--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@...> wrote: > > > Well, one wonders with Oprah coming very soon upon Fairfield et all things > TM, can the Raja movement stand up to the scrutiny that likely will also come > along ? Can they keep up with it once the mainstream journalists and the > tabloids deploy alongside too? Should 'Maharishi' continue as the primary > brand being promoted? Is 'Maharishi' the practical 'brand' thing to lead > with anymore? > > > > > That's funny. NPRadio Science Friday had a piece on meditation talking > > about its value, the science and the public policy implication of having > > people learn how to meditate. It was like all the stuff TM says and > > presents but there was not mention of anything TM in the piece. Makes me > > wonder if bringing TM in to a discussion like that lets the air out, for TM > > being perceived as too cult-like now. Too many Rajas and too much > > gold-leaf spoiling the soup.
What is amazing is how ahead of his time Maharishi really was. We all thought it was obvious once we heard all the lectures and ideas about stress, relaxation, mind/body connection etc etc. But MMY was the first to come out and promote all that, even if he had picked up various ideas elsewhere. He put it together into a nice, coherent package and put it out there. I recall in the mid 70's going into the HR department of a large bank to talk to the VP there about TM. He got hung up on the idea that reducing stress might make people sick less of often or perform better at work. Seriously, the whole mind-body thing was entirely foreign to him. Now 40 years later the average person has that info and assumes ti is true. > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "jpgillam" <jpgillam@> wrote: > > > > > > Let's make a list! I'll start: > > > > > > Aunt Jemima - pancake syrup > > > Benjamin Franklin - US $100 bills > > > Colonel Sanders - fried chicken > > > George Foreman - grills > > > Green Giant - vegetables > > > Maharishi - all things vedic > > > Mr. Clean - cleaning supplies > > > Orville Redenbacher - popcorn > > > Uncle Ben - rice > > > > > > I'm omitting all the dry cereal spokespersons - Tony the Tiger; Captain > > > Crunch; Snap, Cracks and Pop; the Lucky Charms leprechaun... > > > > > > By coincidence and by contrast, just yesterday an old-time TM teacher > > > friend told me his gratitude is toward Guru Dev, rather than Maharishi. > > > No surprise, he said. "That's how Maharishi trained us," he said. > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@> wrote: > > > > > > > > It used to be that Maharishi would eschew anybody putting him up on a > > > > guru pedestal. He would always directly deflect that sort of thing on > > > > to Guru Dev. If people would try to bow down to him he'd tell 'em > > > > straight up, 'don't do that to me'. I seen him do it many times. > > > > > > > > I was interviewing someone yesterday who had left the TM movement for > > > > graduate school back in 1992 who is back now visiting Fairfield. The > > > > person back in the early days meditated for the experience it gives and > > > > still does. > > > > > > > > The large impression on coming back to look is that everything became > > > > 'Maharishi' sometime since 1992. Before that time things mostly were > > > > about doing the practice, 'meditate and act', and the primary > > > > activities of the movement were about facilitating the practices and > > > > not so much about 'Maharishi'. The person was wondering when did this > > > > overt shift over to 'Maharishi' happen? An evident belief system of TM > > > > has shift over to being much more about 'Maharishi'. Seems like > > > > promoting TM dropped off to promoting 'Maharishi' more than anything > > > > else and we are in the full vesting of that now in the 'post-founder' > > > > stage of the movement. This person presently is quite struck by what > > > > is seen now in 'product', the present publications and announcements > > > > coming from the middle where evidently the puja within the movement is > > > > sung so to Maharishi. It appears like the true-believers are really > > > > working at this. It is pretty shocking to this old meditator come back > > > > to see the change in the culture of this. This kept on coming up in > > > > the interview as remarkable. > > > > > > > > Yup, it's a noteworthy change, > > > > -Buck > > > > > > > > > >
