MMY will be remembered for his monumental success for what he did and his monumental failure for what he could have done.
--- Ingegerd <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > It seems that some Kings and Emperors and Dictators > are afraid to be > forgotten when they die, so they build something in > the world to be > remembered. When the tallest building in India is > finished,everyone > will remember MMY and forget all the TM-Teachers and > devoted > Meditators and Sidhas that with their work and > economical support > made it possible. > Ingegerd > > --- In [email protected], > "markmeredith2002" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > --- In [email protected], George > DeForest < > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Alerts Yahoo! News - My Alerts - Edit > Alert > > > > Wednesday, July 27, 2005 5: 13 PM PDT > > > > > > > > World's tallest tower planned in India > > > > Gulf Daily News Wed, 27 Jul 2005 4:00 PM PDT > > > > CHICAGO: A 224-storey pyramid shaped building, > the tallest in > the > > > > world, is being built at Katangi, near Indian > city of Jabalpur > in > > > > Madhya Pradesh state. > > > > Good post Turquoise. The book "The Guru Papers" > mentions how gurus > > often come up with gradiose plans near the end of > their mission -- a > > few relevant paragraphs are quoted below. I don't > agree with all of > > Kramer's hypothesis in that book, but feel it is > worth discussing: > > > > "Most cults follow a predictable progression of > two distinct stages, > > which indicates that what is involved is more a > function of how > > authoritarian structures work than of the > particular teachings of a > > given guru. > > > > This first stage is messianic with the message > being that all labors > > of the organization, including the guru's, are > aimed at a higher > > purpose beyond the group, such as saving mankind. > During this phase > > the guru is confident that he will eventually be > acknowledged as the > > one who will lead the world out of darkness. The > major emphasis is > > on proselytizing to bring in new converts. The > continual increase in > > numbers satisfies the guru's need for power and > adulation. While > > there is still hope of becoming the acknowledged > herald of a new > > order, he remains happy and relatively behing in > his treatment of > > those who have surrendered to him. > > > > As long as the guru still sees the possibility of > realizing his > > ambitions, the way he exercises power is through > rewarding the > > enthusisams of his followers with praise and > positions in his > > hierarchy. He also whets and manipulates desire > by offering carrots > > and promising that through him the disciples' > desires will be > > realized, possibly even in this lifetime. The > group itself becomes > an > > echo of the guru, with the members filling each > other's needs. > > Everthing seems perfect: everyone is moving along > the appropriate > > spiritual path. The guru is relatively > accessible, charming, even > > fun. All dreams are realizable, even wonderful > possibilities beyond > > one's ken. > > > > A time inevitably comes when the popularity and > power of the group > > plateaus and then begins to wane. Eventually it > becomes obvious > that > > the guru is not going to take over the world, at > least not in the > > immediate future. When the realization comes that > humanity is > > too stupid or blind to acknowledge that higher > authority and wisdom > of > > the guru, the apocalyptic phase enters and the > party is over. Then > > one of two things generally happens: the first is > that the guru's > > message turns pessimistic or doomsday ... The > other possibility is > > that in order to attract more people, the guru > makes increasingly > > extreme promises and bizarre claims that offer > occult powers, quick > > enlightenment, or even wish fulfillment in the > mundane sphere around > > wealth, love, and power... > > > > When the guru realizes that most people are not > going to acknowledge > > him, he often compensates, if he can afford it, by > building > monumental > > edifices that proclaim his greatness. This > includes monuments or > > temples, buildings, model communities and learning > centers... Often > he > > consciously or unconsciously blames those around > him for the failure > > of his messianic aspirations. This stage commonly > results in > scandal > > and tragedy." > > > > > > > This announcement has retriggered for me > something I > > > was thinking about last week. It seems to me, > as part of > > > my ongoing study of different spiritual > traditions, that they > > > tend to fall into two broad categories with > regard to > > > the "good works" they choose to perform. > > > > > > There are the traditions or organizations that > think in terms > > > of Grand Gestures (big flashy buildings, "saving > the world," > > > enlightening all of humanity, etc.) and then > there are the > > > traditions and organizations that "think > smaller." The latter, > > > when it comes to selfless service and "putting > energy back > > > into the system," tend to think in terms of > treating everyone > > > one encounters during the day with respect, > doing their > > > best for them, stuff like that. The former (the > "Grand Gesture" > > > traditions) on the whole *don't* seem to think > of selfless > > > service as something that you do all day, every > day, on a > > > personal and interpersonal level. > > > > > > I've noticed that the people within the "Grand > Gesture" groups > > > often tend to reserve their feeling of > performing selfless > > > service *for* the Grand Gestures. They scrimp > and save to > > > be able to donate to the big fundraising > projects for the > > > Grand Gestures. But at the same time, they > *rarely* seem > > > to put much energy into the *daily* performance > of selfless > > > service in terms of doing the best they can for > the people > > > whom they interact with in their lives. > > > > > > Sometimes it seems that the Grand Gestures are a > way to > > > *fool* the people in the organizations into > believing that > > > they're actually creating good karma and doing > something > > > good in the world, while they spend the majority > of their > > > everyday lives looking down on the people they > meet and > > > treating them with disdain, and from a platform > of moral > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! 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