Maybe your experience isn't the be-all and end-all for everybody, Share, not to mention that you haven't had the sort of sudden profoundly transformative experience Robin had. In any case, Robin got all kinds of positive feedback; nobody questioned his enlightenment. "Life" didn't make it obvious, or even evident, that self-evaluation was needed until years down the line when his group fell apart--and once that happened, he embarked on 25 years of self-evaluation and self-reform.
Also, I can't imagine a teacher not at least offering guidance to a disciple whose experience of himself and of the world has been so utterly and unexpectedly changed without any preparation, even if the disciple doesn't ask for it. FWIW, Robin has never blamed Maharishi for what happened to him. That was my suggestion, not his. Robin has never blamed anyone but himself. And finally, I find the notion that one should never feel shame for one's mistakes contemptible. << Judy, I don't think self evaluation is something that a disciple needs to demand. In my experience, life makes it obvious when self evaluation is needed! On second thought, I think empty meant that if the guru emphasizes experience, meaning spiritual experience, then the disciple will go with that, perhaps ignoring the feedback he or she is getting from life, from all the other experiences he or she is having, assuming that one is have more than just spiritual experiences since one is still in a body! It could be that Maharishi realized that, as you say above, Robin thought he didn't need guidance and thus Maharishi didn't offer it. Many people, myself included, have gone outside of the TMO to get what we need in terms of healing and continuing human development. As I've said before, that I've been able to do this proves to me that the TMO is not a cult. IMO it's good if people simply learn from their mistakes without the need to blame and or feel ashamed of their mistakes. >> On Saturday, January 18, 2014 10:48 AM, "authfriend@..." <authfriend@...> wrote: If I may comment, presumably the disciple doesn't know any better. How can the disciple demand something he or she doesn't know is necessary? FWIW, I've always thought Maharishi didn't give Robin the help he needed after he'd had this profoundly transformative experience on the mountain. Robin didn't think he needed any guidance, but he would surely have accepted it if Maharishi had offered it. Whether whatever Maharishi could have given him in the way of guidance would have made a difference, I have no idea. But it's almost as if Maharishi wanted to see what he'd do if left to his own devices. He kept close tabs on Robin once he'd gone off to teach on his own in Canada but never interfered, and even told Bevan to leave Robin alone when he came to MIU and started causing trouble, leading Robin to assume he approved of what Robin was doing. I sure could be wrong, but I'm inclined to put some of the blame for what ultimately happened to Robin on Maharishi's hands-off approach. << emptybill, following up on your last sentence below, how is it possible for a teacher to cheat a disciple "out of the self-evaluations necessary for real sadhana." Surely the disciple has some say in the matter. Do you think this is what happened to Robin? >> This is what happens when experience itself becomes the object of sadhana (practice) rather than conformity with Reality. It is the same old theme and “gurus” just fool people when they cheat them out of the self-evaluations necessary for real sadhana.
