--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, blusc0ut <no_reply@...> wrote: > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "TurquoiseB" <turquoiseb@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, blusc0ut <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > I think that group-program, from its very outset, was > > > never meant to create world-peace or anything. It was > > > always a control mechanism, and that shows. If group > > > programs would work, the chinese could have never > > > massacred tibetan monastries, who had thousands of > > > people meditating together, on a permanent basis. > > > > Thanks for your thoughtful analysis. I was also > > around "back then" in 1977, and agree with you. > > > > > One more clue, why that is so, is the fact how it > > > developed: there was never any emphasis on group > > > meditation before the sidhis, that is approximately > > > before 1977. Until that time people simply meditated > > > in their rooms, and that was perfectly alright. With > > > the introduction of sidhis, and especially flying, > > > foam matrazes were needed, and having people hopping > > > in their beds, with the consequent damages was simply > > > no option. Originally people came together only for > > > flying sessions into a flying room or tent. > > > > Exactly. > > > > > Only around the years 1977, towards the end, beginning > > > of 1978 the whole ideology of group- practise for world > > > peace, super-radience or how-ever it was called developed. > > > > Exactly again. I bailed from the TMO towards the end > > of 1977, after coming back from my TM-siddhis course. > > Up until the time I left, there was never a *hint* > > of the "Maharishi Effect" or "You're doing it for > > world peace." That was all invented later, as you > > say. > > Interesting. I knew quite a few people then, who left right after the > Siddhis/Enlightenment course,some right away to India to either Muktananda or > Osho. At the time I was still thoroughly immersed in the TM movement. I would > have bailed out some 4 years later, but ironically, it was meeting a saint, > who made me stay in the movement some years more, and actually have both > worlds, until it became clear which way to go. > > > > My theory as to *why* it was invented is a little > > different than yours. Yes, "group practice" is a > > control mechanism, and an enforced test of fealty > > ("You're either with us or against us, and check- > > ing attendance allows us to see which"), but the > > whole ME "You're doing it for the world" thang > > was not trotted out until people had started to > > realize that the siddhis had very little "payoff" > > for them, personally. There was no there there. > > People were starting to quit and drift away from > > the TMO, because they'd paid big bucks for its > > most expensive "program," and it did diddleysquat > > for them. > > Certainly the promises were to high by far. We all thought we would fly > within a few month, get lots of initiations. When I first heard of siddhis > there were reports of people waking through walls, getting invisible, (I > still got that sutra, it was skipped later on) > > > > Can't have that. Rephrase things to take the > > emphasis away from discernible personal benefit, > > and cast it in terms of "You're doing it for the > > world." Try to appeal to the higher motives of > > people to get them to stick around, because the > > techniques themselves weren't sufficient to keep > > them around. > > This 'appealing to higher motives' was a very conscious thing from Maharishis > side. I actually heard him say, we should always make very general (not > specific) appeals, like mentioning 'ideal society' and the like. There is an > added thing. People started to move to communities to be able to 'fly' > together. Sidhaland came up.So people become dependend (psychologically) on > group practice, on the existence of such groups, move their whole lives, > families, jobs to other places, Fairfield for example, and such become more > and more dependend on the group. > > If you had an individual scheme of enlightenment, you were told that we are > doing it for the world, we are like soldiers for world peace, that we are > karmically connected to the world. Sort of like the Bodhisattva ideal, but TM > movement version. Skip your own individual enlightenment, and wait till day X > when we get all enlightened. May be you weren't around anymore, when > Maharishi would answer to questions, why we don't fly yet, that it was > because of world consciousness. Again the shift from individual to > collective. > > This is called goal displacement > http://www.ex-premie.org/papers/goal_displacement.htm
Just as a small follow up: the siddhis were already a goal displacement to the original goal of enlightenment. The group effect, was a goal displacement for the siddhis. The siddhis (as goals in themselves) were just an intermediate station of a larger goal displacement from individual to collective enlightenment. (Some might argue that enlightenment was a goal displacement to just living happy and without struggle) > > > > That's my theory, anyway. Like yours, it's just > > a theory. Anyway, welcome to the forum. I look > > forward to more insightful posts from you. > > Thanks, and so do I. >