--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "sparaig" <LEnglish5@...> wrote: > > My first official encounter with the TM-SIdhis was a lecture that Rick Archer > and company presented in TUcson in the mid-70s. > > I certainly recall all the hooplah about floating and so on, but I also > recall RIck (I believe it was Rick) saying that such things were > "side-effects" and that if MMY could get the same results without distracting > people with such side-effects, he would teach those techniques instead.
Consider the flying sutra, seems like the intention of that is to become airborne. Certainly, the other sutras seem to have specific outcomes in line with the actual words that aren't side effects but the direct intention. Like most I was taught to say the reason we do them is for the benefits we get outside meditation but that we can expect to master at least one or two of them (I managed none like every one else I ever met). The get out clause we were taught is that hopping is only *stage one* of flying, so even if we don't actually float we can say we have achieved something supernatural. Which is pretty funny really, like saying my half-hearted jogging efforts are merely stage one of running at the speed of light. Any day now... > In other words, my impression, looking back, is that the floating thang was > being used as a publicity gimmick to entice people to come hear about the > TM-Sidhis and to want to learn. > > It was never JUST about floating around the room, even in the earliest of > presentations that *I* heard. > > L. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "mjackson74" <mjackson74@> wrote: > > > > > > What I liked best was walking into the lobby of the > > > facility at Livingston Manor for my 1st bloc of the > > > sidhis and seeing the Sidha man poster shining down > > > on sidhas and meditators alike from behind the front > > > desk. > > > > > > You know the one I mean, the look alike Superman with > > > the big S on his chest and the words "Be a superman, > > > be a Sidha-Man!" at the bottom. This was the one the > > > Movement discontinued for fear of copyright infringement > > > lawsuits from DC Comics. > > > > > > Oh how I wish I had one of those today. I loved it. > > > > I never saw such a poster, but have no doubt that it > > existed. Here, in an old post of merudanda's, are a > > few graphics that might bring back that era: > > > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/275588 > > > > Thanks to those who found videos and quotes of that > > period when the TM-Sidhis were first introduced, and > > thus put to rest the revisionist history claims of > > those who 1) weren't around at that time, and 2) claim > > based on their experience at much *later* courses that > > they were never promised that they would be flying. > > > > This revisionist history is simply not true, as the > > poster in merudanda's post should demonstrate. Those > > who learned the TM-Sidhis ten years after they were > > first introduced, and who were not around when they > > *were* introduced simply have nothing to say about > > how they were presented then, and what promises were > > made. > > > > My first "intro lecture" on the TM-Sidhis was pretty > > much as "official" as it can get. I was working at > > the TM National Headquarters, at the time located at > > the end of Sunset Blvd. in L.A., right next door to > > the Yogananda Lake Shrine. This place, being an old > > motel/resort and all, had lots of room, and had become > > the de facto "TM center" for West L.A., replacing > > 1015 Gayley. > > > > So a big meeting was convened, and someone (I honestly > > forget who) who had just returned from Seelisberg and > > as I remember worked on International Staff there gave > > a talk about the new Siddhis courses. (As I remember, > > the flyer for the talk even spelled Siddhis with two > > D's -- they hadn't tried to copyright the term yet and > > found that they couldn't copyright the spelling "siddhi" > > because it was so clearly part of the public domain, > > so they switched to "sidhi.") > > > > The speaker presented the courses as definitely, no > > question about it a set of techniques for learning how > > to fly. The speaker claimed that real levitation was > > going on, and further claimed that he had witnessed it. > > He also forwarded rumors he'd heard -- that people were > > walking through walls, and that one guy was meditating > > in his room, practicing the new siddhis, and suddenly > > found himself out on the lawn of the hotel, having > > been magically transported there. > > > > It was only much, much later, after (as I remember) > > someone sued the TM movement for fraud, that the > > TM-sidhis were "cleaned up" and "sanitized" and the > > language used to teach them became less...uh...less > > a steaming pile of bullshit. > > > > Don't let people who only heard the "sanitized for > > your protection" version try to convince you that > > this was the way the TM-Sidhis were always taught. > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Lorenzo" <inmadison@> wrote: > > > > > > > > not only did say he was going to teach us how to fly - but > > > > we have already succeeded: > > > > > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nQXVRjMoUE&feature=relmfu > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Robert" <babajii_99@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Think back...all those many years ago... > > > > > Did the Maharishi say he was going to teach you to levitate, > > > > > Or, did he say he was going to teach you to hop/hump like a > > > > > frog? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
