Yep, this e-mail was one of the more poignant things posted here in a while. Particularly that pargraph about Guru Dev and the holy tradition.
> > When did things change? An E-mail from a FFL lurker... > > Buck; > "I find this post of yours really struck a chord within me as it really > echoes my own feelings. > I attribute the changes to an even earlier period--when the first group came > back with a formal sidhis program and starting really "lording it" over the > rest of us. This was somewhere 1975-1976. Ever since then, in my mind, it > stopped being about "meditate and act" and "200% of life" and "three fields > of life, action-thinking-being". > > Yes MMY did tell us to "every day is life...don't pass up the present based > on the hopes of a more glorious future..." but bit by bit he allowed, if not > encouraged, all that to change and over time the pronouncements of what we > should/should not do, started coming down with increasing frequency. > Spontaneity of life was lived more and more with all of us quoting a wide > variety of things M said, often in contradiction to other things he said. > > And with each passing round of courses, what we were told: "TM is not a > religion or even a belief system" became less and less true. All this until > everything, as your friend pointed out, seemed to be about 'Brand Maharishi'. > > I have bemoaned the loss of the Maharishi of that "era of innocence" I knew, > followed and loved. He became increasingly cranky and dictatorial over time. > And eventually he started putting people down--good people who followed him. > I remember clearly being among the chastised, on a number of occasions, for > not doing what he said, when clearly, I was among the followers doing exactly > what he said, as was everyone else in the room. But he was angry at the > people not doing what he said only he was taking it out on those present. > > In my mind, this is a model followed, in particular, by Bevan. How many times > did Bevan chastise everyone who was actually at the program for the numbers > being low as if we-the people who were there--were somehow to blame. > > The light of compassion and joy of participation eventually disappeared to a > large degree due to this overwhelming presence of "Brand Maharishi." And the > point that you constantly make about people being allowed in the dome if they > are willing to promise, swear, take an oath, etc. should be the rule. > > Etc. > In my innermost life as well as clearly in my thoughts and feeling almost all > my waking hours, I'm still loyal to Guru Dev, the Holy Tradition and have the > most special place in my heart for Maharishi, but that spot in my heart-for > M--has a crimp in it that I haven't been able to shake in the 20 years since > I consciously left FF in 1988 (and minus the year I was back from Sept > 2002-Aug 2003)." > > -Lurking FF > > > > > > > > > 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" 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 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
