--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "feste37" <feste37@...> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@> wrote: > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "feste37" <feste37@> wrote: > > > > > > > > That's a good summary. > > > > > > Thanks. It is interesting that you responded first to this. I actually > > > was thinking of asking you to help me edit this particular paper for this > > > particular scholarly audience. I pushed ahead anyway and they seem quite > > > pleased with this as an entry in to the subject of TM and Fairfield for > > > discussion. -Buck > > > > > > > But if the scholars didn't know about TM and Fairfield, I'd be > > > > interested in knowing what were the > > > > Utopian/spiritual/intentional/communal groups that they did discuss, > > > > especially those currently in existence. Where are these groups > > > > located? Who are they? http://www.dancingrabbit.org/
> > > > > > > > At the meeting were specialists in different communal groups and aspects of > > different groups. Oneida, Harmonists, Amana, Shakers, Icarians, Mormons, > > Synanon, new religions and contemporary religious and secular communities, > > Camphill, the Twelve Tribes, City of David, Kibitz, and some other > > particular contemporary cloistered groups had papers delivered about them. > > There was a paper given considering quantitative measurement of the notion > > of sustainability in communal groups using a contemporary 'intentional > > community' group that is just to our south over the border in Missouri, the > > intentional community of Dancing Rabbit. The conference had papers on many > > different aspects of utopian community. Sociologists, anthropologists, > > ethno-musicologists, economists, religious studies, and historians. The > > meeting was all extremely interesting as a communal comparison for our own > > group. It's a meeting of an old scholarly association and the meeting was > > very professionally and well done. This was the second year I've attended > > as someone coming from (meditating) Fairfield. > > -Buck > > Thanks. I'm very curious about Dancing Rabbit. Who are they? > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" wrote: > > > > > > > > > > I wrote this piece below and have been e-mailing individually to a > > > > > number of scholarly folks who I met at an academic meeting studying > > > > > Utopian and communal groups that I attended recently out in upstate > > > > > New York. I came away with about 50 business cards from scholars who > > > > > I met and talked with at the conference. I wrote this to be able > > > > > to send to them something descriptive about (meditating) Fairfield, > > > > > Iowa as a 'communal' group. Of course what I set out to write became > > > > > longer than I intended. Here is the unabridged version with the > > > > > links. I hope you'll like the Shaker comparison and I think you'll > > > > > appreciate the links. > > > > > Best Regards from Iowa, > > > > > <paste>: > > > > > > > > > > Communal (Meditating) Fairfield, Iowa > > > > > > > > > > On returning home from the annual meeting I find myself wanting to > > > > > catch up by sharing some links on 'communal' Fairfield, Iowa with you > > > > > that might better give insight in to a scale and circumstance of the > > > > > communal society I come from and have lived in for 40 years. > > > > > Starting from the outside looking in on meditating Fairfield it can > > > > > seem like looking at a monolith. Evidently it is easy to make > > > > > assumptions about Fairfield and its meditators as it is also tough > > > > > to discern what is going on inside the meditating community. But it > > > > > need not be difficult at all once there are handles on it. The > > > > > Fairfield meditating community has matured in time and is quite > > > > > developed with many communal features to find and look at. I see > > > > > Fairfield, Iowa in fact can provide a large and living laboratory for > > > > > communal community scholars to look at. > > > > > > > > > > Beginning with Tim Miller's Communal Societies Vol. 30 No.1, 2010 > > > > > paper in mind I'll give you some things further below to look at for > > > > > yourselves, > > > > > > > > > > "A Matter of Definition: Just What Is an Intentional Community?" > > > > > > > > > > -A sense of purpose and distinctiveness, with deliberate intent to be > > > > > a community > > > > > -Some kind of shared living space > > > > > -Some shared resources > > > > > -Critical mass > > > > > > > > > > For communal studies scholars looking in I believe one of the best > > > > > ways to understand the scale of the Fairfield Meditating community is > > > > > to relate to it in a form like the old Shaker villages as > > > > > organizational structure back while the Shakers were up and running. > > > > > In the middle of TM is the equivalent of a Shaker 'Ministry Family' > > > > > of upper administration and then elements of communal families of > > > > > meditators that are in concentric circles around the middle including > > > > > meditators who live well outside the middle in town but come inside > > > > > to meditate also as members. The upper level is a more exclusive > > > > > level (only for sake of an analogy though, they do not use that term > > > > > 'ministry' to describe themselves) which currently now tends to live > > > > > more exclusively out in an adjacent new town area called Maharishi > > > > > Vedic City to the northwest of Fairfield proper. The university > > > > > community lives more on their campus in Fairfield. The larger > > > > > meditating community lives through out Fairfield and the County area > > > > > either disperse singly or in meditator households in neighborhoods. > > > > > Maharishi Vedic City and the university community each function with > > > > > obvious communal aspect with people living together, working for > > > > > their community together, housing close together, educating their > > > > > kids together, socializing together, sharing resources etc. The > > > > > larger surrounding meditating community also functions that way. The > > > > > common thing to these Shaker-like 'families' of meditators in the > > > > > Fairfield area like the Shakers is that they moved to Fairfield as > > > > > meditators to be practicing meditators in something larger. > > > > > > > > > > In starting, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was a proponent of Transcendental > > > > > Meditation for 60 years in the West and there has been a meditating > > > > > community in Fairfield, Iowa for about 40 years. > > > > > > > > > > The Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement purchased a bankrupt > > > > > college campus in Fairfield, Iowa and moved a university there in > > > > > 1974. The university was teaching a wide liberal arts curricula > > > > > where the students and faculty were also practicing meditators. That > > > > > functioned as a unit in Fairfield for about a half decade when at a > > > > > large gathering of meditators meeting with Maharishi it was suggested > > > > > that folks as meditators move to the Fairfield community to be able > > > > > to meditate regularly in large group meditations. That was the start > > > > > of the Fairfield meditating community where meditators moved to > > > > > Fairfield, Iowa generally. Through the later 1970's, 1980's, 1990's > > > > > and even up to present time thousands of meditators have lived in > > > > > Fairfield. > > > > > > > > > > Like happened with the Shakers there are now lots of projects that go > > > > > along with meditating that start to be defining otherwise but still > > > > > the formative communal reason here is more essentially about the > > > > > spiritual practice of meditating. Hopefully this is useful as a way > > > > > of looking at it. I am providing here below some source links to > > > > > these elements that I think are good ways of accessing what is going > > > > > on inside of a communal meditating Fairfield. > > > > > > > > > > The Group Meditation: > > > > > Large daily group meditations are held in community facilities the > > > > > meditating community built in the early 1980's intended to house > > > > > large group meditations. This source link gives an overview to this > > > > > aspect of the community: > > > > > http://invincibleamerica.org/tallies/ > > > > > > > > > > Notice clear down at the bottom of this page are daily tallies that > > > > > in this record go back to 2006. The point is that in the daily ebb > > > > > and flow of meditating in Fairfield is this particular communal > > > > > aspect of meditation which happens everyday twice a day and has for a > > > > > long time. > > > > > > > > > > The 'Golden Domes': > > > > > Back in the 1980's the meditating community built two large wooden > > > > > dome structures to house the community meditation. There is a site > > > > > on Wikipedia about these buildings. This Wiki 'Golden Domes' site > > > > > is very well sourced. > > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Domes > > > > > > > > > > The meditating university community as 'Consciousness-based > > > > > Education': > > > > > The university in Fairfield functions as its own communal group which > > > > > is also part of the larger meditating community in Fairfield. > > > > > University faculty, staff, and students housed close together on > > > > > campus, take their meals together, meditate together, work together, > > > > > their kids go to the meditating primary and secondary community > > > > > school together, and sustaining resources are shared from the > > > > > community: http://www.mum.edu > > > > > > > > > > Likewise the meditating community's elementary and secondary > > > > > school function as another communal group or 'family' with similar > > > > > communal features as the university. > > > > > http://www.maharishischooliowa.org/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The Larger Meditating Fairfield Meditator Community: > > > > > Most meditators who have come to live in the area live in Fairfield > > > > > proper or out in the county area living outside of both the > > > > > university campus and the Maharishi Vedic City area . The general > > > > > Jefferson County Iowa population is about 15,000. The Fairfield > > > > > population is about 10,000. In the Jefferson County/Fairfield area > > > > > there are about 3,000 adult age meditators living still. The > > > > > university campus houses many hundred people. The recent census > > > > > found about 250 people living in Maharishi Vedic City and an > > > > > approximate additional 1,000 pundits on temporary visas living to the > > > > > north of Maharish Vedic City in a compound that has recently been > > > > > built. When Transcendental Meditation was culturally popular > > > > > previously around the time that the Beatles were followers of > > > > > Maharishi, Transcendental Meditation (TM) often drew heavily from > > > > > college and university communities. As a result the immigration of > > > > > TM meditators to Fairfield has brought both an educated and > > > > > cosmopolitan group together in a small midwest town. This aspect > > > > > combined with its Utopian values in the larger community of > > > > > meditators living outside of campus and outside of Vedic City > > > > > deserves a look as its own distinctive communal society. The greater > > > > > or larger Fairfield meditator meditating community often gets more > > > > > defined locally by its communal arts, civic activities and businesses > > > > > alongside the indigenous Fairfield and Jefferson County Iowa > > > > > population. This becomes its own large area in communal Fairfield > > > > > studies that has not been written about so much other than feature > > > > > articles appearing in newspapers and magazines and now more recently > > > > > in an Oprah film production in a form of overview journalism. > > > > > > > > > > The Maharishi Vedic City Communal Grouping: > > > > > Maharishi Vedic City functions effectively as a theocratic > > > > > municipality in the vein of Holly Folk's paper on the subject about > > > > > theocratic municipality in Communal Societies V 31.2, 2011. > > > > > Two sources of information on the internet that are authored by > > > > > people in the community of Maharishi Vedic City are: > > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharishi_Vedic_City,_Iowa and their > > > > > own website: http://www.vediccity.net/ > > > > > > > > > > In conclusion generally I have found Fairfield, Iowa to be an > > > > > extremely vital and fun communal place to live as one of the larger > > > > > and older Utopian places currently operating in the U.S. I see now > > > > > that it is old enough and mature enough to deserve some study by > > > > > scholars so I wanted to share these link with you to help you become > > > > > introduced. These then are the three or four communal groupings > > > > > within the meditating Fairfield community that you can look at > > > > > easily from outside. I hope you find their links and descriptions > > > > > both useful and interesting to the studies of communal societies. > > > > > > > > > > And, of course there is Fairfield itself: > > > > > http://cityoffairfieldiowa.com/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > With Kind Regards from Fairfield, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *** > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > A couple months ago I attended an academic conference with about a > > > > > > hundred scholars who study our kind of group. They were generally > > > > > > unaware of Fairfield. In conversing with these scholars over > > > > > > several days time it was as if 'TM' had dropped off the planet. > > > > > > These were tenured professors, department chairs, directors of > > > > > > collections who teach at real universities from all over the > > > > > > country. Basically zip understanding of TM let alone Fairfield. > > > > > > TM seemingly disappeared from culture from the 1980's and on and > > > > > > suffers still from that amnesia of inertia. It got to the point > > > > > > even in Fairfield where the Dome numbers had dropped in the > > > > > > y-2000's to just a couple hundred people meditating together. > > > > > > Nearly died out except for the resuscitation of the urgency of the > > > > > > invincible America meditation program (2006) and the last ditch > > > > > > efforts of some few people (Bob Wynne) in Vedic City to actually > > > > > > bring pundits to Fairfield http://www.vediccity.net/welcome.html > > > > > > It is an amazing thing going on in Fairfield. It is real > > > > > > interesting to be in the middle of communicating that to people > > > > > > outside in the world. > > > > > > -Buck in the Dome > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > It is interesting, that most people out in the world, even > > > > > > > educated people, have no idea what is going on here let alone the > > > > > > > gravity of it. We should all be unperturbed by their general > > > > > > > old-age ignorance of it though and rigorously just attend to our > > > > > > > meditations. Great is our method and science of peace here. The > > > > > > > New Jerusalem is coming, > > > > > > > -Buck > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long <sharelong60@> > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Buck, forget emailing. Have him visit FF for Dec 7 Art > > > > > > > > Walk. As George somebody, former Redskins coach said, the > > > > > > > > future is now. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Your brave enthusiasm and still makes me smile just about every > > > > > > > > day (-: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > > > > > > From: Buck > > > > > > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > > > > > > Sent: Saturday, December 1, 2012 11:51 PM > > > > > > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Reducing Tension in the Middle East > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >  > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "emptybill" > > > > > > > > > <emptybill@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Buckyball > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > "A perennial philosophy of all major cultural traditions > > > > > > > > > > that there > > > > > > > > > > exists a transcendental field at the most fundamental level > > > > > > > > > > of natural > > > > > > > > > > law ..." > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > If this is true then it is not "transcendental" but rather > > > > > > > > > > a supporting > > > > > > > > > > ground. > > > > > > > > > > In other words, it is prakriti/pradhâna/avyakta (an > > > > > > > > > > unmanifest). > > > > > > > > > > It is nature, but not transcendent. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Bill, Yep I know what you mean, that's my experience too. As > > > > > > > > > I was editing that piece I chose to stick with the western > > > > > > > > > language and stay away from the Vedic so as not to confuse > > > > > > > > > the ignorant lurker here. Going with the 'Transcendental' > > > > > > > > > field was good enough for the release posted here. Best > > > > > > > > > Regards, -Buck > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I went to a lecture at the U. of Ia. in Iowa City the other > > > > > > > > nite given by a visiting classicist professor and went out to > > > > > > > > dinner with him after. In discussing Fairfield he broke from > > > > > > > > what we were saying at a point and declared he could not > > > > > > > > understand what Utopia could possibly be. That he lives in the > > > > > > > > past and present but could not understand what I was saying > > > > > > > > about a future Utopia this way. It was not the time to say > > > > > > > > anything more but we are e-mailing. It is a challenging thing > > > > > > > > to communicate. > > > > > > > > -Buck > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > A perennial philosophy of all major cultural traditions > > > > > > > > > > > that there > > > > > > > > > > exists a transcendental field at the most fundamental level > > > > > > > > > > of natural > > > > > > > > > > law, which can be directly accessed as the silent > > > > > > > > > > transcendental level > > > > > > > > > > of the human mind. Hundreds of studies have shown that > > > > > > > > > > experience of > > > > > > > > > > transcendental consciousness breaks the chain of > > > > > > > > > > conditioned reflexes > > > > > > > > > > coming on from past behavior, as seen in reduced addictive > > > > > > > > > > behaviors of > > > > > > > > > > all kinds, decreased prison recidivism, and reduced > > > > > > > > > > behavioral problems > > > > > > > > > > in inner-city children. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Now there is hope because a proven technology of > > > > > > > > > > > > consciousness to > > > > > > > > > > create peace is available. This novel approach establishes > > > > > > > > > > a filter of > > > > > > > > > > coherence and order in collective consciousness in the > > > > > > > > > > present, which is > > > > > > > > > > capable of transforming the flow of negativity from the > > > > > > > > > > past into a more > > > > > > > > > > harmonious future. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Meditation is certainly the answer, > > > > > > > > > > > > -Buck in the Dome > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
