--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "lurkernomore20002000" <steve.sun...@...> wrote: > > I couldn't listen past about one minute. But it appeared to be going from > blissful this, to very blissful that, to very, very blissful this and that. > I don't know where it was going to end, but I'm thinking he was going to have > to invent some new superlatives at the rate he was going.
I watched the whole thing with fascination. The building project impresses me as an attempt to preserve a dying aspect of Indian culture and religion. I don't know the back story of the pundit boys, so I don't know if they are being saved from far shittier jobs or are being exploited into focusing on a skill which is basically unmarketable when they probably should be learning how to design circuit boards. But the concept of preserving the tradition of chanting in a world that couldn't care less mostly appeals to me. As wrong as I may think Maharishi is in his interpretation of what the whole Vedic chanting thing means, it is a beautiful tradition and I hope it doesn't die too soon. It is a link to part of our human past. The young "Purusha" man who narrated it was the Valedictorian (a word I could not spell without spell-check assistance!) which means that aside form being earnest and a good doobie, he is a very bright kid. I understand this phase of his intellectual life, but I can't help thinking that he could do better. Parroting the phrases of Maharishi instead of his own thoughts disappointed me, knowing full well the self-satisfied buzz of repeating words that you believe are absolutely RIGHT! There were a few specific areas I want to comment on. In the written intro he claims: The atmosphere here is absolutely incredible! I can feel that the Vedic Pandits are blessing the whole world. All we need is 8000 and then the world's problems will simply fade away - just like turning on the light instantly eliminates the darkness... My problem is that he is confusing his feelings with his beliefs. Of course they feed each, other but here he is using this feeling as the basis of the belief because it sounds more solid than to say the truth that someone TOLD him that their singing has an effect on the world. This critical erosion between fact and fantasy will plague him in his thinking until he gets out of the trance state that mushes these distinctions into one big happy feeling. Believing that feeling strongly about something makes it more likely to be true, "Truthiness" ,is a term of derision, not a celebration of enlightenment. In the slide show he claims that the feeling of the pundits were more powerful than the temple, again reiterating the belief that Maharishi's teaching is occupying the top bunk in the prison of religion and spirituality, and if anyone is going to have to leave the cell to turn tricks for cigarettes, it will be the punk religion. (Sorry for the prison analogy but I just finished watching one of those gritty MSNBC specials on the prison code so that is what comes to mind!) It is an aside that implies the hierarchy that we know is in Maharishi's teaching without having to say "Religion go to the top tier in cell block 7 and service 'Big Dog's' big dog for a couple of Lucky Strikes. Then come on back so I can hit ya where the good Lord split ya, after you toss my salad, and before I lose your puck ass in my next card game with the Aryan Brotherhood. (Top that Bukowski!) Finally I would like to object to the claim that the pundit boys are somehow specially full of happiness and bliss implying it has ANYTHING to do with what they are all up to. I do shows for inner city kids with crack moms and they exude the same charm. Its called being a freak'n kid. It is what they are. Making a big deal about it in the context of any Maharishi school (before they grow up and discover "kine bud", tip of the hat to Kirk) is ridiculous and insulting to humanity and our intelligence. In fact taking credit for TM people being cheerful because they go to bed early and take plenty of naps is also self-serving and deceptive. "Oh the peaceless and suffering humanity" as Maharishi condescends. They hold freak'n jobs wile raising kids without an institutional support of nap time which conveniently also gets them away from the very demanding job of raising a human with an insatiable need to grow neural networks by asking "what is that" and "why?" about everything in their line of vision for 14 hours a day. Oh yeah, one last last thing. Asher, don't give up on girls (or boys if that is your thing.) Your intelligence may make you feel a bit awkward, but you will find your groove in time if you practice. From the perspective of decades in your future, you will NEVER remember a particularly blissful meditation, but you will laugh out loud every time you think about getting deliciously drunk on a bottle of cheap Riesling with that saucy German au pair, and trying to make love quietly between giggles under the bedroom of her hosting family. > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Archer" <rick@> wrote: > > > > From a friend: > > > > Asher Ferguson, one of our young Purusha and this past year's MUM > > Valedictorian, is now working with Bevan in India. He created a delightful > > slideshow of the rising complex at the Brahmasthan: > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFUIIag6To > > > > > > > > Asher writes: > > > > > > > > The atmosphere here is absolutely incredible! I can feel that the Vedic > > Pandits are blessing the whole world. All we need is 8000 and then the > > world's problems will simply fade away - just like turning on the light > > instantly eliminates the darkness... > > > > > > > > Wishing you all the very best, > > > > > > > > Jai Guru Dev > > >
