--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, hermandan0 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I don't know about the lecture Rick refers to and the "context" of the > quote, but I have many times seen one of the Humbolt tapes where > Maharishi was asked about this. I paraphrase, but it's pretty close. > The questioner asked--We are told to think the mantra as effortlessly > as we think any other thought. If I'm just sitting there, thoughts > arise by themselves, but I actually have to think the mantra and that > seems like a contradiction." > > Maharishi replies--Yes, you are right. It is a contradiction. When we > think the mantra we are doing something--we pick up the mantra. That's > why we qualify it immediately with the next instruction "as > effortlessly as a thought comes." We are doing something. We pick up > the mantra. But we do it effortlessly. > > The same message is in the first day checking tape where Maharishi > says "We don't sit waiting for the mantra to come, at least we open > the door." And "if the mountain doesn't come to Mohammad, Mohammad > goes to the mountain," in the same context. > > And new meditators are told TM goes "almost by itself." Not completely > by itself; almost by itself. > > When the habit of meditating becomes so ingrained that the mantra > starts seemingly without intention when we close our eyes, well and > good--that's just effortless thinking. It's even in the checking notes. > > The whole question is elementary and not really worth arguing about. > It doesn't mean TM is a concentration technique and there is some huge > lie or a plot to fool stupid gullible TMers who are too dumb to know > the difference between effortlessness and effort, nor is it a great > crack in TM dogma or theory if we admit it. It just is. >
As I've been saying: even noticing that the mantra isn't there IS the mantra.
