--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson wrote: > > I am still reading - its a pretty extraordinary book, to me anyway. You are quite the writer and should I ever be able to write to that level, I will be a happy man. > > I am still feeling energy, sometimes with a Capital "E." Some I might expect such as the account of Rama allowing the golden light to glow and glow and glow in the room, the Buddha meditation in the Hawaiian restaurant...,
Ah, yes...good moments, both of them. The latter story was written at the time, which possibly makes a difference. Fred Lenz was, after all, an English professor before he became a guru/cult figure, and so he highly recommended that everyone keep a Journal, and when they had extraordinary experiences, to write them down *as soon as possible* after they'd happened. His theory was -- and I fully believe it is true, based on personal experience -- that many of these experiences happen in alternate realities that you can't easily access or even remember when you're "back" in your normal, everyday reality. He felt -- and again I agree -- that if you have some whiz-bang experience that if you don't write it down in the first day or so after it happens, much or most of the experience will be lost to you forever. When trying to "go back" and recapture it, you'll end up adding too much fiction and moodmaking into the writing, because you won't be able to remember how it *felt*. You can't "recapture" the state of attention you were in at the time because you are no longer in it. On the other hand, his theory was that if you *do* write it down at the time, you can then go back later and "polish" the writing (as I did with some of the stories), but more important, the writing now serves as kind of a doorway or portal "back to" the state of attention you experienced while the original events were going on. He called this "the second level of writing," creating a catalyst for yourself such that, when you read it again in the future, it "takes you back" to the mindset of the original experience and allows you to experience it again. That certainly happened for me when writing some of the stories, and still happens sometimes when I go back and read some of them. Rama's "third level of writing" is something I'm not sure I've ever achieved, but I still aspire to it. That's when you manage to capture enough of the energy and mindset of an extraordinary experience that *someone else* can get a hit on it, and feel a little of the original energy and wonder. I've certainly experienced that when reading some of my favorite authors. > ...but some of the strongest Energy was when I read the chapter "Style" about how you live your life when no one else is watching (and how you decorate a house) - Maybe I am just wanting to feel a lot so I am doing so at odd moments. Whatever. A lot of these stories were written -- like my Paris cafe stories -- sitting down at a cafe in Santa Fe with essentially a blank mind and a blank canvas, and just *writing*, to see what came out. At the time of that story, I was just having SO much fun decorating my house that I guess that's what came out. :-) > Anyhow I am gonna take a break for the night and see what tomorrow brings - thanks again for sharing this link - I'm getting a lot out of it. No problem, and I hope it answers some of your questions. He was definitely an odd guy, clearly the oddest I've ever met in this lifetime. Much of my experience studying with him was wonderful, and mainly because -- in contrast to the TMO where I'd spent the previous few years -- so much of it was FUN. We went to movies together; we went to Disneyland together; we went to Hawaii and Paris and Amsterdam together. We'd dress up in tuxes and evening dresses and have lavish dinners at The Pierre in NY or at Windows On The World. Nothing about the trip was "reclusive" or aspiring to head off someday and live in a cave. It was very much a Tantric trip -- not only about living in the world, but about living in the world *well*, and with some style. When it began to be less fun, I wound up having to make some decisions about whether to bail on it or not, and wound up bailing. Many friends stuck it out for a couple of more years, but then Rama wound up bailing on *them*, kinda leaving them floundering for some time. I consider myself fortunate that I had made my own decision to leave before then, and thus didn't have to deal with that sudden absence. Anyway, to quote the Grateful Dead, it was a "long, strange trip," and even though I'm not part of it any more, I'm glad I wrote some of it down. Heck, if I hadn't, by now I'd be half convinced that I imagined it all. :-) But I didn't. > -------------------------------------------- > On Thu, 1/16/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@... wrote: > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Apostasy, is a terrible thing. > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Date: Thursday, January 16, 2014, 7:47 PM > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson > wrote: > > > > I am still feeling tons of palpable energy even as I go > about my day. Will get back to you on that in a while. > > Interesting. I always wondered > about that. > > I know that I often felt incredible waves of energy while > writing many of the stories, but I didn't know whether > that could "communicate" or come across to someone > who wasn't there. I've had other Rama students tell > me that they "felt" something, but they were > there, and thus could just be having some memory being > triggered. > > I haven't gone back and read RTM myself in quite some > time, so it's difficult for me to even remember all that > I wrote back then. But what I can remember is that the > "highest" stories from my point of view were > probably the tsakli stories (by definition some of the > highest moments of my life) and the two scorpion stories. > > > -------------------------------------------- > > On Thu, 1/16/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@ wrote: > > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Apostasy, is a terrible > thing. > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > Date: Thursday, January 16, 2014, 7:21 PM > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson > > > wrote: > > > > > > I changed my day so I could delve into what you > had > > written - I have gone through a lot of it and it > answers > > most of my questions. Mainly I wanted to know if you > thought > > Rama was legit in the beginning and if you witnessed > any of > > the power or sidhi demonstrations he did. Obviously > yes to > > both. > > > > If by "legit" you mean > > enlightened, I don't know. What I do know is that > in the > > beginning he was a nicer guy and a better teacher, and > was > > obviously going through *something*. What that > something was > > I still don't know; all I know is that it radiated > so > > strongly you could feel it. Meditate with the man and > there > > was no issue of stopping thoughts. You couldn't > *have* > > thoughts. The silence was that profound. > > > > As for the performance of sidhis, yes I witnessed > them, as > > did literally thousands of other people over the > years, but > > again, I can't claim to "know what was > > happening." All I can say is that it DID happen > for me, > > subjectively, and that it was kinda neat to see. I was > never > > as wowed out as some people were by the sidhis, > strangely > > enough because I stilled believed in something > Maharishi had > > said earlier (and later changed his mind about), that > sidhis > > did not mean enlightenment, and vice-versa. Apples > and > > oranges. No relation between the two. > > > > Interestingly enough, especially given your next > comment, > > the real phwam! of seeing these things was not so > much > > seeing them but FEELING them. *Whatever* was going on, > there > > was a palpable field of energy that surrounding it > that just > > knocked my socks off. > > > > > I had a hard time reading much of it because I > began to > > feel a great deal of energy as soon as I started > reading, I > > mean LOTS of energy. So I am taking the reading in > stages. > > Read a little. Sweep my floors a little, clean the > > bathrooms, come down off the energy a little and read > a > > little more. > > > > Interesting to hear that you > > felt something while reading it. I certainly did > while > > writing it. > > > > > Two minor questions I have are: > > > > > > Did you know this guy? Mark Laxer > > > > Yes. We were friends in the > > early days, but he was one of the early defectors, and > I > > just haven't run into him since. I'm sure he > had > > some interesting things to say in his memoir piece > about > > Rama, but I haven't read it. > > > > > Have you ever read his book Take Me for a Ride: > Coming > > of Age in a Destructive Cult Paperback? > > > > No. It's difficult for me to > > read other students' books about Rama, because 1) > > I'm not really that interested in the guy these > days, > > and 2) what they experienced was what *they* > experienced. It > > may or may not map to my experience, and neither of us > is > > "right" about what we saw and experienced, > or what > > we think of him. We just saw and experienced what we > > experienced, that's all. > > > > > If so is it accurate? > > > > Can't help you. As I said, I > > haven't read it. > > > > > That's all - back to the energy now and > thanks for > > talking and thanks for writing about Rama and all the > other > > things you wrote about. > > > -------------------------------------------- > > > On Thu, 1/16/14, Michael Jackson mjackson74@ > wrote: > > > > > > Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Apostasy, is a > > terrible thing. > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > Date: Thursday, January 16, 2014, 4:02 PM > > > > > > > > Thanks Barry - I am gonna read what you > have > > > written and if I have any questions after that, > > I'll > > > send 'em. > > > > > > Got a busy day today, but I intend to start > reading it > > later > > > tonight. > > > > > > -------------------------------------------- > > > > > > On Thu, 1/16/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@ > > > wrote: > > > > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Apostasy, is a > terrible > > thing. > > > > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > > > > Date: Thursday, January 16, 2014, 8:21 AM > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael > Jackson > > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > I would like to have a conversation with > you > > about > > > your > > > time with Rama if you are willing. I am more > than > > happy to > > > do it privately if you like cause I know some > on here > > are > > > going to revile you no matter what you say. So > can > > we > > > talk? > > > > > > > > > > > > I don't mind, as long as you > > > > > > understand a few things at the outset. First, > I > > rarely > > > even > > > > > > think about the dude any more, except when > something > > > > > > triggers a memory, as something you said in one > of > > your > > > > > > posts did yesterday. Second, I don't waste > my > > time > > > > > > either condemning or defending him -- he was > what he > > was, > > > > > > and I don't much care what anyone thinks > about > > him. > > > > > > > > > > > > Third, however, and as you say, if we do it > here you > > can > > > > > > expect a lot of "piling on" from > stalkers > > here. > > > > > > They'll do it for various reasons. Some > will > > start > > > > > > piling on when they hear tales of thousands of > his > > > students > > > > > > witnessing siddhis they've *still* only > read > > about, > > > > > > after 30 years of pursuing them and after > paying > > thousands > > > > > > of dollars to supposedly learn them. Some will > pile > > on > > > > > > because they don't like me, and they > mistakenly > > > believe > > > > > > that if they diss a former teacher I still have > some > > > > > > positive feelings about, it'll push my hot > > buttons the > > > > > > same way me saying things about MMY pushes > theirs, > > and > > > thus > > > > > > I'll react and get into one of the > Robin-like > > > > > > "confrontations" with them they so > hope > > for. > > > > > > > > > > > > That's not gonna happen, so we might as > well do > > it > > > here. > > > > > > :-) But I'll warn you ahead of time that > my > > attention > > > > > > span for "things Rama-related" is > pretty > > damned > > > > > > short these days, so if you have questions, > make the > > first > > > > > > few "count," because at some point > I'll > > get > > > > > > tired of the whole thing and bail. :-) > > > > > > > > > > > > That said, ask anything you want, and I'll > do my > > best > > > to > > > > > > answer your questions as honestly as I wrote > > "Road > > > Trip > > > > > > Mind." That would be a good place to start > if > > you are > > > > > > actually curious about the dude. I wrote it to > get > > the > > > > > > Rama-monkey off my back, and it worked. I > don't > > > actually > > > > > > have a great deal more to say about the guy > than I > > said in > > > > > > that book. > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.ramalila.net/RoadTripMind/index.html > > > > > > Ãâà> > > > > >
