What to do? Swami Rama is dead and Vaj has gone into silence contemplating a body part. Since I can't get them to answer my questions, I'll answer myself. Anyone can chime in. Inquiring minds want to know.
Q. If you had a chance to teach millions of people meditation or a handful of monks contemplation, would you prefer teaching many or a few? A. Many Q. If you prefer teaching only a few monks contemplation, what is the relative benefit to creating a peaceful world compared to teaching millions meditation? A. Everyone wants a peaceful world but it seems to be in our DNA to fight to establish dominance for me and mine. Although torn between altruism and self-interest, TM makes it possible to resolve our conflicts by finding common ground in the consciousness we share as humans. Since nothing else has ever worked, if TM can create a peaceful world, and I believe that it can, why not give peace a chance? A few monks contemplating can help create world peace but millions practicing TM will carry the day. If there's a better, easier way to create world peace, I'd like to hear about it. Q. Do only monks practice contemplation because controlling the mind is a difficult task that most people would bail on? A. Of course, most people would prefer TM because it is easy to do. Q. Do you think contemplation is superior to meditation? Why? A. One isn't inferior or superior than the other, just different. TM is easy and contemplation is difficult. Q. If one practices meditation and experiences samadhi, after some time of witnessing the duality of self and non-self, there is a natural and spontaneous desire to unify self and non-self. Love naturally draws the meditator toward unity, effortlessly. Seems to me "Thou are That" would be the result in either meditation (easy for many) or contemplation (difficult for many). What say you? A. Maharishi has said that the concept of a path is for the ignorant: "The range for creative intelligence is from here to here." In other words, there is no path and nowhere to "go." Thou art [already] That. Tat Tvam Asi. TM is an effortless "path" to Thou art That.
