--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long <sharelong60@...> wrote: > Agreed 100%. .. As long as MUM and MSAE are here, this is the heart >of the movement. >
Om, have they stopped skimming money off of MSAE and MUM and sending it to India? > Agreed 100%. They can try all they want to move TMO to DC, NYC and LA. As > long as MUM and MSAE are here, this is the heart of the movement. And TM > boomers are happy to retire in an inexpensive, relatively safe place. Not > to mention the great weather ha ha. > > A couple are moving in across the street. She's a TM sidha. But he's a > Hare Krishna, chanted in airports clothed in orange robes! > > > A Sai Ma friend told us that Sai Ma has predicted that all spiritual groups > will have centers in FF in future. > > OTOH, palm leaf reader, who tells everyone to live above 2,000 feet, asks, > "What good is vastu if you're under water." > Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river (Mississippi) taking on a whole other > meaning (-: > > > ________________________________ > From: feste37 <feste37@...> > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Monday, July 23, 2012 9:54 AM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Recommendations of the new TM.org campaign > > >  > > > If the pundits do all return to India, it won't affect life in Fairfield > much, if at all. It will remain a vibrant, growing community for the > forseeable future, in my opinion. People are still moving here to be a part > of the wider spiritual community. Some do TM; some don't. I know someone who > was living in Iowa City and came down to visit Fairfield for the Art Walk one > Friday and decided that she wanted to move here. She learned TM and two years > later, she is still here. I know someone else who has just moved here after > spending almost all her life in New England. She had never been to Fairfield > before, but Googled it, liked it, and moved here. > > The university is doing pretty well, I would say, judging from how difficult > it is to get a parking spot during the day and the brisk business being done > in the bookstore. Unlike Buck, I don't see the university becoming irrelevant > in the TM world at all. The truth is that MUM is the most solid and enduring > of all the accomplishments of the TM movement. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Susan" <wayback71@> wrote: > > > > > > I might have missed some info in the last month or so here. > > > But, is it true that the pundits are going back to India? > > > Are they sending them back intentionally - because they > > > don't want to support them any longer or it has not > > > worked out - or are their visas up? How many are there, > > > really? What will be the Dome numbers without them? > > > > > > I wonder if Dome numbers will soon not be a topic of > > > discussion? > > > > They're already not a topic of discussion, except > > among those who still believe that bouncing up and > > down on one's butt causes such Waves Of Woo that > > doing it will save the world. You've kinda got to > > admit that this limits the number of people even > > *interested* in such a discussion. :-) > > > > As for the pundits, I am not on the ground there > > in Fairfield, and can't offer you any information > > on that. Given what I understand about both immi- > > gration requirements and the arrangements that > > the Indian TMO made with their parents (essentially > > a form of indentured servitude, that committed the > > pundit boys to a certain period of time "working" in > > the US in exchange for cash), I can't imagine their > > "tenure" in the US lasting much longer. I also can't > > imagine that the letters they sent home about what it > > was like to be kept behind a fence for two years is going > > to inspire many more back home in India to take their > > places. But someone who is "closer to the action" > > would have to comment; my take on it is from afar. > > > > > As far as Fairfield itself, didn't the TMO offer weeklong > > > courses for families this summer - kind of like a Taste of > > > Fairfield where people come and get a tour of the place, > > > learn TM, see the Stap Ved homes, feel the friendliness of > > > the town? Have those "courses" been successful? > > > > For that matter, how well were they attended? > > > > > It may be that Ffld will continue on but be less a center > > > of things in the US - and maybe the headquarters will > > > end up some place like NYC or LA. Back to the old model > > > of trying to get folks to learn TM for health, celebrity > > > and spiritual reasons, and forget all the trappings and > > > robes and such. > > > > Again, speaking from afar, I can't envision the > > TM organization as it stands today lasting very > > long. The "robes and such" simply do not play in > > Peoria, and have left such a PR distaste in the > > public's eyes that TM is not really a player that > > most people who are seriously considering learning > > to meditate would ever think of. It was, years ago, > > when it was one of the only players in the market, > > before word of its weirder sides had not hit the Net. > > But now? I suspect that the "market" for new TMers > > consists of those who have never heard either of > > TM or of meditation *itself* before, and who catch > > a lecture or an Oprah show and like what they hear, > > enough that they sign up without ever doing any > > research on what they're signing up for. > > > > From what people have said here, I can certainly > > see the Fairfield *community* persisting, and even > > thriving, even if the TMO abandons the place. There > > already seems to be a dichotomy between the TBs and > > those who are more open in many ways and just live > > there because they like the place and the lifestyle > > it offers to them. > > > > There seems to be no question where the actual MONEY > > of the TM organization lives -- in India. I suspect > > that most of it is now gone into the accounts and > > the pockets of Maharishi's relatives, never to be > > seen again. There also seems to be ZERO income for > > the US branch of the TMO, except in the form of > > donations, so if they peter out and MUM gets into > > financial difficulties, I don't see the relatives > > bailing them out. > > > > Like you, I'd love to see a return to the "old days" > > of teaching TM as what it was best at -- a simple, > > easily-learned meditation practice done for 20 minutes > > twice a day, with none of the other trappings. No > > siddhis, no A-V, no S-V, no Jyotish, no yagyas, nada. > > Just the basic meditation. > > > > But I think that time is past. The "time window" in > > which TM could be taught that way is like the balloon > > in the cat photo I posted earlier (and repost below). It > > went POP! when the Net happened, and when "what > > we learn (and do) in private we keep private" was still > > possible. It isn't any more. > > > > TM NOW COMES WITH BAGGAGE. > > > > Any potential customer who Googles it will become aware > > of that baggage. They can choose to believe it or to > > disbelieve it, but they'll be aware of it. > > > > In my view, techniques that may have originated in > > traditions with just as much baggage but have now > > distanced themselves from those traditions and that > > baggage are more marketable. Things like mindfulness, > > or hatha yoga, or Tai Chi. Heck, even New Agers, who > > are on the whole so gullible they'll pay money for > > almost *anything*, don't consider TM to be hip enough > > to learn. They know that they'd be laughed at by their > > fellow New Agers if they signed up for a TM course. > > > > So all of this is just a rambling way of saying that > > I don't really know what is going to happen in the > > TMO's future, or to the teaching of TM. But I don't > > see what many in the TMO itself -- and many here on > > this forum -- seem to be longing for and envisioning > > ever happening. That is, a new "Merv wave," in which > > TM suddenly becomes hip again. > > > > The balloon's gone, Ralph. It ain't coming back. > > > > > > [https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/224977_33681677972\ > > 5704_1684909762_n.jpg] > > >
