A former colleague once pointed out that from his perspective; proclaiming the value of meditation is like suggesting a lake where one might fish - the suggestion has been planted that it will be worthwhile - from then on anyone might sit hopeful.
So I don't eat fish therefore I don't go fishing, but I have a hunch that the reasoning is spot on. [Talking of lakes: I remember MMY aide Vincent Snell once proclaiming that '-ness' always means - 'a state of'. Someone brightly asked 'What about Loch Ness?' Readilly he quiped 'It would be in a state without Nessie!'] --- In [email protected], Rick Archer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > on 5/25/05 4:30 PM, Patrick Gillam at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > Much of the impetus behind independent TM > > teaching comes from making the knowledge > > available at more affordable prices. But I'm > > curious how people who've been following the > > discussions here would handle other aspects > > of the teaching that might be a bit more problematic. > > > > For example, we typically say the mantra is a > > meaningless sound. Would you all stick with > > that description? Or would some of you disclose > > the provenance of mantras? > > > > Another issue: We say on the third night of > > checking that cosmic consciousness is a state > > in which one's every act is spontaneously life- > > supporting. But a popular topic among us has > > been the questioning of that dogma. What would > > you say? Would you just skip that part of the teaching? > > > > And if we start fiddling with the teaching, are we > > teaching TM, or something inspired by it? > > > > The larger subtext: does knowledge really get lost? > > > Very interesting questions. I've been thinking about this lately. If I were > to teach independently I would want to re-examine everything I said in intro > and advanced lectures and only teach what I knew to be true. But this would > be a challenge, as all the scientific research would have to be scrutinized > - perhaps one could refer only to studies published in peer-reviewed > journals - and I would no longer feel comfortable making claims about > benefits and higher states of consciousness I or trusted friends had not > personally experienced. So what would be left to say? I could tell the story > of my own life, how TM had turned it around, but to be honest I would have > to related stories of many fruitless years serving an increasingly kooky > organization. And such information might not pertain to my students' lives. > Something to think about, and kind of a moot point, as I'm not about to run > out and teach. 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/
