Comments below... ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <curtisdeltablues@...> wrote :
--In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <authfriend@...> wrote : Just for da record... I don't need to go into any detail here but just can mention that subjective experiences were never evaluated separated from behavior. I believe that Maharishi got that right. I don't need to say any more about that because you provided more than enough information for people to judge if your behavior and claims match up. What if what has been described as enlightenment in the past has *absolutely nothing* to do with personality or behavior? What if, just as those who described it in the past have said, it is purely about consciousness, having the ability to directly perceive eternality 24/7, and that ability has *absolutely nothing* to do with what is going on simultaneously in terms of personality and behavior? --Barry Wright, awhile back on alt.m.t You'd never know Barry had ever entertained this perspective the way he links behavior and enlightenment these days, would you? I happen to favor this understanding of enlightenment myself, one of Barry's and my rare points of agreement. C: You are mixing up levels here. Actually, I was quoting something Barry wrote. In traditional systems it is emphasized that there is a wide range of possible behaviors for the so called enlightened. I am referring to how Maharishi managed the path. Yes, you see, I disagree with how Maharishi "managed the path," whatever that means in this context. Barry apparently did too back when he wrote what I quoted, or at least was considering the possibility that Maharishi got it wrong. It goes without saying that people should be judged on their behavior regardless of their state of consciousness. But by the same token, their state of consciousness cannot be judged on the basis of their behavior, if one has nothing to do with the other. The issue is confused further by Jim self proclaiming himself as enlightened within a system that has broken down. The inmates are now running the TM prison. But in the context of the movement itself there would be no recognition of Jim's self proclaimed status. Authority in the organization is gained through time served or lots of cash, not subjective claims for experience. In my view, because I do not assume that discrete states of enlightenment exist or that it means anything concerning how the world works, I am judging people just on their words and deeds. No one gets an enlightenment pass for bad behavior including the so called gurus.
