these questions sound like something from an investigative reporter with an agenda- not someone honestly interested in TM. i wouldn't bother answering them, except to say that the person ought to go to the intro lecture, if they want to, and make up their mind after that.
there is no reason to try and come up with answers to these questions, since the desire to do TM comes primarily from deep within us, and not as a result of some exercise in polemics. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Richard M" <compost...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > THE WANNABEE TM TEACHER TEST > > OK - here's my best shot. But I admit some of it is a bit tricky... > > > When answering the following questions, assume that > > the person you are speaking to is a 16-year-old girl, > > an intelligent one who is interested in learning TM > > in her school as part of the DLF initiative but who > > has done a little Web surfing and is asking you to > > clear up a few questions so that she can in turn > > clear them up with her parents so that they will > > sign the permission slip she needs to partake in > > the DLF "Quiet Time" program. She is looking to you > > for honest answers. > > > > 1. My parents are quite conservative Christians. > > They are concerned that I might be getting involved > > in a different religion. Is TM based in religion? > > Only in the sense that it would be true to say > that "western science is based on religion". Originally > our modern science evolved out of the religion and > philosophy of the middle ages. But to do TM and experience its > benefits you are not required to believe anything > "religious" (though you can add "on top of the practice" > an interpretation from your own religion if you wish). > > > 2. How many mantras are there? I've read on the Web > > that there are only a few and that they are given > > out on the basis of age. Does that mean that all > > of the kids in my class (who are all the same age > > I am) are going to get the same mantra? > > It doesn't really matter how many mantras there are, or > whether you all all have the same mantra, or each has a different > mantra. There is a simple method that your teacher uses to select a > mantra that's suitable for you - and that's the important thing. > > > 3. Where do the mantras come from? I have read on the > > Web that in India they are considered either the > > names of, the nicknames of, or invocations of sev- > > eral of the Hindu deities (gods and goddesses). Is > > this correct? > > See (1) above. Many Hindus WILL add their own "take" on TM that fits > their religion. But that is their choice. > > For example, just like us, the ancients knew of the medicinal value of > the willow (aspirin). of course they didn't have a chemical name for > it, and it many cases it was viewed through a superstitious or > "religious" belief system. But because we all take aspirin these days, > that does not mean that we subscribe to any of those belief systems too! > > > 4. What's up with this 'puja' thing? Again, on the Web > > I've read the translation of it, and it is *filled* > > with the names of Hindu deities. And, according to > > these Websites, at the end I am going to be asked > > to kneel. Does that mean that I am bowing to these > > deiites? > > See (1) and (3) above. > > Kneeling is just kneeling. This is your first lesson in 'Zen'. As has > been ably pointed out by the resident "no-mind" proponent on a web site > called "FFL" (adult supervision required), what you *do* and *what you > experience* are logically distinct form *what you believe about what > you do* and *what you believe about your expereience*. It is said that > this is only the Master's *opinion* - but it is not to be questioned! > > > 5. I looked at the tm.org website, and there is no > > mention there of 'Rajas,' the people who (as I under- > > stand it) run the TM organization. On other Websites, > > and in fact on old versions of the tm.org website I > > found on the Internet Wayback Machine, there are LOTS > > of mentions of them, plus photos of them dressed up > > in long robes and gold crowns. What's up with this? > > Who are these people? And why does it look as if the > > tm.org Website has been "cleaned up" to remove all > > mention of them? For example, here is a photo of > > one of them, the 'Raja' in charge of America: > > http://tinyurl.com/dhb89n > > Your momma and poppa should ahve told you that not all that you find on > the web is *true*. It's also true that everyone makes mistakes! > > > 6. For that matter, if all of these 'Rajas' really DO > > run the TM organization, why aren't there any women > > among them? I'm a girl. Does that mean that I'm some > > kind of second-class citizen in the TM organization? > > Now you're a Raja wannabe? > > > 7. Similar to the deletion of any mention of the 'Rajas' > > on tm.org, there seems to have been a deletion of any > > mention of 'pundits,' even though one can still > > find videos of them on the Web like this one: > > http://globalcountryofworldpeace.org/maharishi_vedic_pandits12.html > > This is an official TM Website, right? So why have all > > mentions of these 'pundits' been removed from the main > > site? And what's up with their funny clothes and all > > sitting in neat little rows chanting Indian religious > > scriptures like that? Is this what you have in mind > > for us during "Quiet Time?" > > No, it's not. TM in itself does not involve anything but the ability to > "think". > > But see (1) and (3) above. Many folks who ARE religious like to get on > down with a lot more than simple TM. But you only do that if you want > to (correction: at your peril!) > > > 8. Did Maharishi *really* call Britain a "scorpion > > nation" and forbid the teaching of TM there? Did he > > *really* say "Damn Democracy?" Did he *really* say that > > most of the capital cities of the world should be torn > > down and rebuilt from the ground up based on "rules" he > > found in ancient Indian scriptures? These things have > > all been said on the Websites I've visited, and they > > sound too outlandish to be true. What's the real story? > > MMY was the founder of the TM org - a very fine teacher and he has been > an inspiration to many. But you should pay no more attention to his > views on modern politics than you would to, say, his views on modern > pop music. (Not that he isn't entitled to his views of course). > > > 9. Another thing that seems to be missing from the > > tm.org Website recently is any mention of "enlighten- > > ment." That used to be ALL OVER that Website. One site > > I found said that Maharishi used to promise enlighten- > > ment as a result of practicing the TM technique for as > > little as 5-8 years. If this is true, surely you can > > point me to some of the people who have been practicing > > TM for that period of time or longer, so that I can ask > > them what 'enlightenment' is like and whether I want > > it, right? What are their names so I can contact them? > > You will NOT be taught at any point as part of your course that you can > obtain enlightenment within so many years (and see point 5 above). > > > 10. The tm.org Website used to talk about the TM-siddhis > > program, and how one can take a course to learn how to > > levitate. Now there is no mention of it. If I were inter- > > ested in such a course, is it still being given, and if > > so, is the cost of it covered by the Lynch Foundation the > > way that my initial TM instruction would be? If not, how > > much is that course going to cost me? > > I'd need to get back to you with this information. There IS a TM-siddhi > programme. It is designed to attenuate the effects of ordinary TM. And > just as you might purchase a rowing machine for home use in order to > keep fit - without expecting to end up a champion rower (or even get in > a boat), so too the aim of the TM-siddhi program is not "to learn to > levitate" > > OK, now pile in. >
