I agree with *almost* everything Barry says here. It's well put and very clear.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: <snip> > I have found that those who are "questioning" > *rarely* are "eaten for breakfast" by those others here > who are questioning. They are often berated by those whom > we term True Believers, who seem to feel the need to > "defend" Maharishi, TM, and the vagaries of the TMO. <snip> > In my opinion (and that is all that it is, opinion), > much of the strife comes from people who are afraid > of asking questions themselves, and affronted when > others do it in their presence. I think Barry's opinion above actually reflects his annoyance at his own opinions and assertions *being* questioned. There is some reflexive defense of MMY here (not much of the TMO, though), but a lot of the questioning of Barry's and other critics' views has to do with problems with accuracy and fairness and simply providing possible alternate ways of seeing things. It doesn't make one a "True Believer" to decline to accept every single last criticism of MMY as gospel or to be unwilling to see him in the worst possible light. Indeed, sometimes the more extreme critics here behave a lot more like True Believers than those who question their pronouncements. <snip> And there are > some well-deserved insults hurled at one woman who has > done more than enough to deserve them for decades. Translation: I've probably been Barry's harshest critic over the 12 years (hardly "decades") I've been participating in TM forums. He doesn't like being criticized. <snip> > But please bear in mind that > within the TM movement there is a strong dogma *against* > "self-monitoring." It's almost considered "off the program." > Proper behavior is just supposed to happen magically the > longer you meditate; trying to force it is "mood making." > Remember? > > If you've been brainwashed by that sorta stuff for a long > time, it's really difficult for someone to make the tran- > sition to exercising a little control over one's behavior. Actually, we might want to remember that Barry just got done agreeing with Bronte about the "extremeness of the movement in demanding sweetness and light from its members, regardless of how they are feeling." Just a wee bit of a contradiction there... For Barry, it's important to get the movement coming and going, even if the going suggests precisely the opposite of the coming. Other than these few points, an excellent post.
