--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, sgrayatlarge <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hey Curtis, > > You watching any of this on the MMY Channel? Memories of Noida! I > wonder where the 1,000's who traveled to witness this are staying, > as a major Mela is going on concurrently at the Sangam? Not a lot of > hotels with vacant signs, I imagine it's not a party, but then again > it's not exactly a planned Vedic Science Course! I say bring back > the tents.
Hey Lawson, Nice to hear from you man. I didn't know you were a graduate of NOIDA! Those are some great memories for me. You are right, the Westerners are in an alternate reality now. Toilet holes, no seats, in the ground! Coupla memories that stick out: Watching the German doctor catch the staff washing out water filters out in the toilet! Realizing that our toilets in NOIDA were ABOVE where we pumped our water! Realizing that our heaters for the water purification vats never got even close to boiling. Literally crawling on the ground, after spending the night with explosions at both ends simultaneously (how was that medically possible), to sign up for my next month thinking to myself at age 22 :" If I die at the feet of my master, I die a happy man." And the winner is: Sitting shoved up against Maharishi's sofa on our first night there with his sandals in my hands, just soaking the guy in from two feet away. It was a moment. They were innocent times and although I don't miss them, I love having lived them! Still banging on your 10 string? > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" > <curtisdeltablues@> wrote: > > > > > I'm trying to dig up that article - I read a bunch of different > ones > > > last night. Now I'm thinking Paul Mason might have been > referencing > > > someone else who went to India and sat down and interviewed the > > > current Shankacharya who said that Maharishi never recieived > > > teachings from Guru Dev and that his teachings don't reflect > anything > > > that Guru Dev spoke about. I know that one source is not enought > to > > > write MMY off which is why I'm on here...asking questions. Like > I > > > said, I've always had issues with TMO but always believed that > MMY > > > was a student of Guru Dev and that we are practicing a technique > that > > > was given to him by Guru Dev. I can accept and still practice TM > if > > > the reality is different but I would like to know where it is > from > > > since MMY wasn't up front about where this technique is actually > > > derived...well...it makes a good case for the critics. > > > > > > > > > I don't understand why you are so convinced that the Shankaracharya > > tradition is the shizzznizzzle? It is an institution that supports > > the caste system. It represents the most orthodox version of > Hinduism. > > > > Maharishi was an innovator, that is obvious. If you dig his > technique > > keep enjoying it. But placing confidence in a tradition which > views > > you as an outcaste with no hope of enlightenment (whatever that > means) > > seems like a contrived fantasy. You wouldn't even care about this > > obscure tradition if it wasn't for Maharishi. The tradition > doesn't > > want you. (or me) They support a system based on your birth caste > and > > you are not in that system. Guru Dev is gone. Maharishi is gone. > > > > That's the good news. Now take your life in your own hands and > > practice what you want. There is no ultimate outside authority in > > these personal matters. Take what you like and leave the rest. > > > > Feel the power Luke...the force is strong in you... > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "wvansant111" <wvansant111@> > > wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@> > wrote: > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "wvansant111" > <wvansant111@> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "wvansant111" > > > > <wvansant111@> > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > <snip> > > > > > > > The part that's hard for me to shake is that I do feel > there > > > is > > > > > > > something to TM in general. But intellectually, it > doesn't > > > make > > > > > > > sense. If MMY didn't really learn from Guru Dev > and "made it > > > up" > > > > > > > how can it be effective for so many people...esp people > who > > > > > > > aren't expecting it to do anything. > > > > > > > > > > > > Why doesn't that make sense intellectually? > > > > > > > > > > It makes sense if I'm presuming Maharishi to be an > enlightened > > > > > (or spiritually advanced) person. But if what Paul Mason > > > > > researched is true and Maharishi never recieved teaching from > > > > > Guru Dev, the whole thing feels suspicious. > > > > > > > > Just a follow-up question: Why couldn't MMY have > > > > been either enlightened or spiritually advanced > > > > unless he'd "received teaching" (whatever that > > > > means, specifically) from Guru Dev? > > > > > > > > According to MMY, FWIW, he became enlightened (he > > > > didn't refer to it that way, but it's clearly what > > > > he was implying) by a sort of spiritual osmosis, > > > > by very closely studying Guru Dev and attempting to > > > > achieve a sort of mind-meld (or consciousness-meld) > > > > with him. This was while he was serving as Guru > > > > Dev's personal assistant at the ashram. He gave a > > > > talk on this at one point, and there's a transcript > > > > of it floating around; maybe someone here has it > > > > and could post it for you. > > > > > > > > As I understand it, this is one of the accepted > > > > traditional sadhanas, to surrender completely to the > > > > will of one's (presumably enlightened) teacher. > > > > > > > > If Mason's saying what I suspect he's saying (please > > > > correct me if I'm wrong), that MMY wasn't one of > > > > Guru Dev's formal students (perhaps because he wasn't > > > > a Brahmin?), I'd suggest that there may be more than > > > > one way to "receive teaching" from a master like Guru > > > > Dev. > > > > > > > > It also seems likely to me that MMY absorbed what he > > > > heard Guru Dev say--the intellectual teaching--even > > > > if he wasn't doing a Guru Dev-assigned "program" of > > > > spiritual exercises (meditation and whatnot). Maybe > > > > just being Guru Dev's assistant was his "program." > > > > He seems to have made the most of it, at any rate. > > > > > > > > Just speculating here...you raise interesting points. > > > > > > > > > > > > > I'm trying to dig up that article - I read a bunch of different > ones > > > last night. Now I'm thinking Paul Mason might have been > referencing > > > someone else who went to India and sat down and interviewed the > > > current Shankacharya who said that Maharishi never recieived > > > teachings from Guru Dev and that his teachings don't reflect > anything > > > that Guru Dev spoke about. I know that one source is not enought > to > > > write MMY off which is why I'm on here...asking questions. Like > I > > > said, I've always had issues with TMO but always believed that > MMY > > > was a student of Guru Dev and that we are practicing a technique > that > > > was given to him by Guru Dev. I can accept and still practice TM > if > > > the reality is different but I would like to know where it is > from > > > since MMY wasn't up front about where this technique is actually > > > derived...well...it makes a good case for the critics. > > > > > >
