--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "wayback71" <wayback71@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > I don't know about most people here, but this morning > > > I had to wade through almost 70 posts made since I went > > > to bed, many of which had to do with the "Maharishi has > > > surpassed Guru Dev" vs. "No, Guru Dev was better than > > > Maharishi" debate. > > > > > > How fuckin' embarrassing. I mean, not one of these > > > people ever met Guru Dev, and most of the ones talking > > > have never met Maharishi. And yet they've got rock- > > > solid, rigid beliefs about the worth and stature of > > > these two guys they've never met. > > > > > > From my perspective, the entire discussion boils down > > > to, "What I believe is true and what you believe > > > is doo-doo. So there. Your mother sucks dog dicks." > > > > > > After 20-30+ years of spiritual practice, the fact that > > > this attitude prevails in the former and current followers > > > of a spiritual tradition says more about that tradition > > > than anything else. > > > > I will take your word for it that the posts were ridiculolus > > or offered up opinions based on on pure speculation- you can > > be sure I won't be reading them since there are few posts > > here anymore that I open. But, it is not true that "this > > attitude prevails in the former and current followers" of > > the TMO spiritual tradition. > > I disagree, for reasons I'll specify below. > > > Just a few people here on FFL engaged in this discussion > > about a hypothetical situation, a strange topic to start with. > > It's not the 'hypothetical situation' that I'm > commenting on. It's 1) the compulsion to "rate" > teachers and techniques based on "better" and > "best" (which IS and always has been fostered > by the TM movement), and 2) the rigidity of some > of the beliefs of those who bought into it. > > > Any organization with as many current or former followers > > would have a group who would engage in this sort of stuff > > - evenif the have been meditating 20-30 years. > > Not true. You would never find people within some > of the Buddhist groups or Taoist groups I've sat in > on who would even for a moment consider "ranking" > some teacher "better" than another, or some technique > "better" than another. They'd consider that sort of > stuff infantile. > > If so, Maharishi built his entire empire on acting > infantile, claiming that his technique was better > than any other, and encouraging his teachers and > his followers to do the same. > > And as for rigidity, just try mentioning to most > die-hard TMers that TM just might *not* be the best, > most effective technique of meditation in the world, > and watch the reaction you get. (And just watch the > reactions to me saying this from some of those very > people.) > > What I'm saying is that the tendency to think in > terms of "better" and "best" (with regard to spiritual > techniques and spiritual teachers and spirtual trad- > itions) is *built into* the TMO system, so much so that > its validity and appropriateness is never questioned. > > I'm suggesting that its validity and appropriateness > *should* be questioned, and that many TMers are so > brainwashed that they are incapable of doing so. > *Not* many members of Fairfield Life are like this, > but a few of them definitely are. Just watch. > I can't say TM is the best, because I have no basis for comparison. I learned it at 21 and still do it. I have accompleshed my spiritual goals as a result of its practice and continue to do so. I have not suffered any of the side effects of it that some associate with its practice. If I were to recommend a practice to someone else I would recommend either TM or the techniques taught by SSRS. I have not had any formal exposure to Buddhism except what Vaj posts on here as links, and reading through or listening to that stuff is just way too complex for me, and is an intellectual type of learning that doesn't come naturally for me.
