--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Gillam" <jpgillam@> > wrote: > > > > --- authfriend wrote: > > > > > > --- Gillam wrote: > > > > > > > > --- authfriend wrote: > > > > > > > > > > --- Rick wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > If ever the topic of women or sex came up, he would feign > > > > > > ignorance, and would encourage single guys to be celibate, > > > > > > like him. > > > > > > > > > > And you see this as hypocrisy? > > > > > > > > (Butting in) Looks that way to me. How would you > > > > interpret it, Judy? Genuinely curious. I'm not good > > > > at this sort of perception. > > > > > > Well, I wasn't there, obviously. But what the > > > hell else could he say under the circumstances > > > if he really thought the guys he was speaking to > > > ought to be celibate for the sake of their > > > evolution? > > > > > > I'm not condoning his illicit sexual behavior, > > > given his position, but I'm not sure "hypocrisy" > > > is the right term for what he told the guys. > > > > I see the nuance, and his conundrum. > > > > Given the lame nature of his relationships - > > maybe 30 minutes of nooky time at the end > > of the work day now and again - he probably > > didn't perceive himself as being in a relationship. > > I'm not trying to rationalize his behavior. I'm > > just assuming he was able to rationalize it himself. > > > > I had a spell some years ago when I enjoyed a > > cigar or two on the weekend. After about six > > months of this, I was looking at an insurance > > form that asked, "Have you used any tobacco > > products in the past six months?" If so, I had > > to pay the smoker's rate for insurance. At that > > point I realized, "Oh my God. I'm a smoker." > > Before that, I never thought of myself as a smoker. > > It wasn't part of my identity. I was just enjoying > > a cigar or two on the weekend. > > > > Maybe Maharishi had the same delusion I did. > > Just as I thought I was essentially a non-smoker > > even as I puffed away at my La Unicas, he was > > able to think he was celibate when he dallying > > with his gopis. > > Certainly possible. What I had in mind was more > that, assuming he genuinely thought it would be > better for their spiritual development if they > stayed celibate, introducing any potential > cause for confusion over that instruction (How come > he can and we can't? Is he really enlightened if he > isn't celibate? etc. etc.) could inhibit their > development, so he was essentially telling a lie > for *their* benefit. > > Ends justifying the means and all that, clearly a > rationalization and not the ideal we'd like to see > by any means, but not hypocrisy per se. > > I wonder how often that kind of conundrum--not just > about sex but any "bad" habit or behavior--masters > have to deal with, pretending they don't indulge in > that habit or behavior because they perceive > (accurately or not) that to do otherwise would confuse > their followers and get in the way of their sadhana. >
I recall being in an airport once with a couple of fellow sidhas while a bunch of Japanese assured us that their teacher, who was calmly smoking a cigarette in the corner, was the greatest living Zen master... ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Great things are happening at Yahoo! Groups. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/TISQkA/hOaOAA/yQLSAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
