turq, I think Maharishi was speaking from experience therefore it was not appropriate for him to say that he was explaining his beliefs! And he also encouraged everyone else to go by their own experience. He offered knowledge as a way to understand experience and supplement it rather than to replace it.
On Sunday, May 25, 2014 10:00 AM, "TurquoiseBee turquoi...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> wrote: Thinking back on it, there are three words that I cannot remember Maharishi ever using, in "live" lectures, on video-and audio-tapes, and in his books. Those three words, which *could* have been used to preface something he was about to say, are "I believe that..." Instead, he said stuff as if the fact that he believed it made it not only true, but Truth. And he *presented* the things he taught that way. They were never "in my opinion" or "according to what I believe," but Truth. He often implied that they were not only Truth but Eternal Universal Cosmic Truth, piped to him directly from the Home Of All Knowledge. And people *bought* them as such. They may claim -- years later and now embarrassed by many of the things that they once believed were Truth -- that they didn't, but let's face it...anyone who was invested enough to become a TM teacher bought them lock, stock and barrel *AS* Truth. Then they went out and taught them to others *AS* Truth. I believe that it would have been better in the long run if he had just been honest about the things he taught and presented them as what they were -- things he believed. Heck, it would have been better even knowing as we do now that he didn't even *really* believe that some of the things he said were true. His admission to Earl Kaplan that he didn't know whether the ME would really have any effect or not shows that. But I can accept that he really *did* believe many of the bullshit superstitions and personal opinions and speculations he presented to the world as Truth. I just think it would have been better for all concerned if he had presented them *AS* "things I believe" rather than claiming or implying that they were Truth. Prefacing them with "I believe that..." would have been a more honest way of teaching.
