--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: <snip> > > What I have *always* found most lacking in Maharishi > is *empathy*, the ability to relate to other people > as if they were his equals. His entire life is struc- > tured around the dynamics of the teacher-student > relationship, with its inherent power differential > between teacher and student. Within that model, the > student can *never* be at the same "level" as the > teacher. In fact, his past teachings have empha- > sized that even if the student realizes his or her > enlightenment, that student still "owes" the teacher > lifelong devotion. <snip>
Just for a slightly different take on this, I'd have to say that despite all that TM did for me I never much felt I owed MMY anything, perhaps because I had never been much into bhakti. For that matter, I never felt that MMY had ever expected any devotion from me either, but perhaps that's because I finished only phase I of TTC. However, during my return to the Dome last summer, I noticed repeatedly that MMY and I were utterly identical, and *on the basis of this identity* I felt overwhelming waves of surrender and devotion for Him, as I did for Guru Dev and for my own simple/expanded "creator" self while experiencing reality as its devic/particular "creature" contraction. This dynamic surpised me; I wasn't expecting it -- rather having been taught only that it is love/appreciation/devotion which brings one into unity. At least in my case, however, it appears that my heart fully breaks open and surrenders only to itself, truly knowing complete creature/creator devotion only *upon the basis* of unity. *L*L*L*
