[FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
Good stuff - I'd like to see it offered as an option on the cable, or electric bill, as just another utility - learn TM, installment payments, etc. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote : Yep, as many as 35,000 per month learned TM during the second Merv Wave. The numbers in the US are slowly picking up again. 8,000+ adults learned TM in 2012, which isn't even 10% of the Merv Wave numbers, but as Peter McWilliams told me he warned Maharishi about nearly 40 years ago: 35,000 per month isnt' sustainable, and the organization had to remake itself to survive with only a fraction of the number meditating. And it did. When Maharishi died, there were only a few hundred people learning TM in the USA. True, a lower price might have boosted that a bit, but the organizational structure wasn't built to survive on only a few hundred or few thousand initiations a year. Looking at the Maharishi Foundation figures since it was founded, the TMO appears to have found an island of stability, with the ability to scale upward a good bit within a few years, if needed, and then drop back down to "maintenance mode" if that is needed. L
[FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
Yep, as many as 35,000 per month learned TM during the second Merv Wave. The numbers in the US are slowly picking up again. 8,000+ adults learned TM in 2012, which isn't even 10% of the Merv Wave numbers, but as Peter McWilliams told me he warned Maharishi about nearly 40 years ago: 35,000 per month isnt' sustainable, and the organization had to remake itself to survive with only a fraction of the number meditating. And it did. When Maharishi died, there were only a few hundred people learning TM in the USA. True, a lower price might have boosted that a bit, but the organizational structure wasn't built to survive on only a few hundred or few thousand initiations a year. Looking at the Maharishi Foundation figures since it was founded, the TMO appears to have found an island of stability, with the ability to scale upward a good bit within a few years, if needed, and then drop back down to "maintenance mode" if that is needed. L
[FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
I truly think it was The Merv Griffin Show that got the biggest wave of adherents. It was Middle America, not hippies like moi that Merv's audience was appealing to and those folks became the mainstay. Also, the movement had a good infrastructure in place at that time to intiate folks by the 10's of thousands. MMY's movement had been steadily building up to that point, but that had to be the zenith in pure numbers.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
Marshy lectured at these places because the intelligentsia of said institutions
were curious about him and in his early days he did come across with relative
simplicity and sincerity. Later he got greedy and venal with his machinations.
Read the book Call No Man Master - the lady wrote it was around Marshy all the
time and she chronicles the beginning of his creating a hierarchy of
specialness around in, encouraging his followers to vie with one another to be
good enough to spend time with him, and the beginning of his focus on money,
money money money! And the Turq is correct - the Beatles really put him on the
map. From relative obscurity he went to having every reporter in the world
stick a camera and microphone in his face and ask him about his deal. He must
have had them pundits back home doing the right yagyas for financial and egoic
success cuz he shore nuff got it in that moment. Even though he dissed the Fab
Four towards the end of his career as
a con artist, you know, when he was in his dotage?
On Sat, 5/17/14, dhamiltony...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]
wrote:
Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a
while)?
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2014, 2:55 PM
The Beatles
were later-comers-on by
then. Maharishi had already been lecturing at the upper
tier
Universities by then, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton,
Cambridge
University, Oxford, public lectures in places like Albert
Hall,
thence to Europe. Certainly everyone helped based on their
experience and giving the recommend, the Beatles too. The
Beatles
were not a lone force in this.
-Buck
sharelong60
writes:Buck and turq, I got
initiated the weekend BEFORE the Merv Griffin Show in 1975.
When I came to MIU later that year, many of the people had
already been meditating for 2 or 3 years. Many of them were
from California. I don't remember hearing anything about
the Beatles doing TM til later.
For instance,
actually a lot of us learned because of
Kurt Vonnegut. I started because earlier for Kurt Vonnegut
TM had
worked for him. That was the power of the word of mouth
about the practice. Didn't know anything about TM and
the Beatles at the
time. -Buck
TurquoiseBee
writes:
Well, *of
course* it was the Beatles. If Maharishi had never run into
them, I would bet that almost no one on this forum would
*be* on this forum, or would have ever heard of TM. But the
Beatles just provided Maharishi's entryway into the
market, so they're not the only key to its popularity
(for a while). I don't think that "easy to
learn" was the big issue, either. Yes, it's a big
plus to be told that what you're about to learn is so
easy that you don't have to actually DO anything --
especially for lazy,
pay-my-money-now-and-want-my-results-now
Americans.
I
think it was the combination of "easy to learn"
and pandering to all of the people who learned it by trying
to inflate their sense of self-importance.
No, that is not completely true.
Of course Beatlemania makes an interesting observation but
also makes for some wrong thinking around TM if not looked
at in context. -Buck
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[FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
I certainly did not expect this reaction from these two. I guess there is a lot at stake for both of them. Unfortunately, they will not be seen in the same light, again, here on FFL. Nobody's loss, though. :-) ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote : Almost 900 words devoted to an attempt to make TMers feel bad about themselves. This, of course, is how Barry makes himself feel Special these days--by attributing to TMers the fantasies of Specialness that he himself entertained about TM. Ultimately it didn't work out, so he moved on to Rama to get his Specialness fix. But that didn't end well either, so he tried becoming an expat. Looks like that isn't doing it for him any more, so he has to double down on his More Special Than TMers rap. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote : Barry. How many words wasted here, this morning, instead of the simple ones we all want to hear - Please, please please admit to us here, that you have no foundation in Being, no established silence, and no witnessing. In other words, no foundation of Maharishi's teaching, and certainly no enlightenment. Then we will take you for who you are - An ex-TM teacher, who could get to spiritual first base. Howzabout it?:-) ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote : Well, *of course* it was the Beatles.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
Almost 900 words devoted to an attempt to make TMers feel bad about themselves. This, of course, is how Barry makes himself feel Special these days--by attributing to TMers the fantasies of Specialness that he himself entertained about TM. Ultimately it didn't work out, so he moved on to Rama to get his Specialness fix. But that didn't end well either, so he tried becoming an expat. Looks like that isn't doing it for him any more, so he has to double down on his More Special Than TMers rap. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote : Barry. How many words wasted here, this morning, instead of the simple ones we all want to hear - Please, please please admit to us here, that you have no foundation in Being, no established silence, and no witnessing. In other words, no foundation of Maharishi's teaching, and certainly no enlightenment. Then we will take you for who you are - An ex-TM teacher, who could get to spiritual first base. Howzabout it?:-) ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote : Well, *of course* it was the Beatles.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
Barry. How many words wasted here, this morning, instead of the simple ones we all want to hear - Please, please please admit to us here, that you have no foundation in Being, no established silence, and no witnessing. In other words, no foundation of Maharishi's teaching, and certainly no enlightenment. Then we will take you for who you are - An ex-TM teacher, who could get to spiritual first base. Howzabout it?:-) ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote : Well, *of course* it was the Beatles.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
The truth is that Maharishi in coming to the West was facilitated around and across the Pacific rim, North America and to Europe and back again based on his lecturing and teaching a simple transcending meditation that people liked. TM and Maharishi was well launched and heading into orbit well before the Beatles. The Beatles were later-comers-on by then. Maharishi had already been lecturing at the upper tier Universities by then, Stanford, USC, UCLA, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cambridge University, Oxford, public lectures in places like Albert Hall, thence to Europe. Certainly everyone helped based on their experience and giving the recommend, the Beatles too. The Beatles were not a lone force in this. -Buck sharelong60 writes: Buck and turq, I got initiated the weekend BEFORE the Merv Griffin Show in 1975. When I came to MIU later that year, many of the people had already been meditating for 2 or 3 years. Many of them were from California. I don't remember hearing anything about the Beatles doing TM til later. For instance, actually a lot of us learned because of Kurt Vonnegut. I started because earlier for Kurt Vonnegut TM had worked for him. That was the power of the word of mouth about the practice. Didn't know anything about TM and the Beatles at the time. -Buck TurquoiseBee writes: Well, *of course* it was the Beatles. If Maharishi had never run into them, I would bet that almost no one on this forum would *be* on this forum, or would have ever heard of TM. But the Beatles just provided Maharishi's entryway into the market, so they're not the only key to its popularity (for a while). I don't think that "easy to learn" was the big issue, either. Yes, it's a big plus to be told that what you're about to learn is so easy that you don't have to actually DO anything -- especially for lazy, pay-my-money-now-and-want-my-results-now Americans. I think it was the combination of "easy to learn" and pandering to all of the people who learned it by trying to inflate their sense of self-importance. No, that is not completely true. Of course Beatlemania makes an interesting observation but also makes for some wrong thinking around TM if not looked at in context. -Buck
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
The Beatles were later-comers-on by then. Maharishi had already been lecturing at the upper tier Universities by then, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cambridge University, Oxford, public lectures in places like Albert Hall, thence to Europe. Certainly everyone helped based on their experience and giving the recommend, the Beatles too. The Beatles were not a lone force in this. -Buck sharelong60 writes: Buck and turq, I got initiated the weekend BEFORE the Merv Griffin Show in 1975. When I came to MIU later that year, many of the people had already been meditating for 2 or 3 years. Many of them were from California. I don't remember hearing anything about the Beatles doing TM til later. For instance, actually a lot of us learned because of Kurt Vonnegut. I started because earlier for Kurt Vonnegut TM had worked for him. That was the power of the word of mouth about the practice. Didn't know anything about TM and the Beatles at the time. -Buck TurquoiseBee writes: Well, *of course* it was the Beatles. If Maharishi had never run into them, I would bet that almost no one on this forum would *be* on this forum, or would have ever heard of TM. But the Beatles just provided Maharishi's entryway into the market, so they're not the only key to its popularity (for a while). I don't think that "easy to learn" was the big issue, either. Yes, it's a big plus to be told that what you're about to learn is so easy that you don't have to actually DO anything -- especially for lazy, pay-my-money-now-and-want-my-results-now Americans. I think it was the combination of "easy to learn" and pandering to all of the people who learned it by trying to inflate their sense of self-importance. No, that is not completely true. Of course Beatlemania makes an interesting observation but also makes for some wrong thinking around TM if not looked at in context. -Buck
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
Buck and turq, I got initiated the weekend BEFORE the Merv Griffin Show in 1975. When I came to MIU later that year, many of the people had already been meditating for 2 or 3 years. Many of them were from California. I don't remember hearing anything about the Beatles doing TM til later. On Saturday, May 17, 2014 8:31 AM, "dhamiltony...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" wrote: No, that is not completely true. Of course Beatlemania makes an interesting observation but also makes for some wrong thinking around TM if not looked at in context. For instance, actually a lot of us learned because of Kurt Vonnegut. I started because earlier for Kurt Vonnegut TM had worked for him. That was the power of the word of mouth about the practice. Didn't know anything about TM and the Beatles at the time. -Buck
[FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote : Well, *of course* it was the Beatles. If Maharishi had never run into them, I would bet that almost no one on this forum would *be* on this forum, or would have ever heard of TM. But the Beatles just provided Maharishi's entryway into the market, so they're not the only key to its popularity (for a while). I don't think that "easy to learn" was the big issue, either. Yes, it's a big plus to be told that what you're about to learn is so easy that you don't have to actually DO anything -- especially for lazy, pay-my-money-now-and-want-my-results-now Americans. I think it was the combination of "easy to learn" and pandering to all of the people who learned it by trying to inflate their sense of self-importance. Think about it. Right from the first intro lecture, not to mention the following three nights of checking and any "advanced lecture" you attended, you were told that TM was "The Best." All other forms of meditation were looked down upon and actively derided and scorned. The very words "focus" and "concentration" became Bad in the minds of most TMers, within a very short time. Now add to that what happened when you became more involved with the TM movement, and discovered that it was WAY hierarchical. When you began to help out at the center, you learned immediately (and wordlessly) that TM teachers were on a higher level than "mere meditators." A few years went by, and you were wordlessly taught that "Governors" are on a higher level than mere TM teachers. A few more years, and you learned that as a non-TM-teacher you can pay the same money the teachers paid to learn the TM-Sidhis, and even receive the exact same teaching, but you'll *still* be on a lower level -- "Citizen Sidhas" instead of "Governors." Even more years go by, and suddenly you've got more and more levels of hierarchy and perceived importance to deal with -- "Ministers" of the Department of Redundancy Dept., "Rajas," and even "Kings." There was simply NO WAY that a slacker who never even became a TM teacher was going to ever be able to climb that hierarchy...unless they had a spare million dollars lying around, that is. But there was still one area in which the lowest of the low -- the "mere meditators" -- could still think of themselves as superior to someone. They could feed their sense of self-importance by believing themselves superior to anyone who didn't do TM. It didn't matter if these Others practiced some other form of meditation, or if they had been doing it for decades...if it wasn't TM, it wasn't "The Best," so even "mere meditators" were taught to look down on practitioners of other types of meditation. And then the Ultimate Pander To Self-Importance tactic showed up. It was when Maharishi did a backhand fake and changed the TM-Sidhi program from something one does for oneself to something that one does "for the world." Sidhas suddenly became the Saviors of the World. As Maharishi said many times when urging people to learn the Sidhis (and, of course, pay for them), the TM-Sidhas were *The Most Important People On The Planet*. Their collective Woo Woo was all that was keeping it from disappearing in a puff of bad karma. Suddenly even "mere meditators" had a level of self-importance they could aspire to. They could pay their money, learn the Sidhis, and they might still be on a lower level than the "Governors," but they were STILL The Most Important People On The Planet. With every thud of their butts on the foam they heard in their heads the resounding waves of applause from the universe they had been taught to expect as The Most Important People On The Planet. They were IMPORTANT. Many on this forum still believe they are. Simply because they do a mental technique they were TAUGHT was "The Best" and because they thud on their butts using another technique they were TAUGHT turned them into The Most Important People On The Planet. TM turned tens of thousands of people into the very antithesis of spiritual humility. Their whole concept of what the word "spiritual" MEANS is wrapped up in the language of "The Best" and "The Most Important." Competition and spiritual oneupsmanship are *built in* to the system, and to the mindset being cultivated. As to what the cultivation and *encouragement* of self-importance -- programmed into an unsuspecting cult audience over a period of decades -- can do to people who fall prey to it, I suspect you need look no further than Fairfield Life. TM became popular because Maharishi sold the people who paid for it a cheap (in the beginning) beginner's technique of meditation and told them that it was an advanced technique of meditation, SO advanced that it was "The Best." Nothing could possibly be better. Once they believed this, then he set about trying to program them into thinking that *they* were "The Best." No one could possibly be better. As a spiritual teaching, T
[FairfieldLife] Re: Why did TM *really* become so popular (for a while)?
No, that is not completely true. Of course Beatlemania makes an interesting observation but also makes for some wrong thinking around TM if not looked at in context. For instance, actually a lot of us learned because of Kurt Vonnegut. I started because earlier for Kurt Vonnegut TM had worked for him. That was the power of the word of mouth about the practice. Didn't know anything about TM and the Beatles at the time. -Buck
