--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>
> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Marcus G Walsh"
> <walsh_marcus@> wrote:
> >
> > Hello everybody, I'm very glad that people are reporting
> > these things because I've had no idea about what really
> > is going on in Fairfield. That is so trajic. Its sad. I'm
> > living in Ontario, Canada and have been a "fan" of TM and
> > the whole idea of Maharishis programmes being made
> > available for world peace.
>
> Marcus, one thing to bear in mind when reading
> this forum is that a lot of the participants
> have been *very* involved with the TM movement
> for many years. Most of them have distanced them-
> selves from the silliness that has overcome the
> organization, but many still feel positive about
> TM itself and the benefits they have received from
> it.
>
> The things Tom mentioned in his recent post *are*
> tragic, but in my opinion they reflect a lack in
> the TM organization more than they do a problem
> with meditation in general, or even with TM in
> particular. A lot of people basically devoted their
> *lives* to Maharishi and the TM movement, working
> for little or no pay for decades, and now they're
> gettin' old (as Neil Young said so well) and finding
> themselves with no Social Security (because they
> never worked at "real" jobs enough to earn any),
> no medical benefits, and no savings. And they're
> finding that the organization they gave their lives
> to doesn't give a shit about them. Yes, it's sad,
> but I don't think it's a condemnation of TM per se
> or meditation per se, just a condemnation of an
> organization that never had much compassion in the
> first place and has developed less and less of it
> as the years went by.
>
> <snip>
> > What would be your advice to me about allowing my 3 and
> > a half year old daughter to take the technique along with
> > my wife? I'm not sure about the "movement" now. I won't
> > do TM because I smoke marijuana and the two don't mix I'm
> > told so I don't know what to do?
>
> I no longer practice TM and haven't for many decades.
> And I no longer remember at what age kids are allowed
> to learn the "walking technique" that was once avail-
> able. It's up to you, of course, as to whether you'd
> like your wife and daughter to learn, but if it's been
> a few years since you checked the *prices*, you might
> be in for a rude shock. If you do a Web search in your
> area, I'm pretty sure you will find some other forms
> of meditation (most of which, in my opinion, are just
> as effective and just as valuable as TM) for a lot
> less money, and carrying a lot less baggage.
>
> As for the marijuana thing, I don't see that "the two
> don't mix." I honestly believe that the injunction
> on smoking grass for two weeks prior to learning TM
> was mainly a power trip on the part of the TM organ-
> ization, combined with a desire to distance itself
> from the hippie phenomenon that was prevalent when
> TM first became popular. That said, grass and other
> psychedelics *do* affect your consciousness, and
> thus will have some effect on meditation. But I know
> a LOT of people who meditate *and* smoke grass, and
> have suffered no ill effects from doing so.
>
The only thing I'd add here is that smoking dope won't result in ill
effects when practicing TM, but your experiences won't be very
clear, so if you want a better start to meditation, probably best to
lay off for a couple weeks.
