--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Premanand Paul Mason" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > It is pretty clear that my biogaphy 'The Maharishi' was not welcomed > with open arms by the movement that attempts to control the public > perception of the Maharishi's image. Nevertheless, I get a lot of > emails from initiators congratulating me on the style and content and > sense of balance. To date I have had about half a dozen > communications cricical of the book, and this includes TMO lawyer > faxes before the book was read.
I actually read the book. Bought it too -- for full price. I was not aware of it, until I saw it in a Santa Monica bookstore, when I was at the PacPal MAV center for panchakarma. Around 1995. Daily yucking it up with some Purusha who were visiting there. At that time, I was not a full timer or traditional TBer, but I was participating in several TMO programs, MAV, MJ, etc, at the time. As I recall the book, I liked it. I thought it nice to have an "outside" view of MMY, with some attempt at objectivity. Much better for mass consumption, and potential mass appreciation, I thought, than some gushing TMO biased in-house book. My only thought of "critique" of the book was that at times it appeared not to have the full story. Which was understandable, from it being, from what I supposed, to be written by an outsider journalist. The book was a good and reasonable start but perhaps not the last word -- was my impression. I was then intrigued and heartened when Paul started posting and participating in FFL and other news groups. I thought -- good -- he will be able to fill in more of the "gaps" now -- and I applauded him in my mind for "continued research". Its only recently that I have become aware that Paul was in Rishikesh, and initiated in London in the early 70's, and thus was more of an insider than I had thought (perhaps that was in the book -- I just don't recall it at the moment.) Though not an initiator, govornor, staff, full-timer type of insider where, most will acknowledge, some interesting views or the TMO and MMY emerge. And I have been greatly impressed by Pauls SBS research and homepage. Great work. Anyway, I personally find Paul to be making a positive contribution to the list. And I can't remember anything from his book that seemed unfair -- just behaps "incomplete" in some areas. As any single volume book-lengthed treatment must be. I have not followed all of the finer details of the current debate of he said ... etc. And don't really care to. I just wanted to positively endorse Paul's overall contribution to the list and his SBS work, from a one-time full-time initiator, governor, associate 108 and neer-do-well hanger-on'er during the latter 60's and most of the 70's. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/JjtolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
