--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mark Landau <m@...> wrote: > > Thank you, Bob, I appreciate this. It doesn't seem to jibe with the little I > thought I knew, but I really didn't know anything. I had some impression > from somewhere that he left the movement for awhile and then came back. But > I really never knew. > > On Aug 6, 2011, at 6:28 PM, Bob Price wrote: > > > > > Mark, > > > > It looks like there is plenty of speculation on Devendra that can be found > > in the archives of FFL using his name. The following are some highlights > > from Joyce Collin-Smith who knew him both when he joined Maharishi and when > > he left. > > > > There are a number of great stories in 'Call No Man Master". For those that > > don't know-Joyce Collin-Smith, the author of the book, she was one of the > > early group of meditators-followers of Maharishi in the UK. Early 60's > > vintage not unlike Helena Olson. Where Mrs. Olson was a PR professional > > Colin-Smith was a journalist on fleet street. She was originally part of > > the UK Gurdjieff-Ouspensky- group run by Francis Roles that joined and > > financially supported Maharishi in his early visits to the UK as Ouspensky, > > on his death, had told them to find an eastern master because they needed > > Vedic techniques to actualize their philosophy. They provided the first UK > > TM center that Maharishi taught out of on Prince Albert Road in London but > > eventually there was a falling out (with Roles and some others) when they > > visited the TMO ashram in Rishikesh and met Sivananda at another ashram > > across the river. > > > > Two in this early British group were Joyce Collin-Smith and Philip Williams > > (Devendra). Collin Smith looked after Maharishi at this time, acted as his > > chauffeur and set up the his first lectures in London and Oxford. She also > > edited Maharishi's letters for him as well as making sure he was fed and > > had a comfortable place to sleep. Philip was an Anglo Indian and a > > practising international lawyer who had graduated with honours from Oxford > > when he met Maharishi in the early 60's. He left it all behind and became > > Maharishi's go to guy in the early 60's at the Albert Road center. > > Maharishi eventually renamed him Devendra and publicly named him his > > successor after Devendra took vows. Both Collin Smith and Devendra had been > > there for a number of years when the Beatles showed up. For why Joyce > > Collin Smith eventually left i recommend reading her book. > > > > According to Joyce Collin-Smith her and Devendra stayed in touch by letter. > > Devendra was eventually sent to India to mediate full time in the caves > > near Rishikesh. Eventually his letters to Joyce stopped and she didn't hear > > from him for 20 years (no idea what the dates are here) until he showed up > > in London penniless and broken. The story he told was that Maharishi had > > kept him fasting and meditating in dark caves for years and his meditation > > had become more and more bizarre. > > > > "In the end I thought I was going mad, alone in the caves", 'he said.' > > "Maharishi gave me no assistance , no guidance. he just laughed and told me > > to go on". 'Terrifying experiences had come to him as he sought to obey > > the will of his once beloved and now indomitable Master, as he had always > > done, without complaint' > > > > Long story short he eventually asked the Shankaracharya (the one on M's > > team) what he should do and was advised to sneak out of India without > > telling Maharishi > > which he did with borrowed money. He showed up in London, he was 60, and > > went to work in a Japanese restaurant and eventually moved to the > > Philippines to live with his sister and was never heard from again.
Maharishi did everything humanly possible to help Philip. In every way imaginable, bu it was not possible.
