taught here was > that the latter (enlightenment) came from the > former (devotion). Trotaka didn't have to "crack > the books" to get smart, all he had to do was > do whatever he was told to do by his "master." > > I'm just reiterating the point I made earlier, > that Maharishi was trying to cultivate that > sense of devotion to one's "master" that *he* > considered "the highest" in his students by > telling emotional "feel good" stories. This > story is NOT about Trotaka's intellect; the > intellect is presented as *secondary*, some- > thing that happened *as the result* of total, > unthinking bhakti.
Nailed and nailed! In fact, the development > of the intellect in the other students is > what is being presented as "secondary." They > are being presented not as happening as Trotaka > because they were not as "sold out" to their > "master" as he was. > > I'm not saying that this theory of enlighten- > ment through devotion is unique, nor am I sug- > gesting that it's not valid for some people, > who are "made that way." What I am suggesting > is that Maharishi, by telling this story over > and over and over, was trying to establish it > as *the* path for people who might NOT be > "made that way." In my estimation he clearly > saw total, unthinking devotion to one's > "master" AS the "highest path," because *he* > was "made that way," and he wanted to remake > all of his students over to be like him. > > I am gracious enough to believe that in the > beginning he did this because he really thought > that *his* path -- the only one he was capable > of because *he* was not a great intellect or > drawn to any of the other many viable paths to > enlightenment -- was the best path to teach > others, "for their own good." But at the same > time, I think it is important to remember that > the "master" that Maharishi was teaching his > students the value of being slavishly devoted > to was HIM. > > I believe that on one level Maharishi may have > been trying to convince his students that bhakti > and slavish devotion were good things because > in his opinion they could lead to enlightenment. > But on another, I equally believe that he was > trying to establish that same unthinking devotion > towards HIM in his students that he was talking > about in Trotaka. > > Forty years later, the unthinking devotion is > all that remains, with nary an example of it > having led to enlightenment in sight. (Or at > least not as recognized by Maharishi or the > organization he founded.) >
