Looking at this exchange, I realize that Michael, like Kai, likely went from hardcore true believer, to hardcore in the opposite direction.
I knew Kai on my TM-SIdhis course. He was in the room next to mine during the Yogic Flying block. He seemed to be strongly committed to every tiny nuance of every tiny bit of Maharishi's teaching being 100% true, which I found odd in a scientist (or anyone else for that matter). Of course, my first exposure to organized religion was in the mid-60's when I would get into debates with my Sunday School teacher about whether Jesus were divine, or merely some kind of telekinetic/psychic healer able to psychically reach into the body of his patients and treat them. Looking back, it was a pretty sophisticated stance for a 4th grader to take, but I'd probably been watching some TV show with my father or reading one of the books where such things were described (Amazing Stories and Analog often had stories like that in the late 50's and early 60's, I believe). Fortunately for me, I was in the Unitarian-Universalist Church when I had those debates, or I might have caused serious problems for my parents (who frankly didn't care in the slightest what I believed about religion, as far as I know). Regardless, to quote Kai as an unbiased authority on TM, then or now, is to show a certain blindness to where Kai is coming from (then or now). L ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <LEnglish5@...> wrote : "The needs of the many" seen from teh perspective of the needs of the few. If you believe in all the little details that Maharishi's perspective implies, then you end up with that kind of response. It's very fundamentalist. L ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <mjackson74@...> wrote : When I was at MIU there was a kid, I forget how old, I think around 11 or 12 maybe who came onto campus riding his bike I think right around dark. He entered campus on the lower entrance and the MIU security had put a chain across the entrance to keep people from coming in by automobile. Trouble was, they had put no flags or other identifying markers on the chain and in fog or after dark it was very hard to see it till you were right up on it. The kid hit the chain, fell off his bike and sustained injuries such that he was paralyzed. The doctors said he would not recover and would be paralyzed for life. Facing a lifetime of medical bills and dealing with that type of injury the parents chose to sue the university for not having made the chain easy to see and thereby easier to avoid hitting. I remember hearing one faculty member telling one of the kitchen staff it was so unfortunate that the parents were behaving so badly as to sue MIU and they were accruing some really bad karma. -------------------------------------------- On Tue, 4/8/14, salyavin808 <no_re...@yahoogroups.com mailto:no_re...@yahoogroups.com> wrote: Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: The Maharishi Murderer To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2014, 9:04 AM ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <LEnglish5@...> wrote : MUM, the TMO, and the TM movement had two main areas of culpability with respect to this man and the incident: 1) there's a pervasive attitude that TM cures all ills and that all forms of medication can be reduced by doing TM (the MUM homepage even had a banner proclaiming it during the incident); 2) there's a circle the wagons attitude to try and protect the organization, the technique and the mystique that Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's attitudes towards ever aspect of life can't possibly be wrong in even the tiniest iota. Those two things together brought about this tragedy: The kid grew to believe that he could go off his meds without telling anyone because he believed that TM was all he needed because that was what everyone else around him believed as well. No-one was willing to alert anyone in authority that he was showing signs of instability, and when his actions became so extreme that there was no way to deny that something was seriously wrong, the Powers that Be still chose to try to deny that they needed to turn to outside help. The result was a murder, and two simultaneous lawsuits that nearly bankrupt MUM -one from the family of the murder victim, and one from the family of the murderer. Only now are they recovering from the financial fallout, from what I can tell. It's a shocking story from every angle. I hope some sort of lesson got learned at MUM. Obviously the TMO still keeps up it's pretence of perfection but everyone should have learned something about mental health and the limits of meditating. It isn't going to fix things like this and is likely to make them worse. I've seen it myself a couple of times. No one got hurt, the sufferers just got sent into the care of the health service. A similar story lies behind the recent violence at the pundit compound. L ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <no_re...@yahoogroups.com mailto:no_re...@yahoogroups.com> wrote : ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <turquoiseb@...> wrote : It's probably worth noting that the blurb Michael posted here is *NOT* from Sem himself, and the title of the book is *NOT* "The Maharishi Murderer." The blurb was written by a part-timer at the book PR agency Sem or the publisher hired to stir up interest in the book, SEND2PRESS. Yes, well spotted. I saw only the sensational aspect through my bleary morning eyes. On the other hand, "the Maharishi Murderer" *IS* exactly what he was. What makes such PR excess possible are the extravagant (and clearly untrue) claims made by MUM about what an "ideal society" it represents, and how violence and crime simply can't exist inside the awesome Field Of Woo generated by the domes. When you've made claims like that and then had them proved untrue, *of course* you pretend the event never happened in your campus newspapers. Many of the people on campus (and the TBs here) are still busy pretending it never happened in their own minds. I think the excess of hyperbole in the TMO is always going to be a problem. Words like "ideal" and "invincible" are all very well but it's all rather easily disproved. Somehow, terms like "Same as everywhere else" or "We're only as good as the people who come and stay" aren't going to be such a big draw. But they won't backfire either... From: salyavin808 <no_re...@yahoogroups.com mailto:no_re...@yahoogroups.com> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, April 8, 2014 8:39 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: The Maharishi Murderer Sounds like an interesting book. Shame about the appalling title. I think the tagline should read: One Man's Escape from Insanity' is the story of Shuvender Sem, who, 10 years later, we are now going to pretend that on March 1, 2004 became known as 'The Maharishi Murderer' to sell more books. Maybe it covers this, but here is also an interesting story about how some people with latent psychosis are adversely affected by TM and the TMSP. I've known a couple myself. Maybe they do too much, maybe they would have had a breakdown anyway, but they say that about those people who are insane after a hit of LSD. Some things open unconscious wounds and we all know that TM is much more than just a relaxation technique. But it's impossible to say for sure. I think it's just hopelessly ineffective with deep psychological problems, a bit of seratonin goes a long way but it isn't a cure all. But I seem to remember some research claiming that TM lowers psychotic succeptability, didn't help a friend of mine and the people in the TMO had no way of dealing with it which I seem to remember was the main problem at MUM. Most interesting aspect of it for cult watchers was the news blackout, a murder on campus didn't even make the student newspaper! I'm all for global good news but that was sinister, our very own Bob Brigante commented that it's like living in North Korea. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <mjackson74@...> wrote : New Autobiography Gives Insight into Maharishi Murder Tue, 19 Feb 2013, 14:47:52 EDT Edited by Debra Tone LANCASTER, Pa., Feb. 19, 2013 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- It is a story that could only be written by one person. A compelling autobiography that not only pushes the boundaries of sanity, it takes readers on a frightening voyage to meet it face-to-face. "Murder and Misunderstanding; One Man's Escape from Insanity" (ISBN-13: 978-1479256969) is the story of Shuvender Sem, who on March 1, 2004 became known as "The Maharishi Murderer." The murder took place in Fairfield, Iowa, on the campus of a university that prided itself on non-violence. The Maharishi University of Management used a variety of techniques towards its non-violent goals including twice-daily use of Transcendental Meditation. It was to no small degree that this setting put the murder in the national spotlight. In one moment Sem was a college student. In the next he was "The Maharishi Murderer." Shuvender killed freshman Levi Butler without provocation on the campus by stabbing him four times in the chest with a paring knife. The murder took place following an incident earlier in the day when Sem stabbed a student with a pen. That previous incident led to the student getting seven stitches to his face. Deemed competent to stand trial, the judge ruled he was "not guilty by reason of insanity" at the request of both the defense and the prosecution. Against popular belief, NGRI is an extremely rare plea, used in less than one percent of criminal cases. A not guilty result is even more uncommon, occurring just one-quarter of one percent of the time. Now, after years of psychotropic medications and intense therapy, Shuvender is telling his story of schizophrenia in his autobiography, "Murder and Misunderstanding; One Man's Escape from Insanity." It is not only an extremely rare look into the mind of a killer from his own perspective, but it is also a deeply personal story that explores the darkest, most grim places of the mind. "Our mental health system is broken. We need to fix this before more crimes are committed," says Sem. In his book, Shuvender tells of his relationship with his father, and the events that led to that day on campus. He describes his struggle with, and eventual escape from this misunderstood illness. It is a story of recognition and realization. A story of redemption desired, and hope delivered. It is a book written to serve as a beacon for those with schizophrenia and their families, by a man who was held in its strongest grips, and managed to escape. Shuvender Sem, or Shubi as he is known, now speaks publicly about his experience with schizophrenia in the hopes of helping others. He is available for presentations and Q&A sessions for law enforcement, mental health groups, attorney associations, academic institutions and others who may feel they can benefit from his story. The self-told story of Shuvender Sem, "Murder and Misunderstanding; One Man's Escape from Insanity" is available at http://www.ShuvenderSem.com/ http://www.ShuvenderSem.com/ . The book is available in paperback; as well as Kindle, iPad and Nook digital editions.
