I sympathise with Vaj on this issue. There is something kinda creepy & oppressive about having to call someone a 'Maharishi' if one doesn't think he is one, or 'His Holiness', or even 'Yogi' (remember that MMY had to get someone else to put together the simple yogasana exercises that were introduced back in the mid-sixties). So one is left either to use the generally accepted 'The Maharishi' (regardless of why this term came to be used by the press back in the sixties). It is a bit unwieldy to use the name Balbrahmachari Shri Maheshji by which he is credited on an edition of 'Amrit Kana' (his compilation of Guru Dev's quotations).
Personally, I think MMY created the problem himself when he appropriated such a grand sounding name. It was suggested that the probably reason he did this was;'the name Maharishi is something to replace "Swami," because in India things are such that if the name "Swami" is missing, then people would suspect something is wrong.' - Osho World Online Magazine, June 2004 (towards the end of section #48 of:- http://www.oshoworld.com/onlinemag/june2004/htm/glimpses.asp But 'a rose is a rose by any other name', (or as John Lennon pointed out after someone had nose surgery, 'A nose is a nose by any other..' --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > On Jul 26, 2006, at 12:55 AM, jim_flanegin wrote: > > > *Mahesh* = Lord Shiva > > Lord Indra, also called *Bhogi*, the God of thunder and rain. > > Cool! > > > > > Perhaps you should just refer to Maharishi as His Holiness as you do > > the Dalai Lama, since you are using equivalent terms anyway. Or > > continue to refer to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as Lord Shiva or Lord > > Indra. Your choice... > > In the case of the Dalai Lama, this name is conferred based on > accomplishment and conferred by living Buddhas. It has a specific > meaning. > > In the case of Mahesh, "Maharishi" is an assumed name, as is "yogi". > These were never conferred by the Shankaracharya tradition he > originally came from, nor are they indicative of accomplishment. > Since SBS and current Shankaracharyas refer to him as "Mahesh", it is > probably respectful to the tradition to follow this tradition (rather > than the spin). > > -Mahavaj Yogi > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/zAINmC/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/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/
