I think stories are made up of a sequence of cause and effect events. People love to have a sense of cause and effect, because without that, they get nervous - nervous that maybe they cannot control things by their own actions and good sense. People need one foot on the intial cause, and the other foot straddles a gap of empty space and lands on the effect. If either foot is not touching ground, they fall into a chasm of... nothing, chaos, no "I" controlling this life and the horrors it can inflict.
I work with children aqnd families in a school- especially with kids with learning disabilities and behavior problems. When the going gets tough, it is amazing how quickly teachers fall back on the old "if only his parents would.......________, he would not be this way" (he would do his homework be polite, sit quietly, wahtever) They get over it, but it seems instinctive in times of conflict and worry to locate very specifically that cause. It is a huge conflict to realize that your Master has a human side. A relative nervous system on autopilot living out its own inevitable sequenceof events, just as "you" are. That is the story I am telling myself lately. For me, it feels good to sometimes get to a feeling of forgiveness of Maharishi's humanity. That's the part of the story that I like. But the early stuff - MMY as a young man, etc. just tires me out. As you say, we will never know it. Can't find the cause and effects there - so I use the "story" of the relative nervous system etc. to acccount for the disappointments while I hold on to all the incredible spiritual benefits. And if everyuthing really does happen as it should, well M's behavior and my responses to it - doubts and all - areall just inevitable events. --- In [email protected], Peter Sutphen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I've got a serious question for everybody and no > implicit criticism is meant and I'm also curious if > there is a legitimate/valid, whatever reason, someone > can come up with that I'm not quite getting. Why do we > need any story whatsoever regarding MMY? We can > neither confirm nor disconfirm any story. The > arguments go on and on. Most of our stories whether in > the pro or con camp are simply narratives of what we > already believe. All we have is our own experiences > regarding MMY. The stories can never, ever resolve; > they never "make sense" unless you deny huge chunks of > contradictory material. So, why and what is this need > that some, all, a few, including moi, struggle with? > -Peter > > --- TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I had a similar (but not exactly the same) set of > > insights > > not long ago, Jim, while sitting at one of my > > favorite cafes > > here in Paris. I'll try to find it and post it > > here. It's > > fascinating that such things must be "in the air" > > right now, > > and are being picked up on by people who cared (and > > still > > care, despite everything) for Maharishi. > > > > Unc > > > > --- In [email protected], "jim_flanegin" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > wrote: > > > After thinking over the last day about where > > Maharishi went wrong, > > I > > > have reached the following conclusions: > > > > > > He starts out as a naive Indian student and > > seeker. By naive I mean > > he > > > knows very little about the West, or the rest of > > the world outside > > > India. I suspect too that he was probably kind of > > a geek as a > > > householder, physics student and all... > > > > > > He is fortunate through his seeking to find > > Brahmananda Saraswati, > > and > > > commences his study with him. He also decides he > > will be a celibate > > > monk, etc. Through his association with Guru Dev, > > he derives a > > clear > > > understanding of Reality, and finds he can speak > > about it clearly > > too. > > > > > > I think what was going on here was a couple of > > things: Maharishi > > comes > > > from India where Hinduism and the knowledge of the > > Veda are > > relatively > > > commonplace. When I think about his early > > exposition of his > > teaching, > > > there is not a lot of content, just some mantras > > and their proper > > use, > > > derived from his closeness to Guru Dev. > > > > > > Profound knowledge to be sure, though something > > which could be > > derived > > > relatively quickly with the proper guidance, if > > one is already > > > operating within a supportive cultural context for > > such knowledge. > > > Combine this with his ability to speak well, and > > possessing a > > > charismatic personality, and who emerges? > > Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. > > > > > > Then as he spreads his message and the knowledge > > of the mantras, > > > absorbed by him from Guru Dev, he enjoys enormous > > success. The > > success > > > is due to him having a systematic and practical > > technique to back > > up > > > his speaking. However, he remains a naive monk > > from India. He also > > has > > > the ambition to enlighten the world. Given his > > experience up til > > then, > > > and 'cooking' in Guru Dev's presence for years, it > > seems a > > reasonable > > > ambition. > > > > > > As he becomes more and more successful, beyond his > > wildest dreams I > > am > > > sure, he begins to see that those around him are > > granting him > > > unlimited power over them. He now begins to equate > > the rudimentary > > > knowledge that he has perfected, the teaching of > > TM mantras, with > > > himself. He also sees that to ever admit that he > > is less than > > perfect > > > will possibly jeopardize his teaching amongst his > > followers, and > > > consequently his ambition to enlighten the world. > > > > > > Here we come to the good part: So now, Maharishi > > finds himself in a > > > position where he has a lot of power, unfulfilled > > desires, and > > little > > > knowledge about the West. A potentially explosive > > combo for sure. > > > > > > He begins to act out his unfulfilled desires for > > sex and hobnobbing > > > with the rich and powerful; pretty common desires > > in the world. At > > the > > > same time, he is aware from the feedback he has > > received that he is > > > seen as a realized Master (and he is probably > > pretty high on > > himself > > > at this point too...). > > > > > > This sets up the key quandry for Maharishi: > > > If he acts on his desires and is open about it, he > > will disappoint > > the > > > vision of himself that his followers, and he > > himself, has of > > himself, > > > Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the celibate monk. If he > > doesn't act on his > > > desires, this 'guru' business just isn't all that > > much fun, is it? > > > > > > So he makes his fatal mistake: He will act on his > > desires for sex > > and > > > hobnobbing with the rich, only he won't admit it > > to his public, and > > > possibly not to himself as time goes on... > > > > > > And it works for awhile, however unbeknownst to > > Maharishi, Guru Dev > > > has planted a time bomb of sorts associated with > > this type of > > > deception. > > > > > > Unlike a businessman or politician who indulges in > > the abuse of > > power, > > > the sins of a meditator, including Maharishi, will > > come to light > > more > > > quickly with far more devastating consequences, > > for the simple > > reason > > > that the use of the TM mantra leads to an > > irrevocable expansion of > > > awareness. And what you are aware of, you are > > accountable for. > > > > > > This expansion of awareness in Maharishi and those > > around him meant > > > that on a subtle feeling level he was literally > > broadcasting his > > > hidden desires, while at the same time attempting > > to keep them > > quiet > > > on the surface. > > > > > > Like the wife of a husband who is cheating on her, > > those around > > > Maharishi knew on a subtle level something was > > wrong, but their > > > infatuation with 'the monk from India' illusion > > kept them from > > seeing > > > it clearly, and calling him on it. > > > > > > This then led to the dyfunction common in such > > situations. The > > impact > > > on Maharishi's organization was devestating, > > especially so because > > of > > > the ongoing expansion of awareness experienced by > > the group. There > > is > > > obviously no way to support the very selective > > expansion of > > awareness; > > > it leads to warping of the mind. > > > > > > As all of us here can attest, with our ongoing > > meditations, > > awareness > > > expands 360 degrees, not selectively as we may > > wish it to. > > > > > > === 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/
