--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@...> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > Today for some reason I found myself thinking back to > > the first time I saw Maharishi, in 1967. At that talk, > > at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, he said a few > > things that got me interested enough in the spiritual > > path that I set about walking it. > > > > I went to the memorial service on MUM campus last nite. > For Lilian Wallace, the Wallace family matriarch. > Very much an old TM/MUM trustees event, and some > of us other old-timers who have been around all alongside of this who are not > TM-Rajas. > > Very nice evening of primarily the Wallace family reminiscing about Lilian > Wallace. > She was a very large personality that was along the whole way behind the > scenes > of the TM-movement by virtue of Keith Wallace and Peter. In character it > seems she was a glamorous strong willed person of the mid-20th century. I > know her first in California at one of the Humbolt courses with Maharishi. > Was a big course with well over a thousand people. Most of us sat in a field > house on folding chairs for the lectures. Up front was an area of stuffed > chairs set out for the "rich ladies from southern California". They were > the supporters of the 1960's. They were of that generation. 'Made-up' and > dolled up they were taken care of up there. Initially Lillian it seems was > brought in and introduced to TM and maharishi by her kids, Peter and Keith, > she was of that time. > > The speakers at the memorial spoke stories of those times and her life. It > was fun. Especially was Peter going on about he and his mom being with old > Yogananda followers, learning kriya meditation and practices early on, > Buddhism, and going to india and being with saints there. Anandamayi Ma. > Peter was warm and animated. On the other side of the stage while Peter > waxes on about visiting saints in India are Bevan and Keith stoically > listening. It was a moment. > > Patronage. Was interesting to see the room, staging, and relationship of the > Wallace clan to it. Keith is first scientist of the TM-order. He is not > MUM, not a Raja neither. Bevan is evidently powerful. In the greeting of > folks there was some ring-kissing demonstrations of fealty with Bevan going > on as well as chit-chat.
What do you mean ring-kissing? Can you be specific? The position of the Wallaces is a special place, emeritus in a way by virtue of Bevan evidently. > > Bevan batted clean up as speaker and gave a nice statement drawing on a > principle. It was nice and enlarging. > > I've gone to a lot of memorials of the meditating community the last few of > years. Mostly the folks who would attend are the closer friends or > co-workers of the deceased. Something I was noticing about some of the > memorials is that even with some of the most true-blue rank and file people > who have been around making things happen by deed of their work or money, > often the level of this upper movement is not present with the families and > friends of the deceased at memorials within the meditating community. This > particular memorial was of the Taliban-class of the TM-movement. Evidently > as a class they were present for this. It wasn't necessarily large. > > In looking, the two people who were particularly lit of the whole group were > Craig Pearson and Susan Humphreys. Hopefully they can outlive the larger > force of being there and usher a new feeling to the group. It's a pretty > cold group. Lord help 'em. > > - Buck in FF > > > > He laid out the benefits of meditation as he saw it, > > that it offered a way to draw upon one's own inner > > resources for one's sense of self worth and happiness, > > and not be dependent on others and how they see us or > > what they tell us to do for those things. I remember > > him speaking about how meditation (as he saw it) > > required no belief for it to work, and no leaders or > > gurus for it to work. All that it did require was > > actually doing the work -- practicing meditation. And > > I remember him speaking about how meditation could > > help to develop one's own creativity, and how that > > could help to resolve the problems of life by being > > able to create more effective solutions to them. > > > > At one point a person stood up and asked a question. > > He talked about a particular problem he was having, > > and how it had left him in a quandary, not knowing > > what to do. He then asked Maharishi what to do. > > > > Maharishi's answer was the most impressive thing he'd > > said in the entire talk. He said, "If I tell you what > > to do, all that will happen is that it will make you > > weaker. The next time you have a problem, you'll want > > me to tell you what to do about it again. You will > > become dependent on me. What you should do instead is > > meditate, draw upon your own creativity, and solve > > the problem yourself. That will make you stronger." > > > > Compare and contrast to what Maharishi allowed his > > teaching and his spiritual movement to devolve into. > > What I find myself thinking today, remembering this > > first talk, is how SAD it is how little of what he > > said that day turned out to be true. Or at least how > > little of it turned out to be what he actually taught > > and how he conducted himself as the years went on. > > > > Instead of the independence and self-sufficiency he > > touted in that first talk, what happened -- and > > within a couple of years -- was an environment in > > which the students were taught to rely on him and > > what he told them to do. Being on the whole young > > and impressionable people in the 60's they may in > > fact have brought a lot of this tendency to rely > > on guru figures with them, but he allowed them to > > do so, and in fact encouraged it. > > > > He also encouraged "magical thinking," the view that > > all you had to do was meditate and that if you did, > > and listened to what he told you to do, magical > > forces that were larger than you would take care of > > you and make everything turn out right. "Do less and > > accomplish more," which in those early talks clearly > > meant "Meditate and recharge your energy and your > > creativity and then go out and USE it by working more > > efficiently for the things you want" turned into "Just > > meditate and everything will be taken care of." Prag- > > matic thinking gave way to magical thinking. > > > > And look what the outcome of this reliance on magical > > thinking has produced. People who can no longer imagine > > solutions to the problems of hunger and war and violence > > that come from humans using their own intelligence and > > working towards pragmatic solutions. Instead, the only > > source that they can imagine a solution to these prob- > > lems coming from is magic, in the form of some Woo Woo > > Rays emanating from the thuds of their butts on foam, > > or from other, even more magical Woo Woo Rays emanating > > from some teacher or guru or avatar. > > > > Call me crazy but I miss the message of that first > > Maharishi talk. I am hopeful that the problems of this > > planet, both individual and worldwide, can in fact be > > resolved. But I don't believe that they can only be > > resolved by some magical force outside ourselves, or > > by Woo Woo Rays. I think that these problems can only > > be resolved by the pragmatic, creative ideas of indi- > > vidual human beings, creative ideas that are possibly > > enhanced by meditation and other practices, but *our* > > ideas, not those of some avatar or guru or spiritual > > teacher or other source of magical Woo Woo. > > > > That, after all, was the message of the first talk I > > ever heard Maharishi give. It's just too bad that he > > either was lying about what he said, or didn't believe > > it thoroughly enough to follow through on it in his > > own teachings, and with his own students. If he had, > > the world might have been a much better place, and > > they would certainly have been much stronger human > > beings. Instead, just as he said in that first talk, > > he wound up making them weaker. > > >
