Elias Hicks, A call to Group Meditation: "Peace, be still." This command and requisition was made upon a former, occasion; and I apprehend it will apply fully to us. I believe there can be no occasion to demand it more than the present one. The comfort and improvement of this large assembly depends principally upon it. Therefore, it becomes our duty individually, to labour to be still. And, in the first place, we are to still our bodies. This is a work that seems in a degree to be comprehended in our power as men and creatures; hence this is the first step. For we must always do what we can, rightly and justly; for it is by this right labour, and industry, that there is something to receive the divine blessing upon.
But this is not enough, my friends,--we must endeavour to have our minds still. And here is a much greater work, which it is beyond the power of man to effect of himself. And this shows us the necessity of individually endeavouring to get our bodies still, that so we may retire to that fountain of strength, which only can enable us to experience our minds to be brought into stillness--into silent prostration before the King of heaven. And we are not to stop here neither, my friends. There is that "little member," that no man," the apostle says, "has tamed;" although men may have tamed all the brute creation--and that is the tongue. It is a little member; but, as he says, "it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." It is like a fire, "and it is set on fire of hell." Now there is nothing that can enable us to keep this quiet and silent, but as we bow in perfect submission to the divine will, to time manifestation of the grace of God in our own souls; and without this, we cannot use it in a proper manner. "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God." And we know, that it does happen among the children of men, that they usurp, as it were, the throne of God, and impeach their fellow Creatures and give sentence upon them; and, as far as the tongue can do it, send them down to the bottomless pit of perdition. "My brethren, these things ought not so to be." And it is an evidence to us what state we must come to experience, before we can effect the great purpose for which we are assembled together this morning; which is no less, I apprehend, as to time general motive, than to present ourselves before time Almighty Creator of the universe, the giver of every good and perfect gift, and to wait on him, and worship him in spirit and in truth. But none can worship him, till all these unruly passions, all these disturbances and troubles, that naturally attend men and women in their natural state, are all brought down into entire subjection to the divine will, and until there is a complete sense of his greatness, and of our nothingness. Here it is, that we are brought into a condition to learn of him. For what will it avail any of us, to come and sit down thus together, to be led, and guided, and instructed in the way of salvation, if we do not gather into a state, whereby and wherein we calm be instructed--into a situation in which we can hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches? And it is my earnest desire, that we may individually labour after this stillness; for this is the travail that ought always to attend our minds when thus assembled together. This leads to an experience and evidence in ourselves, of the mighty power of God, and of our own complete insufficiency to do any good thing. For we must come to this evidence before we can serve him aright; and before we can walk in the way which he has cast up for the ransomed and redeemed to walk in--a blessed way. We must come into this condition, in order to learn our duty, not only to God our creator, but to man our fellow creature. This will open to us all that we are to do, and instruct us in the way in which we can answer the great end of our creation, and we shall always be ready to glorify God and enjoy him. -Elias Hicks, 1827 > > > > > > > > > > > > I have heard some things which suggest that the plan is to focus more > > > > resources on getting the numbers nearer to 2500 over the next year and > > > > that is what the message of financial restraint to MUM was about, more > > > > money may go towards subsidies for new IA participants or additional > > > > Pundits ie why subsidise foreign students who then dont choose to > > > > contribute to coherence makes more sense to recruit the truly motivated > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://invincibleamerica.org/tallies.html > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > May be so. Would be nice to see the actual financial numbers. MUM is > > > ongoing though. > > > The administrative policy is to starve MUM to feed the domes? > > > > > > They have had ongoing troubles getting the meditation attendance numbers > > > they would like to have. > > >More than half the total daily > > > tally numbers shown includes the pundit boys. That leaves some few > > > hundreds > > > of meditators otherwise. Students, faculty, staff, MUM & MSAE, town > > > ru's, paid IA people. > > > > > > Particularly in their relationship with town ru's or the larger old > > > meditating TM > > > movement, their administrative problem might not even be with resource. > > > > > > > > > > > Bevan by MUM > > http://invincibleamerica.org/ > > > > John Hagelin by the Institute > > http://istpp.org/news/2009_05_ia_assembly.html > > > > Well-meaning meditators: > > http://goldendome.org/ > > > > Tug of war? > > If they want the total numbers to stay around 2500 in the domes, Bevan in > character as doctrinal fanatic is going to have to yield on the "don't ask, > don't tell" policy about meditators having visited spiritual healers and > other saints as healers. It obviously is significanly corrosive to the total > numbers. Does not work at all to their advantage to keep long-term meditators > out of the dome programs over that guideline. At best it has only been > antagonizing. > > Particularly if there comes a change in the generous funding needed every > month for keeping the pundits and the paid meditators in the domes now. > > Does the MUM board of trustees have enough independence to remove Bevan as > MUM president now? Send him Ameritus? It would probably take that to get > the numbers of meditators again that they really need. MUM administrates the > Domes, Bevan sits on the dome guidelines as they are as imperative to the > 'teaching' which confuses the guidelines as the teaching. > > They've gots a problem. >
