Local paper, The Fairfield Ledger asks tough editorial questions: "The larger question, though, is whether Amma's popularity in the Fairfield meditating community is a symptom of problems with in the TM movement itself."
In a shift of editorial policy, there's quite an editorial questioning the the health and policy of the TMO in Thursday's Ledger. Using the Ammachi visit to contrast with the policy and airs of the TMO the Ledger probes and makes some tough comparisons. <snips> "Amma's humanitarian efforts- < > - contrast just as sharply with the TM movement's fundraising campaigns < > Faced with a choice between an organization that builds homes for the poor and one that builds palaces, it is no wonder many people would rather give their money to the former." "If Maharishi's organization dropped some of its airs, it would be less likely to lose followers to Amma or any other guru." "The TM movement can crown all the kings and build all the palaces it wants, but it could still learn a thing or two from a humble Indian woman who travels around the world giving hugs." Thursday's Fairfield Ledger July 14, `05 --- In [email protected], "dhamiltony2k5" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Just as a question from someone who never lived in Fairfield, > what is the "official" reaction of the TMO and the campus > administration to TMers attending such events? I have heard > rather conflicting stories over the years, about people having > their "dome badges" lifted, etc., and even (here) about death > threats to visiting teachers, and since I've never really > spent any time there, don't know. If someone does, could they > clear up the picture for me? Thanks in advance, > > Unc > > The TMO and the `Lady-saints' > > > Their overt reaction (the TMO) has been a persistent coercively > administrative one, which effectively has been reactionary, combative, > adversarial and at times predator like. In total it has driven a lot > of people away from supporting them. > > In effect the meditating movement has gone away from them (the TMO) > mostly. On the one hand in the TMO they are down now to a few hundred > true-believer types up there. On the other hand, in town here there > may be a couple of thousand adult meditators left. The recent TMO > teacher re-certification program effectively has again stripped away > another number of true-believers from FF. > > While there are still possibly a couple thousand old-time adult > meditators left here in the Fairfield/Jefferson County community the > actual true-believer attending TMO types is really down to a very few > hundred. There are very few people left associated with MUM as staff > or faculty. Dome attendance is way down. The place is active and > running still but with very few people left in it. > > What was noticeable this time with the Mother-saints coming through is > that the effect of the `re-certification' TMO course was to relieve a > lot of old-movement meditators/teachers of any responsibility to the > TMO. A lot of Fairfield meditators came out to the meetings with both > Karunnamayi and Ammachi. There were lots and lots of old-time > meditators/TMO governors etc. at the meetings. A lot of people got > darshan from the Mothers this time for the first time being free of > the TMO. The meetings were really quite large for the meditating > community, being like old-home week out with the saints. > > By contrast, I spoke yesterday with some folks who did not make it > over to the meetings because they are still hostage to the TMO for the > financial support they do need to send their kids to the Maharishi > school. That urgency for some to be able to have their kids still > attend the Maharishi School is still is a remaining bit of leverage > that keeps people in line for the TMO. In listening to these folks, > this administrative coercion over their inclinations also breeds quite > a lot of resentment in these people for who it applies. > > Demographically, with our kids growing older and graduating out of > here in recent years, quite a number of people have taken the > opportunity to leave as this point arrives for them. The MSAE as a > meditation-based alternative school has been a large draw and anchor > to have brought people to live here. Certainly a good number of a > couple thousand have chosen to remain living in FF after their kids > graduate on and some other number of folks have moved to lives > elsewhere after their kids have passed through the school. > Particularly in the last few years there has been quite a departure of > these folks. Certainly the administrative vindictiveness over the > dome attendance policy has played a role in the departure and Diaspora > of the old Fairfield meditating community. > > An un-accounted for effect of the recent TMO re-certification program > is that it has released a lot of TMO-bound people from responsibility > to MMY or the TMO. What was that Martin Luther King line? "Free, > free at last"? There may have been 20,000 US governors trained at one > time, but the TMO now evidently is down to a few hundred cultists left > in the middle. > > In the end now, Fairfield as a place again where spiritual practice is > done by a community. Fairfield has already re-made itself as these > lady saints and others attend to the long-time meditating community > that is here as it is. It really a very beautiful powerful spiritual > place to live. > > JGD, > > -Doug > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/56801 > > > > --- In [email protected], "dhamiltony2k5" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The lady saints arrive, chronicling FFL: > > > > Every year now these are some of the best weeks to be in Fairfield, > > while the lady saints are arriving. > > > > Karunnamayi arrived last night in Fairfield for a visit of several > > days. Last night she sat with people who had gathered to welcome her > > in a home and then the group migrated over to the Temple on W. > > Burlington Street that a number of Fairfield meditators maintain for > > their worship. Karunnamayi again sat with people there. > > > > Tonight (Monday) Karunnamayi has a public meeting with people down at > > Roberts Memorial Hall just north of Keosauqua. > > > > > > These are the special months to be here in Fairfield. The annual > > visits of the lady saints has started again now. > > > > Both Ammachi on her national tour and Karunnamayi on her national tour > > also come to Fairfield. Both like Fairfield especially for the unique > > large community of old long-time meditators doing a long sadhana here. > > Each lady saint carries her own `field effect' of darshan to give > > freely on their national tours according to their own character. > > However, coming to Fairfield they evidently both like to pool the good > > powerful field effect that can be had with the large group of our long > > time practicing meditator community here. > > > > They do get invited here to Fairfield by the meditating community. To > > bring the Lady saints here there is a lot of concerted committee work > > that goes on in the meditating community to sponsoring them here. > > Each of these saints are great teachers with large spiritual gifts to > > consul in their ways. They have been very formative for the > > meditation practices of a lot of Fairfield meditators especially here > > in the last years of the TMO and MMY. > > > > > > Tuesday morning Karunnamayi sits with people individually for > > blessings also down at Roberts Memorial Hall. > > > > Weds. She presides over a fire homa ceremony held up by Vedic City. > > > > Like with Ammachi's visits these meetings are always powerful with > > Shakti and Atman Vidya to be a part of. The meetings are also great > > fun to go to and see who all comes out of the FF wood work here and > > see who all is still here in the meditating community. > > > > JGD, -D > > .. 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! 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