You are correct, in my opinion, that the various services are meant to be a revenue stream. Peter McWilliams sent me an email before he died, describing a conversation he had with MMY 35+ years ago about how the TM Movement's growth was unsustainable. He too thought that these services were meant to compensate for declining revenue from initiations.
That said, I think you are ignoring several things in your analysis: The primary focus of the TM Organization as directed by MMY was on three things: 1) ensure some kind of survival of the TM Organization (and its projects) after MMY died; 2) create permanent groups of TM-Sidhas to meditate in groups for world peace; 3) raise money to support goals one and two. How would YOU go about achieving these goals, Barry? L --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "salyavin808" <fintlewoodlewix@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > When it comes to pundits, it's the same thing. Deal > > > with the wrong kind, and it might look as if you were > > > hiring people to chant and make offerings to Hindu > > > gods and goddesses to achieve the things you want in > > > life. Can't have that. Gotta hire only Maharishi- > > > approved pundits, so that it's all "scientific," > > > and you can't be accused of doing something religious. > > > > I wonder what he problem is really, they might even be > > scared of Buck bringing negative vibes into the dome, > > little realising they are doing plenty of that. But it > > might be just a financial thing - the TMO is in deep > > financial shit. Or it might be they sincerely believe > > their stuff is better! > > I was obviously being facetious above, but I suspect > this is the real reason. And it's not that they actually > believe that their stuff is better; it's that they don't > want the example of someone benefiting from something > that "wasn't manufactured here" available to other TMers. > > It seems to me merely an extension of the same demon- > ization of techniques of meditation and self discovery > that they see as "competitors" that has been going on > with the TMO since Day One. You don't want anyone to > even *consider* a "competing" technique or service, > much less benefit from one and tell other meditators > about it. > > The myth has always been "If Maharishi didn't teach it, > it can't possibly be of any use, and it might be BAD." > > > Whatevr the reason this inquisition > > is outrageous. I would have been over the horizon in > > seconds. But then I was the one telling them jyotish was > > a bunch of superstitious crap when they suggested I stay > > inside and don't watch a solar eclipse. I Told them I'm not > > scared of shadows and that was the end of it (bar a lecture > > on supreme knowledge as revealed by Marshy.) I watched the > > eclipse, they cowered in their offices. But there was no > > banning me from the flying room, they must have stepped > > up the paranoia since those days. > > To me it's just another hallmark of a spiritual movement > in decline. They have realized that they cannot effec- > tively expand their numbers by appealing to the public; > they have both priced themselves out of that market and > "PR'd" themselves out of it with their shenanigans. So > the only way to bring in "new meditators" is by getting > someone else to pay for large-scale programs, such as for > schools or the military or the "underprivileged." > > That said, the flip side of that coin is to keep the > existing meditators from leaving. This policy seems to > be an implementation of that, by trying to prevent them > from learning that there are other options -- cheaper > and possibly more effective options -- than the TMO > offers. Ignorance is not only bliss, it's stasis. How > ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen > Par-eee? Simple. Never let them see (or even hear about) > Par-eee. > > > > > As for Jyotish: > > > > > > ['I sense that someone is about to swindle you.' 'Wow, > > > thanks for the warning! How much do I owe you?' by White, Andy] > > > > Quite. > > Indeed. Love this cartoon. It really captures the > essence of it, both from the seller's side, and the > buyer's side. >
