You know, on one of the last days of my six month *age of enlightenment* course
somebody ask M about something to do with his religion. M said "This, is your
religion", referring to his program.. at least metaphorically.
From: "Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net [FairfieldLife]"
<FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com>
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2015 12:02 PM
Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] On or Off the Program
PSST, Doug! TM is not supposed to be a religion. Why would it need to be
practiced religiously?
On 08/06/2015 04:12 AM, dhamiltony...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] wrote:
OTP: 'On or off the program' depends a lot on who you are talking with
here in Fairfield, Iowa. Meditation and gradations of being 'on or off the
program' in Fairfield, Iowa, culturally this works as a nuanced communal
question around meditating Fairfield, Iowa. ..Do you meditate [TM] or not? Are
you regular in your practice of meditating? Do you do the TM-Siddhis?
Regularly? Do you have a valid Dome badge or not? Do you go to the Dome? Are
you a re-certified TM teacher, or not? Not? Not? Om no, ..you must be 'off the
program'. Context is everything in the judgment. re:419364
Geezer writes:
Me: So you were in Chicago seeing another guru? SO off the program! And
what, exactly are "serious meditators"?
You: Well, met several old TM’ers at these meditations too. Found an old TM
teacher from San Francisco who was at MIU in Santa Barbara meditating here too.
These are long meditations that draw serious meditators to this retreat. Lot
of people and a lot of different paths. New Jersey is far enough rom Iowa that
there are not so many Fairfield meditators that traveled here. Not like last
month in Chicago where there were a few hundred Fairfield meditators at
Ammachi’s meetings or earlier in the year when Fairfield traveled to be with
Mother Meera. Geezer writes: I dunno man, that sounds WAY off the program and
hardly Dome-worthy!
back_formore writes:
Is there still a "program"? Does "a program" only exist in FF? What is "a
program"? It's been so long I don't remember and perhaps "programs" have
changed since I was doing anything faintly TM'ish - like 30 years ago. Are you
still on "a program"?
Re: 'Off the program'. I met a person at the recent Karunamayi silent
meditation retreat who at the end of the retreat commented that friends would
'freak out' and be quite 'upset' with this person if they knew this person had
come to the retreat. There were a lot of people from the greater NYC/New
England area from different spiritual practices and movements at the retreat. I
asked this particular individual what they meant and how the 'friends' with
their spiritual group would 'language' that this person was coming to a
meditation retreat and being with another teacher.. (?)
The answer given was there would be a judgment of being “irresponsible” and a
“failing in completion” of their personal work as taught by their group. The
young Nityananda has been around the NY metro area for some time and has a
following there. In contrast this summer this individual went to public
meetings with Karunamayi and then Ammachi too in NYC. This person has been part
of the Nityananda group for many years, been to India with them, and has a
network of long friendships within that group. This person in reflection was
saying to others at the meditation retreat to have never had a meditation or
experiences like what was going on with the retreat. The Nityananda thing
evidently is not meditative and is a lot psychological. Evidently a straying
“off the program” was becoming.. 'Irresponsible' and 'Failing in Completion'.
..'Off-the-Program'! or an awakening of sorts. -JaiGuruYou
And, the movement hosted a Guru Purnima too in Fairfield.
In looking, it seems times are changed noticeably from during the 1990’s
and the 2000’s where organizations of the maha-saints and spiritual teachers
were often fleshed out by TM’ers/ the TM community. Altruistic TM’ers seemed
to have had the ready know-how in training and and experience in volunteering
to help 'make' gurus and spiritual movements then. s/Mothers, chopra,
Shri-Shri, Meera and others. It often used to be that the people up front in
these spiritual organizations were of old TM.
Now in looking it is fairly evident that others have come along in to being
the organizing workhorses of different spiritual movements. You see many fewer
TM’ers up front running things at events or in the crowd or on the organizing
committees. Other folks coming along of more of a middle-age demographic now
do more of the facilitating of the spiritual movements and tours. Also
compared to earlier times some of the groups now have a more solid showing of
the Indo-American community culturally showing up and running things in a way
that was not there so long ago. And there a is now a smattering of spiritually
lit millennials in the crowds. Times change. -JaiGuruYou
Well, met several old TM’ers at these meditations too. Found an old TM
teacher from San Francisco who was at MIU in Santa Barbara meditating here too.
These are long meditations that draw serious meditators to this retreat. Lot
of people and a lot of different paths. New Jersey is far enough rom Iowa that
there are not so many Fairfield meditators that traveled here. Not like last
month in Chicago where there were a few hundred Fairfield meditators at
Ammachi’s meetings or earlier in the year when Fairfield traveled to be with
Mother Meera.
Geezer writes:
I dunno man, that sounds WAY off the program and hardly Dome-worthy!
Went to a Guru Purnima group silent meditation in suburban NJ the other
evening –Summit, Shorthills, Maplewood, Chatam area. Gathering of people from
a couple different yoga studios for an evening meditation as a group. Eclectic
gathering of different mature meditator folks for a nice group silent
meditation. Really nice field effect in an amalgam of some Gurumayi
meditators, chopra meditators, oprah, Quaker, centering, Buddhist, meditators,
and a couple people who learned meditation in recent times through TM center in
the NJ area. Ecumenical silent meditation together in a room for a long
meditation one evening after the workday. Also Looking in now on a guru
Purnima meditation retreat hosted by Karunamayi also in NJ just across from
NYC. About 400 practiced meditators from New England and Canada with some
coming from the West also. Matureeclectic demographic of practiced meditators
for a several day retreat practicing in long silent meditations as a group. ..
it's a nice cultivated spiritual group effect. Demographics of both these
groups meetings are middle-aged and at least middle-class. Not many
millennials to see in the group though the meditation retreat does cost money
and afforded some time including a weekday workday to go to, but are not many
millennials to be seen. Both groups age-wise were generally younger
(middle-age) than what we more commonly see in our Fairfield meetings of older
greying baby-boom meditators. -JaiGuruYou
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