--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@...> wrote: > > > > > > Yes that's the book. It's a particular book that examines things the > > > > > way we would spiritually. As an academic book it is kind of unique > > > > > this way. It really is quite fabulous. I found it on my visit last > > > > > month to the Shaker museum village of Pleasant Hill, Ky. Pleasant > > > > > Hill Shaker Village is a great resource of books, diaries, journals > > > > > for researching transcendentalist utopian America. > > > > > http://www.shakervillageky.org/ I have also visited a number of > > > > > other of these kinds of museums looking at other American Utopian > > > > > groups like ours here in Fairfield to see how it went for them. > > > > > > > > > > A couple years before Maharishi died I went down to Pleasant Hill and > > > > > lived for a while to particularly research the transition between > > > > > spiritual founders and following generations. I spent a lot of time > > > > > looking at their founder Mother Ann in particular and then the Shakti > > > > > of the group following after her. Mother Ann evidently was a saint > > > > > in the way we know them. Would give shaktipat, taught a meditation > > > > > (dhyana) as a spiritual practice and sat with folks giving a darshan. > > > > > They formed in to groups(villages) to facilitate this spiritual > > > > > practice and became known as Shakers. We popularly know them for > > > > > other things but essentially they were a mediating group in practice. > > > > > After some generations of succession in busy competition with the > > > > > outside world to hold their own they lost their moorings, dropped > > > > > their structured meditation time from their daily practice, became > > > > > more about doctrine, and the group shakti dwindled out. Spiritual > > > > > life-cycle. > > > > > > > > Viewing these in 'shaktic' or experiential spiritual ways as opposed to > 'static' comparative doctrinal ways, > as a group the Shaker experience stands a good parallel to things TM. I > would wonder that some things possibly could even be learned from their > experience if one has eyes to see it. Learned about the Shaker experience as > well as with TM-Raja-ism. > > For instance, the Shaker version of policy guidelines were called the > Millennial law. There was a sequence to the evolution of their millennial > laws over the decades after their foundation era. From short organizational > mission of facilitating spiritual experience initially then towards detail > specific as the group got further away from the founder and the foundation > era. Moving from simpler facilitating of shakti to long elaboration of > doctrine and guideline. From shorter statement of spiritual mission to a > long detailed 'contract' of doctrinal guidelines. From facilitating > experience to preservation of institution by guideline doctrine. Essentially > the guidelines became the teaching doctrine. In effect their ME became so > burdened with 'pitta-vatta' derangement of some that the experiential shakti > got squeezed out of it generally; folks dried up and left the group leaving > behind only doctrinal tru-believers as preservationists. It's a good lesson. > Evidently the Shakers are not the only group to have this happen to. > -Buck >
Another good comparison here, 'policies and guidelines': "Some of the leading instruments, however, tended to be preoccupied with a drive toward an unrealistic perfectionism, insisting that all life and activity be structured in minute detail to guarantee is sacred character. This reached its most marked expression in the 1845 Millennial Laws. This new code, formulated under the inspiration of Elder Philemon Stewart of the Church Family at Mt. Lebanon, represents a total departure from the attitude embodied in Father Joseph's very flexible "Way-marks," or even the more formal Millennial Laws of 1821. In Stewart's code everything imaginable is regulated, and in the greatest detail. Communal life is made as uniformistic as possible () and all activities are prescribed in such a way as to guarantee identical practice from one community to the next." "The intent was to create a perfect reflection of the heavenly in the earthly. The effect was to constrain the experience of freedom of response to ever new and diverse light in the Spirit. Happily the formative experience of the first hundred years proved to have taken deep root, and the new Millennial Laws were simply not followed as enjoined, the various ministries and family elderships realizing the impossibility of relating the inflexible uniformity to the ultimate norm of authenticity... The 1845 Millennial Laws were officially short-lived, being withdrawn by the Central Ministry of Mt. Lebanon after five years." (-Whitson) > > > > > > > > > > > > > Here is something written about this kind of thing in the > > > > > > > > 18th Century. Nothing new under the sun I guess: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > This is pretty impressive. Where exactly does it come > > > > > > > from? Who were these people? What subsequently happened > > > > > > > to this woman and her group? > > > > > > > > > > > > Just to exercise my higher visionary functions: Ann Lee? Shakers? > > > > > > http://books.google.de/books?id=8NFFknegLWUC&pg=PA12&lpg=PA12&dq=Ann+was+the+first+individual+to+experience+the+parousia&source=bl&ots=Ga5vONZcqM&sig=C8Y8puz_Rge_qJltRftFD_6KePw&hl=en&ei=GGRSTbHmKIHtsgat3omRCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Ann%20was%20the%20first%20individual%20to%20experience%20the%20parousia&f=false > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yes that's the book. It's a particular book that examines things the > > > > > way we would spiritually. As an academic book it is kind of unique > > > > > this way. It really is quite fabulous. I found it on my visit last > > > > > month to the Shaker museum village of Pleasant Hill, Ky. Pleasant > > > > > Hill Shaker Village is a great resource of books, diaries, journals > > > > > for researching transcendentalist utopian America. > > > > > http://www.shakervillageky.org/ I have also visited a number of > > > > > other of these kinds of museums looking at other American Utopian > > > > > groups like ours here in Fairfield to see how it went for them. > > > > > > > > > > A couple years before Maharishi died I went down to Pleasant Hill and > > > > > lived for a while to particularly research the transition between > > > > > spiritual founders and following generations. I spent a lot of time > > > > > looking at their founder Mother Ann in particular and then the Shakti > > > > > of the group following after her. Mother Ann evidently was a saint > > > > > in the way we know them. Would give shaktipat, taught a meditation > > > > > (dhyana) as a spiritual practice and sat with folks giving a darshan. > > > > > They formed in to groups(villages) to facilitate this spiritual > > > > > practice and became known as Shakers. We popularly know them for > > > > > other things but essentially they were a mediating group in practice. > > > > > After some generations of succession in busy competition with the > > > > > outside world to hold their own they lost their moorings, dropped > > > > > their structured meditation time from their daily practice, became > > > > > more about doctrine, and the group shakti dwindled out. Spiritual > > > > > life-cycle. > > > > > > > > > > > > > "Retirement" was the Shaker word they used for 'meditation' like we > > > > would know it. Regular 'retiring' was specifically allowed for or > > > > structured in to their work days. 'Retirement' was foundational to > > > > their spiritual practice. > > > > > > > > That nice furniture we think of as being trademark of 'Shaker' came > > > > about to furnish their bedrooms, meetings, and villages for > > > > "retirement". Their coming together in to villages was to > > > > provide/facilitate the common resources and time to have regular > > > > "retirement" and group meetings. Their daily group meditations, as we > > > > might see them, they referred to as "Union Meetings". 'Retirement' was > > > > the essential salt and flour of their spiritual practice, just like > > > > ours. > > > > -Buck > > > > > > > > > > > > > ",,,attend to your retirements, meetings and meals, and not let trifles > > > hinder you; and when the signal is given, either for retiring time or for > > > meals, drop your work, go into the house and sit down and retire, and > > > have no loud or unnecessary conversation." [1845] > > > > > > Sounds a lot like TM in Fairfield in earlier days through the 1980's and > > > the mid-1990's. People's lives and work was set up to attend the > > > meditations and folks could drop what they were doing to go as an > > > additional call was made. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > TM is on track with this life-cycle arc of spiritual groups. In its > > > > > time Fairfield will be a tourist destination like Amana or Shakertown > > > > > or Brook Farm.. Can hear the tour guides in about 90 years > > > > > describing the meaning of the architecture, displaying artifacts like > > > > > bottles of labeled AyurVedic herbs, Maharishi honey and other > > > > > products produced and sold by the group for their sustenance , Sidha > > > > > dresses, the crowns they wore, the Heidelberg press room, see gold > > > > > embossed publications, view banners from the group, and then hear > > > > > the interpretation describing what 'went' on in Fairfield. Then take > > > > > the tours of buildings given by people dressed in meditator garb. > > > > > > > > > > Of course the irony of antithesis like at Shakertown is that it is > > > > > some local Christain-believing guides having a job who would be > > > > > giving the tours. In time. > > > > > > > > > > -Buck > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > <edit> > > > > > > > > "Ann was the first individual to experience the parousia and so > > > > > > > > they recognized her to be the unique person to inaugurate the > > > > > > > > awareness of the parousia. It was not "seeing" in the external > > > > > > > > sense at all but rather a transforming consciousness of unitive > > > > > > > > presence. The phrase "she saw in open vision" is often used, > > > > > > > > open vision is a knowing not by mind or a seeing not by the > > > > > > > > eyes but by a perception at depth from with in; if reflects the > > > > > > > > "knowing which is beyond knowledge". The "vision" is "open" in > > > > > > > > the sense that one who now really sees has been opened within. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > In meeting as she began to speak of her experience, all those > > > > > > > > at the meeting began to experience themselves. They did not > > > > > > > > merely accept Ann's word for what she had experienced. Rather, > > > > > > > > as she spoke of her experience, those who listened experienced > > > > > > > > the same reality for themselves. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Ann inaugurated the consciousness of parousia as the first one > > > > > > > > among many to be drawn into the unifying experience of alive > > > > > > > > and fully present in-through-with us all. She is the first to > > > > > > > > awaken in experience to what ultimately all experience. In > > > > > > > > experiential history she ministers this experience to them by > > > > > > > > bearing witness to what had happened to her, thereby being the > > > > > > > > instrument of that same happening to them. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Ann ministered life to them by the living witness of her > > > > > > > > experience; they now experience for themselves and so in turn > > > > > > > > enter an ever-expanding ministry of living witness to others. > > > > > > > > This begins the essential process of revelation spoken of as > > > > > > > > progressive unfoldment." > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@> wrote: > > > > This excerpt reminds me of when Maharishi was experimenting with Patanjali > > in the 1970's and teaching us the Yoga Sutras 'siddhis' practices with TM: > > > > "...For many Shakers were experiencing quite unexpected "movements of the > > inner Spirit" often overflowing into emotion-charged manifestations -songs > > without words, strange languages, prayer through bodily gesture such as > > kneeling, ecstatic spontaneous dancing, and disturbing bodily agitation and > > trembling. It is from this last that their mocking neighbors called them > > "Shaking Quakers". Many other Shakers remained outwardly calm in manner > > yet welcomed all these manifestations as the signs of a great inward work." > > [Of the later 18th Century] > > > > Alot like scenes on the TM experimental (AEGTC) 'Governor training' courses > > around 1976-'77 in Switzerland as we learned the siddhis practice. Ru's in > > spontaneous shaking and some ecstatic barking. Shakti shouts. Kundalini > > movement. Meditating. A spiritual zoo. > > -Buck in FF > > > > > > > > > > <> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yes. This is the same thing that SSRS says when people have > > > > > > > > > transcendent experiences around him. He says that that > > > > > > > > > experience occurs in your consciousness and is you. But this > > > > > > > > > does not discount that the guru/teacher/lama, etc., could > > > > > > > > > function as a catalyst to trigger said experience in you. > > > > > > > > > Without the catalyst, no experience. In the same fashion you > > > > > > > > > could listen to a piece of music and have a beautiful > > > > > > > > > experience. The beauty is in the context of your > > > > > > > > > consciousness as the music serves as a catalyst to trigger > > > > > > > > > the experience of beauty. Without the music "outside" of your > > > > > > > > > consciousness, no "inner" beauty. > > > > > > > > >
