--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Mason" <premanandp...@...> wrote: > > Interesting to note that apparently Maharishi was utterly convinced > that one can receive benefit from the enlightened, even after their > death, which to some extent accounts for his claim that he was >guided > by Guru Dev:- > > "Now after leaving the body nothing remains in the Relative, just > Absolute. Then how do we invoke and to whom? And if nobody is to be > invoked, then what is the use? > > Some such similar question I asked Guru Dev once, what happened was > naturally people come to the ashram from all over india to pay > respects to Guru Dev, once or twice a year according to their own > convenience. > > And when they would come they would narrate all sorts of stories, >the > child was sick or they had a law suit, all sorts of difficulties >and > then thinking of Guru Dev, that thing disappeared. > > And hearing all these things for a long time, one night I asked >Guru > Dev 'What is this?' These people don't even write to Guru Dev, Guru > Dev doesn't know they are in difficulty on the surface of life and > then how do they report they had a vision or some thought of Guru Dev > and then from that time everything started to be smooth? > > If they wrote a letter and the difficulties came to the notice of > Guru Dev and then they got out of their difficulty, I could > understand it, but they don't write letters. they just have the > devotion to Guru Dev and they have some thought of Guru Dev, > > And Guru Dev reply was 'It's the department of the Almighty and he > does it' " > > continued at:- > http://www.paulmason.info/gurudev/sources/text/MMY.htm > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> 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. 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.) > > >
Good piercing thread here with observations from folks who evidently were there & are thinking. Is a good recap of these things to the present. Explains some of what we've seen in the behavior.
