Wonderful post. "Been there, done that, still doing.....have a great day!" -Peter
--- Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Commentary from an old TM teacher on the "new" TM. > > BURGERDAMMERUNG: TWILIGHT OF THE TRANSCENDENT, > or "Do you want fries with that enlightenment?" > > Those who have been waiting with 'bated breath to > hear the official > definition of an Ideal Vedic Society from Maharishi > need wait no more; > the verdict is in. The Ideal Vedic Society is a > Burger King franchise > operation in drag. > > As we speak, several dozen devout TM teachers and TM > pracitioners are > in residence at MUM learning the details of this > spiritual fast-food > operation, and details of its organizational > structure are beginning to > filter back to this and other forums. The old TM > structure is gone, > kaput. Long live the new structure. The old TM > teachers have been > obsoleted. Long live the kings and queens of the > new order. There are > even loyalty oaths to sign before you can become > privy to the details > of this new Ideal Society, much less become a part > of it. > > And this new Ideal Structure has all the earmarks of > "New Coke," that > is, if the Coca-Cola Corporation had, at the time > they brought out > *their* monumental marketing failure, declared that: > > * All existing Coca-Cola distributorships are null > and void. > * All existing distributors must be "re-certified," > at their own > considerable cost. > * The existing distributors are the ones to be > blamed for the low sales > figures. > * No existing distributor has the right to sell "New > Coke" or "Classic > Coke." > * NO ONE has the right to sell Coke, period, unless > it's sold from one > of the approved outlets. > > The new structure is basically a fast-food franchise > operation, but one > seemingly conceived in a nuthouse. Within four or > five days of the > completion of the "New TM" course, prospective > franchisees must find > adequate premises in shopping malls, office > buildings or motels and > "set up shop." They must find 9 employees who are > willing to work for > $15 an hour or less, and who must be willing to pay > $2500 for the > "uniform" required for their job -- instruction in > the basic TM > technique. (Do the math. This ain't gonna work. A > massage therapist > would have to work 167 hours just to BREAK EVEN > after paying for the > "uniform." Not to *mention* the requirement that > they have to raise 3 > million bucks each within a very short time.) > > It doesn't stop there. The whole franchise > operation is run by "Rajas" > who are required to dress up in long, flowing robes > and (appropriately > enough) wear gold Burger King crowns. These royal > overseers are > *required* to spend seven hours a day doing > "program," so it's not as > if they're gonna get their hands dirty a lot. And > the absolute kicker > is that male Rajas can instruct or check only males, > and female Rajas > (or is that Rajinis) can instruct only females. As > a marketing plan, > it simply defies the imagination -- imagine going > into a Burger King > and being told that the guy behind the counter can > take your order > because you're male, but your wife or girlfriend is > going to have to > wait for a female employee to wait on them. > > It's official -- the TM organization has lost its > mind. > > So where does that leave YOU, as a still-loyal TM > teacher or > rank-and-file TMer? Well, in my opinion, that > leaves you in a pretty > enviable place -- spiritual crisis. > > As TM teachers, you have been rendered obsolete. > You have been told > that you can no longer teach TM, the thing that you > made tremendous > sacrifices to be able to do. Furthermore, as TM > teachers you are being > specifically BLAMED for the obvious fact that TM has > not saved the > world as it was supposed to do. The person blaming > you is the same > person who has thought up this amazing boondoggle of > a franchise > operation, and the blame is obviously coming from > the same place the > marketing plan did -- senile dementia. > > It's going to inspire some moments of spiritual > crisis in the most > devoted of followers, and I for one think that's a > good thing. > > A lot of seekers don't *like* moments of spiritual > crisis. They > actively hide from them behind the safety of blind > faith. Personally, > I think that blind faith is a kind of spiritual > "holding pattern," in > which seekers dwell for months or years or even > decades to keep > themselves from ever having to deal with the R word > -- reality. > > Well, reality has hit the fan big-time in the TM > movement, folks, and > pretty much everyone except the few dozen faithful > at MUM is going to > have to finally deal with it. > > The *ways* that people will deal with it are all too > familiar: > > * Some are going to persevere in blind faith and > assume that Maharishi > "sees" better than they do. > * Some of these are going to go into Inquisition > Mode and declare > everyone who doesn't immediately log on to the "New > TM" idea Off The > Program. > * Some will declare anyone who even expresses doubts > about the "New TM" > heretics. > * Some will begin to entertain doubts not only about > the senile old man > who thought this hare-brained scheme up, but about > everything they have > been taught for many decades, and will stalk off in > a snit and declare > everything they've learned over the years invalid, > and themselves > victims for having had it forced down their throats. > * And some will look at this situation not without > passion, but also > not without reason, and will decide that although > TM-As-Fast-Food-Operation is so silly that even > Saturday Night Live > would have rejected it as being unbelievable, TM > itself is valuable and > so were a few things that they were taught along the > way. And they > will survive, and be better for the experience. > > It is to this last group that I speak. I've been > there, done that, got > the T-shirt. I bailed from the TM organization back > in the late 70s, > after years running one of the Regional Offices and > a short stint as a > State Coordinator. It was the latter experience > that precipitated a > crisis for me; I was being asked by the TM movement > to do unethical and > morally reprehensible things in the name of > enlightenment too often to > able to continue doing so. > > And so I experienced my own moments of spiritual > crisis, and went > through some of the phases I listed above, settling > at last on the > final one. I still think that TM is a pretty cool > meditation > technique. I think now that the TM-Siddhis are the > same cartload of > Brahma bullshit I thought they were when I first > learned them. I think > that Maharishi has had his good moments, and he has > had === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
