Thanks to both Curtis and Robin for giving these answers - this is just something I had never heard and i appreciate knowing this - I was never a TM teacher, just one of the many RU's who meditated twice a day - it does not surprise me in a way, and in another way it does surprise me.
I just wish all the folks who are listening to David Lynch's PR these days were aware of this - it might put a chill on his effort to re-brand TM back to the pre-sidhi days. On another note, I really appreciate everyone here who has shared their experiences with and about Maharishi and the Movement. The time I have spent here has been very transformative for me. I had pretty much put my years and experiences of TM on the back burner till I recently re-connected with someone who was on MIU staff same time I was. He remained after I left and had some real wowzer experiences both positive and negative, some of which almost killed him, but that was in part due to some unethical treatments he received at the hands of someone who was also on staff in charge of a certain part of MIU ayurveda program. He was also at MIU when Mark Totten committed suicide and had a few things to say about the crummy response the MIU leaders had to his death. Listening to his recounting of the events brought up a bunch of stuff that made me look back and to seek some clarification of some things I had not thought about for years with regards to events, experiences and my beliefs about Maharishi and the Movement, as I still call it. I obviously have not agreed with everyone who posts here but I do appreciate hearing about direct experiences regarding TM, whether they tie into my viewpoint or not. I really really appreciate everyone's expressing themselves. This FFL has been a very transformative experience for me as I said. It is so interesting to see that some believe that the TMO is doing good work and that Maharishi was an enlightened man who always did good, while others like myself feel he was a damned old fraud all the way. The most interesting viewpoints I have seen are those who remember and appreciate a lot of "good stuff" they experienced with Maharishi yet feel he was a con artist to some extent. Personally I would not be surprised if he is remembered as the most successful con artist in the 20th Century. But anyhow, I appreciate everyone for expressing their feelings and points of view and however inadvertently, contributing to my transformation. For whatever it is worth, nor not worth, I did not really believe any of the allegations that Maharishi had ever had sex with women when I started reading and posting on FFL - I have now become convinced that he did - so as a few folks here say Go figure! ________________________________ From: Robin Carlsen <maskedze...@yahoo.com> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, December 9, 2012 3:49 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: And so this is Christmas Most definitely, this is true--not just objectively, either. He has a terrific secret animus against Christ and Christianity--I noticed this in all the hours I studied him live and in every video, every audio tape. *And he communicated this contempt to his teachers*--each and every one--even without them knowing it. No, Curtis read him perfectly here. He conveyed a sense of the inferiority of Christianity to Hinduism--and it was impossible not to catch this and appropriate it for oneself--as a TM teacher. It still persists probably in almost every initiator and ex-initiator. But Maharishi's hatred--it was deeper than Curtis's--who at least feels he is detached in the perfection of his religious belief: *There is no God*. With Maharishi, that antipathy went down as deep as the Crucifixion itself. This is the unmistakable impression I got from tracking Maharishi very closely on this matter, Michael. He even reacted to all the teachers singing "Silent Night" to him one Christmas. Robin --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson <mjackson74@...> wrote: > > If I may be so bold to ask, why do you say Maharishi despised Christianity? I > have never heard that. > > > > > ________________________________ > From: curtisdeltablues <curtisdeltablues@...> > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Sunday, December 9, 2012 12:02 PM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: And so this is Christmas > > >  > Much appreciated. Merry Krishnaamas back atchya. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, laughinggull108 <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > Curtis, if this was your one and only post to FFL, it would be enough, it > > would be enough...you got the gift man! Happy holidays! > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" > > <curtisdeltablues@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > So you take your fresh ground coffee (preferably dark roast Sumatran) and > > > you brew it however you do, (I use one of those Bailetti Italian numbers > > > you see on the stove in every Sofia Loren movie) and then the magic > > > begins. Having tasted versions of "Christmas" blends through the years, > > > I always thought I could do better, but until this morning never took the > > > trouble. I resisted the temptation to drop in a soft peppermint > > > (tomorrow I'm gunna) and went right for the high grade dark coco powder, > > > a sprinkle of cinnamon, sugar, and some ginger and milk. Christmas blend > > > perfection. I'm sure any version that includes cloves would be great too. > > > But it is the overly strong cloves that I object to in the commercial > > > mixes, aside from the fact that any pre-ground coffee is a non starter in > > > my kitchen. (Coffee oils are where God lives, and God evaporates really > > > quickly.) > > > > > > Speaking of God in his various human imagined personas, I am sipping my > > > yuletide brew while gazing on a nativity baby as pump as the churro > > > stuffed Honduran neighbor's kids who stomp up and down the stairs in > > > their princess dresses, but sound more like the prince's horse. (Type 2 > > > diabetes coming right up.) It is the nativity set from my youth rescued > > > from my Dad's house's attic as we emptied it out. It has a tiny wind-up > > > music box that tinkles out Silent Night, but slowed down by decades of > > > mouse droppings no doubt. It plays the song absentmindedly now in stops > > > and starts, like an old man slumped over the piano in the Alzheimers unit > > > who can only manage a few notes of the melody at a time before his mental > > > ship sails away for a few moments. > > > > > > The song is doubly sentimental for me because as a ploy to get some > > > Maharishi darshon when he visited MIU my first Winter in '75, I put > > > together a group to sing him the song in German. (It is surprisingly not > > > at all Nazi sounding and is beautiful in that language, check it out: > > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUb8ySdERKs ) It actually worked to > > > flush out the old guru, and it was the longest time I had spent standing > > > next to him at that time. He kept us waiting for hours till the early > > > morning, but he was really gracious about it all, despite the fact that > > > he despised Christianity and looked so tired I thought he was going to > > > fall over. After we were done he asked for Age of Enlightenment songs. > > > Emily Levin banged out one of her saccharine ditties. Before he went > > > back upstairs where he was saving the world and all (banging groupies) he > > > took a moment to look me in the eye. It was a nice steady benevolent > > > look, not exactly kind, a bit curious, > non committal but prolonged. For a guy as besotted as I was for the dhotied > one at the time, (or my imagination of him) it was my Christmas miracle. I > thanked him, and he floated off in a shower of Jai Guru Devs. > > > > > > Back to my nativity. The figures are some kind of plaster and my Dad > > > repainted them in garish Homer Simpson style, no doubt accompanied by > > > more than a bit of Dewar's Scotch, so that the wise men look like members > > > of George Clinton's Parliament- Funkadelic. There are oxen and sheep and > > > an adoring Mary, looking herself a bit sheepish, as Joseph beside her > > > pretends to believe her whopper of a tale of her divine pregnancy in a > > > desperate bid to keep his first century Courtney Stodden > > > age-inappropriate hot wife with him. "This better be the ONLY divinely > > > conceived baby in this house Miss Missy!" > > > > > > My eyes drift up to my walls with pictures of Santas from 1930's > > > magazines gaily puffing on cigarettes (damn I wish I was English and > > > could say he was sucking on a fag) while the copy makes claims of the > > > throat soothing virtues of Chesterfields. Throat soothing! I've got > > > versions of them all over thanks to Ebay, as if Santa had a walk-on part > > > on Mad Men. > > > > > > I've got some hand carved camels made of olive wood led by a man on a > > > donkey who I can only assume is spending another Christmas in Guantanamo > > > and someone else is now leading these camels laden with the concentrated > > > sap of the poppy which I guess is the wink, wink, nudge, nudge, > > > translation for "frankincense and myrrh" > > > > > > I loves me some Christmas. It is an atheist version, but I don't let the > > > bastard child of a rapist ghost interfere with my nostalgia wallowing. > > > If you really listen to Christmas songs they are freak'n maudlin aren't > > > they? That hits my blues center just fine. I'm not even a hater of the > > > materialistic/commercial side of Christmas. I like being coerced into > > > buying presents with money I don't have, because otherwise I wouldn't do > > > it, and gift giving is a blast. (If you prime the pump with specific > > > requests, the receiving isn't so bad either.) > > > > > > The invention of the modern Christmas and many of its most iconic symbols > > > and traditions was pretty recently laid herky jerky on top of those > > > wonderful pagan contributions. (Let's get plastered and bring a tree > > > into the hut!) If some people want to believe that the arrival of one > > > fat baby will give their lives meaning, who really cares? (Oh yeah, I do > > > when they put crèches on the public courthouse lawn...) > > > > > > So to all my friends at FFL, I hope you play this version of All I Need > > > for Christmas is You (NOT the sappy Mariah Carey puke version, but the > > > cool Vince Vance and the Valiants version) > > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1VkMBi9vvw > > > > > > Brew yourself a steaming cup of your own version of Christmas coffee, > > > (I'm pretty sure Santa would pour some brandy, bourbon or scotch in his) > > > and contemplate that even though the baby Jesus story is just a human > > > contrivance meant to cover up the indiscretions of an overly hot young > > > Mid Eastern woman married by the barbaric customs of her day to an old > > > coot with shriveled olives, take heart. By the time the first crocuses > > > are poking their noses out of the snow, he will be executed for being the > > > world's first Occupy Jerusalem hippie. Wait, that wasn't the landing I > > > was trying to stick… > > > > > > Share that enhanced coffee with someone you love, turn the song up, and > > > who knows, you might get as lucky as the Holy Spirit). Love is my > > > version of Bethlehem's shining star that makes me get on my camel and > > > ride into that beautiful silent night. > > > > > >
