--- In [email protected], "shempmcgurk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Thank you, Ben, great story and very uplifting. > > The sentiments you expressed matched many of mine. > > > > > --- In [email protected], "benjaminccollins" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I taught my daughter to meditate > > > > My daughter is 10. She is tall and blonde and has bright eyes and > a > > quick wit. Her name is Anna, although I always call her Annie > which > > she is starting to dislike because she's getting older. She is in > the > > 5th grade in the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies which > means > > that she had a lot of homework, too much homework. She bravely > tries > > to do everything the best she can, but add a 45 minute bus ride and > > she's getting way too stressed. > > > > My kids all know that I meditate, and that I do pujas, and go to > the > > Hindu Temple. There are lots of Ganeshas in my home and it is all > > part of their world. But I have never pushed it on them. We talk > > about it at times, and they know that if I don't meditate I get > > cranky. So when I quietly suggested to Annie that she might feel > less > > stressed if she meditated, she said that she thought it might be a > > good idea. > > > > I gave her some short explanations that amounted to brief intro and > > second lecture during the week. Then on Sunday morning we sat down > > together in my puja room. The puja room is bed room sized and > > contains my spiritual library and 2 elaborate altars with a 3 foot > > stone Ganesha and a 4 foot Durga along with Vishnu, Lakshmi and > other > > deities. > > > > I did my TM puja and felt the wonderful feeling that I enjoyed > when I > > taught regularly in the 70's. I haven't taught much since; just a > > friend here and there. The great thing about the puja is that you > can > > feel your awareness change. The feeling of connectedness to Guru > Dev > > is real, distinct and completely different from any temple puja or > > yagya experience I have ever had. > > > > And at the end of the puja, when I gave Annie the mantra she > repeated > > it a few times and then it just pulled her in and her eyes gently > > closed. We finished the initiation process and when she opened her > > eyes after her first 10 minute meditation, she smiled sweetly and > said > > "that was really nice". > > > > I am proud of my daughter. Now she meditates during her bus ride > each > > day. Already she is feeling less stressed, less tired, and > happier. > > That makes me happy. > > > > There is a another side to this experience. When I was doing the > puja > > I thought about how full of idealism I was in 1971 when I became an > > initiator. And today I could feel with the same certainty that I > had > > back then, that TM was special; that MMY's devotion to Guru Dev was > > deserved and rightly inspirational. > > > > But what happened since then? As I sat in my puja room, I could > feel > > all the layers of my disappointment and cynicism that accumulated > over > > the years as the World Plan failed, there was no Perfect Health or > > anything else, MIU amounted to pretty mcuh nothing, and where are > all > > the pundits, not to mention that I've done the 5-8 year plan many > > times over. > > > > At that time I thought about FFL. And it seems to me that we are > all > > suffering from the same thing; a broken heart. We all believed > and we > > all had evidence that our belief was not misplaced. After all, > we're > > still meditating, still hoping that Maharishi is right. > > > > But not so many think so any more and FFL is a collection of people > > like me who have no reason to believe anything. We're heartbroken, > > disappointed, and disillusioned. Rightly so. > > > > But this past weekend my daughter learned to meditate. Guru Dev is > > alive in my heart and I'm going to hang onto that.
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