I think this becomes a great story for comparison. It's like our own TM-taliban confusing the TM-movement's policies and guidelines for the teaching instead of those policies and guidelines facilitating the teaching. It's a confused fealty without shakti. And, people then vote with their feet.
> > --- 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. > > > > > > > > > > >
