Enjoyed your blast from the past Curtis - I can totally see the judgment on the dark spirit who was banished from the scene by Maharishi's effulgence, now in retrospect realizing the poor guy probably just had to pee - too many mango smoothies that morning....and the chosen Governors remained...
I was not part of the reinforced indoctrination that the Governors received, but definitely bought into the absolute perfection of our dear leader. Though I recall at the time I also took seriously the Jai Guru Dev thing, respect the teacher, so I really didn't feel Maharishi was my personal guru, rather a perfect teacher (for awhile). The difference being I never had nor wanted a personal relationship with him, beyond the big Maharishi posters on my dorm walls (I did work for the MMY Press, but it was still a pretty groupie thing to do...). I never had a chance to meet him. So I hung on his every word and worked for the Movement for two and a half years. Then when it became time to take a closer look and consider becoming a teacher myself, I decided to leave instead. Just wasn't going to work out. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <curtisdeltablues@...> wrote: > > --- 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. > > > > > >
