Thank you to everyone who contributes to this conversation. I am learning much that's important.
First, pay no mind to what's behind the curtain. Second, keep my thoughts to myself and remember that this is Maharishi land. When in Rome, do as the Romans. Third, keep my eyes open to the up-selling that will begin after school commences. Fourth, keep my own sense of balance and perspective. I am my Guru. Fifth, have fun. I will continue to read what's happening here, though I must admit, the amount of he said, she said, and finger pointing etc, had me choose to step back for a moment. In any event, I do appreciate you all sharing your truth with me. Cheers, Mike --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jst...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > Actually, the title of this little rant should > > be "See Raunchydog, Judy, ed11, Nabby, Off, and > > now empty_bill Run." See them chase the dreaded > > heretic up the hill, shouting "Anti-TMer! Anti- > > TMer!" at the top of their voices. > > As I mentioned elsewhere, and as Barry knows, I > haven't called him an "anti-TMer" in a long time. > > > And why? > > > > Because I posted a parody of what Raunchydog > > actually *said*, putting it into perspective. > > She "went off" on how TM was the only tech- > > nique she ever needed to learn, and that any > > suggestion that she should ever learn another > > technique was offensive to her. > > No, that's not what she said. > > So I rewrote > > what she had said as if she had settled for > > the first book she had ever read, and thought > > that it was the only book she ever *needed* > > to read, ever in her whole life. > > > > And then I just sat back and waited. She and > > Judy did the rest. I merely pointed out that > > their reactions -- and the "TM supremacy meme" > > that is at the basis of those reactions -- to > > you, Mike, so that you could see what you're > > going to have to deal with when/if you go > > to Fairfield. > > And as Mike knows if he's read the traffic, > there was no "TM supremacy meme" at all in > anything I said. > > > AND EVERY SINGLE PERSON HERE KNOWS > > THAT WHAT I'M SAYING IS TRUE. THEY > > HAVE SEEN IT HAPPEN OVER AND OVER. > > Anybody who's been reading this thread knows > it isn't true, in fact. > > > You *will* be thrown out of MUM if you persist > > in thinking that you have the right to practice > > a technique of meditation you think is "as > > good as" or better than TM. So no one on this > > forum has even bothered to *challenge* that, > > or deal with it at all. > > > > Instead, they went on a "Shoot the messenger" > > kick. And I think that everyone here knows why. > > To the extent there was any "shoot the messenger" > kick involved, it was because Barry simply refuses > to transmit his message honestly. > > > It has to do with my choice of *which* book I > > suggested that Raunchydog had chosen to "settle > > for" as The Only Book She Ever Needed To Read. > > I picked the name "Dick and Jane Meet Lassie." > > Uh, no. That's the kind of silly insult Barry > engages in so routinely it's not even worthy > of comment. > > > THAT is why these folks are in full "Gotta get > > the anti-TMer" mode, and have gone a little crazy > > behind it. They feel that they have to lash out > > at the person who implied that TM was on the same > > level as a first-year reading primer, and that > > by settling for that technique to the point of > > never being willing to try another, they had > > effectively settled for having read only one book > > in their entire lives, and being content with that. > > Contrary to Barry's lies here, my comment on > his Dick and Jane bit was limited to what he > said about knowing exactly what to expect from > TM because nothing different ever happens. > > I noted that this doesn't describe my experience; > to the contrary. And that's *all* I said. > > Later, in response to another of Barry's lies, > I pointed out that raunchydog and I were saying > only that sticking with TM was right *for us*. > > And I wondered why Barry, who has never found a > teacher or a technique to stick with, gets so > *angry* at those who have, especially given his > repeated claims that he has "nothing to prove." > > That's why *he's* freaking out now. > > <snip> > > Of the 50+ techniques > > I have been taught over the years, I would say that > > at least 4 others were essentially the *same* as TM, > > two of them using the same mantras, all of them > > using the same basic instructions. The *only* differ- > > ences between the techniques were the methods in > > which they were taught > > No need to get into it here, but the differences > in how TM is taught are crucial to the issue of > whether other techniques are "essentially the > same as" TM. > > <snip> > > And I'm > > not even "anti" someone like Raunchydog or Judy being > > so happy with it (or so incurious) as to never want > > to try a second technique of meditation, ever in their > > lives. > > First, Barry's claim that he isn't "anti" our sticking > with TM is transparently false. > > Second, if TM were to stop working for me, or if I were > to hear of another technique that I thought was likely > to provide better results, of course I'd try it. > > > The only thing I'm "anti" is the continued, anti- > > intellectual insistence, even in people who should know > > better, that TM is "the best" technique of meditation > > in the world. > > Of course, neither raunchydog nor I made that claim > in this discussion. > > The claim I *would* make--my working hypothesis, which > is subject to change--is that TM is the most efficient > technique for development of consciousness currently > available for householders. > > > It's *fine* to say that TM is a great technique of medi- > > tation. It's *fine* to say that it's such a great tech- > > nique that -- for you -- there is no need to ever try > > another. What it's NOT fine to say is "TM is the best" > > *if you have never tried any other techniques of medi- > > tation after learning TM, or none others, period*. > > > > If that is your situation -- and it *IS*, as far as I > > can tell, Raunchydog's, Judy's, and ed11's situation -- > > then you have *no basis* from which to make that > > declaration of "bestness." > > > > Interestingly enough, this was the basis of the first > > time Judy went crazy and went into "Gotta get Barry" > > mode back in 1994. I called her on making this same > > "TM is the best" statement back on alt.meditation. > > transcendental. > > In other words, Barry went into "Gotta Get > Judy" mode. > > (At least this is the first interaction > > I could find last night, when contrary to what Judy > > claims the Google search engine was working *just fine*.) > > It wasn't working when I tried it last night, and > it's not working this morning either, at least > here in the U.S. > > I've put a longer response detailing the results I'm > getting with Google Groups search in separate post. > > > I called her on repeating ad nauseum her "the best" > > claim, she wrote to me in email (pretending that it was > > because she wanted to discuss 'details of the practice' > > that weren't appropriate to being posted, which she > > *never* discussed), > > Because we never got that far, as Barry knows. > > and then I asked whether I could > > repost some of the things she had said in that email > > to the group, to further the discussion. > > > > She went crazy. > > Translation: I said no. And for good reason, which > you sure aren't going to hear from Bary. > > I think I'll go and dig up this private exchange > from the archive of my email on my hard disk. As > I've said, I keep private email strictly private > *unless* the other party chooses to lie publicly > about what went on in the private exchange. > > She's been crazy ever since. She has > > been calling me an "anti-TMer" ever since. > > Lie, as I've already pointed out. > > > I'm *sure* she'd like to portray the interaction some > > other way, but I just went back and re-read the posts > > last night, and that's how it went down. > > > > Then, as now, the two things that made her go crazy > > are the same things that are making her and the other > > "pro-TMers" go crazy today. > > Actually, the only person "going crazy" here > is Barry. > > The first is being called > > on making a claim that they have no rational basis for > > making, not having practiced all the other techniques > > they claim TM is "better" than. > > I do have a rational basis, which I explained > to Barry a number of times on alt.m.t. > > The second is *realizing* > > that to some extent the "Dick and Jane Meet Lassie" > > analogy is *correct*, and that they have been repeating > > the "TM is the best" meme all these decades after having > > practiced only TM (after having read only one beginner's > > reading primer, "Dick and Jane Meet Lassie). > > I'm happy to buy the analogy in the sense that TM > is very simple and thus easy for beginners to > practice. (It didn't take Barry's analogy for me > to "realize" this; it's why I learned TM in the > first place, which is why his analogy didn't bother > me.) > > But that doesn't mean it's a technique suitable > only for beginners. That's where the analogy breaks > down. > > <snip> > > Mike, these are the SAME tactics they will use against > > YOU if you move to Fairfield, enroll in the university, > > and have the audacity to say that you think that any > > other technique of meditation is on a par with TM or > > is (God forbid!) superior to it. > > It's no doubt true that Mike would have problems > at MUM if he said this publicly. On the other hand, > if he were to keep such thoughts to himself, he > might still have a rewarding experience there, > depending on what he expects to get out of it. > > <snip> > > Watch and learn, Mike. This is your future, should > > you enroll at MUM and choose to retain your ability > > to think for yourself. > > NEWS FLASH: Die Gedanken sind frei. Mike would > be able to think whatever the hell he wants > without penalty; nobody can attack you simply > for what your thoughts are. >
