--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Duveyoung <no_reply@...> wrote: (snip) > Do you have any problem with folks getting the badges taken > away if they attend other spiritual lectures?
Let me put it this way: I don't have a problem with the TMO establishing whatever rules it thinks are necessary to ensure maximum effectiveness of the dome program and implementing those rules with good judgment and fairness. But that's in principle. I don't know whether its rules *do* ensure maximum effectiveness; nor is it clear to me, from what I've heard here (although I have no way of verifying it), that the rules are implemented wisely and fairly. However, it's been my impression that badges aren't taken away simply for attending a spiritual lecture; I had thought one had to be actively helping the teacher (e.g., making arrangements for the lecture). And I had also thought this applied only to governors, not the rank and file. Just attending a lecture seems like overkill, as well as being impossible to enforce consistently. But I don't live in Fairfield, so I have no firsthand knowledge of any of this. (snip) > Do you think Hagelin's morality is a bad reflection on the > efficacy of the TM technique to evolve a personality into a > more moral being ? I think you'd have an "apology" to explain > that, but I don't know, so I ask if you've put it into text > yet. > > For discussion purposes, let's just talk about anyone who is > a "serial marriage rapist" instead of Hagelin, cuz I only know > gossip about him, so just answer if you think TM affects > morality such that a person of that ilk would be improved in, > say, less than ten years of such therapy. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to give you another equivocal response here. I haven't seen much evidence that practice of TM affects morality positively (at least morality per my standards). On the other hand, I've become increasingly uncertain about the nature of the relationship between expansion of consciousness in the direction of enlightenment (via any technique) and morality. I'm not sure these days whether there's *any* relationship at all; and if there is, I sure wouldn't want to have to define it so as to make it possible reliably to discern someone's development of consciousness (or the effectiveness of their practice) based on the morality (whose?) of their behavior. One thing I *am* sure of: It's completely unacceptable to excuse or try to justify bad behavior on the basis of one's estimation of a person's development of consciousness. The enlightened guy doesn't get a pass on making a pass. Best I can do, Edg. I guess that's postmodern spirituality for you. ;-) You're welcome to probe further if you'd like me to elaborate on my ambivalence.
