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.
Displaying
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 someGurumayi 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.Mature eclectic 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*
