--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@...> wrote: > > Whoa, very nice waking state critique Turq. > Nice writing. -Buck
I wonder why you would refer to the obvious fact that he had to be awake when her wrote it? I mean do you post in your sleep Doug? Ohhhhh wait a second, you are comparing Barry's post to a higher state of consciousness one that you are somehow capable of discerning by the content. Let me give a shot at the higher state one: Maharishi was preceded into the hall by a golden glow, egglike in its hyranyagarba glory. As he sat down this glow enveloped the audience and I could see that patches of dark clouds over people were going away. One very dark shrouded person left the room as if the purity itself had expelled him. As he started to speak it was like the impulses of the Veda were unfolding within me, the Prachetina value of life, the first impulses of creative intelligence were enlivened. On either side of the stage two huge Devatas stood regally enraptured by the master but knowing that they would need a nervous system like ours to achieve their goal. My eyes fall on the nervous system of a co-ed a few rows ahead, wearing a loose fitting, sleeveless, white, cotton shirt. At this angle I can make out the curve of her breast and think if I lean farther ahead I may be in nip-slip range... But spontaneously my attention is drawn away from the rajasic and back to Maharishi who is laying out the steps of progress for any government to turn the world into Narnia if they would only pay enough for his programs to be taught everywhere, cuz as everyone knows, the divine is always a bit short on cash. (Not much of a saver.) As he speaks he leans forward and at this angle I can see into his hairy chest and if I lean forward...damn...pull back pull back abort abort...Nice to be enlightened though so I can see my pervieness in terms of the Self, as if the universe itself want's a little nip-slip now and then and I am a faithful divine servant... Nice piece BTW Barry, you know for WAKING STATE! (For any new readers, "waking state" is a substitute for "S--t for brains" on FFL. It is used as a reminder of the poster's intrinsic superiority.) > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > Today for some reason I found myself thinking back to > > the first time I saw Maharishi, in 1967. At that talk, > > at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, he said a few > > things that got me interested enough in the spiritual > > path that I set about walking it. > > > > He laid out the benefits of meditation as he saw it, > > that it offered a way to draw upon one's own inner > > resources for one's sense of self worth and happiness, > > and not be dependent on others and how they see us or > > what they tell us to do for those things. I remember > > him speaking about how meditation (as he saw it) > > required no belief for it to work, and no leaders or > > gurus for it to work. All that it did require was > > actually doing the work -- practicing meditation. And > > I remember him speaking about how meditation could > > help to develop one's own creativity, and how that > > could help to resolve the problems of life by being > > able to create more effective solutions to them. > > > > At one point a person stood up and asked a question. > > He talked about a particular problem he was having, > > and how it had left him in a quandary, not knowing > > what to do. He then asked Maharishi what to do. > > > > Maharishi's answer was the most impressive thing he'd > > said in the entire talk. He said, "If I tell you what > > to do, all that will happen is that it will make you > > weaker. The next time you have a problem, you'll want > > me to tell you what to do about it again. You will > > become dependent on me. What you should do instead is > > meditate, draw upon your own creativity, and solve > > the problem yourself. That will make you stronger." > > > > Compare and contrast to what Maharishi allowed his > > teaching and his spiritual movement to devolve into. > > What I find myself thinking today, remembering this > > first talk, is how SAD it is how little of what he > > said that day turned out to be true. Or at least how > > little of it turned out to be what he actually taught > > and how he conducted himself as the years went on. > > > > Instead of the independence and self-sufficiency he > > touted in that first talk, what happened -- and > > within a couple of years -- was an environment in > > which the students were taught to rely on him and > > what he told them to do. Being on the whole young > > and impressionable people in the 60's they may in > > fact have brought a lot of this tendency to rely > > on guru figures with them, but he allowed them to > > do so, and in fact encouraged it. > > > > He also encouraged "magical thinking," the view that > > all you had to do was meditate and that if you did, > > and listened to what he told you to do, magical > > forces that were larger than you would take care of > > you and make everything turn out right. "Do less and > > accomplish more," which in those early talks clearly > > meant "Meditate and recharge your energy and your > > creativity and then go out and USE it by working more > > efficiently for the things you want" turned into "Just > > meditate and everything will be taken care of." Prag- > > matic thinking gave way to magical thinking. > > > > And look what the outcome of this reliance on magical > > thinking has produced. People who can no longer imagine > > solutions to the problems of hunger and war and violence > > that come from humans using their own intelligence and > > working towards pragmatic solutions. Instead, the only > > source that they can imagine a solution to these prob- > > lems coming from is magic, in the form of some Woo Woo > > Rays emanating from the thuds of their butts on foam, > > or from other, even more magical Woo Woo Rays emanating > > from some teacher or guru or avatar. > > > > Call me crazy but I miss the message of that first > > Maharishi talk. I am hopeful that the problems of this > > planet, both individual and worldwide, can in fact be > > resolved. But I don't believe that they can only be > > resolved by some magical force outside ourselves, or > > by Woo Woo Rays. I think that these problems can only > > be resolved by the pragmatic, creative ideas of indi- > > vidual human beings, creative ideas that are possibly > > enhanced by meditation and other practices, but *our* > > ideas, not those of some avatar or guru or spiritual > > teacher or other source of magical Woo Woo. > > > > That, after all, was the message of the first talk I > > ever heard Maharishi give. It's just too bad that he > > either was lying about what he said, or didn't believe > > it thoroughly enough to follow through on it in his > > own teachings, and with his own students. If he had, > > the world might have been a much better place, and > > they would certainly have been much stronger human > > beings. Instead, just as he said in that first talk, > > he wound up making them weaker. > > >
