What a great fragment of narrative this quote of Jay Latham's is fleshing out the origins of the TM movement going back even to the mid 20th Century. I am liking this quote very much so as to also share with people who are outside looking in on the story to help them have a more colorful perspective on where this all came from. It is nice, respectful and useful that it surfaced here. Thanks, -Buck in the Dome
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Richard J. Williams" <richard@...> wrote: > > > > laughinggull108: > > The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. > > Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, > > not much to read this early in the book. The > > really good stuff is in the last half. > > > > http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 > > > Jay Latham: > > "Why is he here? How did he get in? The men were all clean shaven and had > their best suits on. Worst of all, there couldn't have been more than > fifteen Westerners, all total; the very top of Maharishi's Western > organization, all there by personal invitation from Maharishi himself, and > all sitting in the front row in full view of the main entrance. > > So much for "blending in." Behind the Westerners sat hundreds of exuberant > brahmin boys whom Maharishi was instructing in the Vedas. The few ladies I > saw were the top administrators of Maharishi's "Thousand Headed Mother > Divine Course." I sat down directly in front of Maharishi who was sitting > about fifteen feet away on his dais. To his left, and above him on his own > dais was the present Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath, the spiritual "pope" of > North India, Sri Swami Vishnudevananda. > > To his left, sitting on an even higher dais, was Guru Dev's successor > (appointed by Guru Dev himself, in his will), Shri Swami Shantanand > Saraswati Maharaj, retired Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath. These two sat > under the gold and red umbrella of the Shankaracharya, on the throne-like > chairs of their position. Surrounding them were about fifty of the most > illustrious looking orange-clad swarmis I'd ever seen. This was the top of > India's spiritual tradition in the flesh. The stage area was surrounded by > hundreds of lights (candles, oil and ghee lamps) which are traditionally lit > for Diwali. The scene was a blaze of spiritual light. > > As I was sitting down Marc looked up at me with an inquisitive, raised > eyebrow and silently conveyed, "What in the hell are you doing here ... > what's with the beard and the dhoti, are you completely out of your mind?" > The other Westerners were also checking me out, having, of course, > immediately recognized me. I didn't even want to know their thoughts. All I > could think was "God, when you fulfill a desire you really go all out. Since > this is probably the last time I'll see Maharishi for not being properly > invited, I must thank you for the fabulous send-off." > > I drank in the whole scene. I'd stepped into the ageless, fiery world of the > Swami Order of Lord Shankara. A Sanskrit puja was underway in which > Maharishi was the deity. A couple of old pujaris were chanting, with one > making offerings to Maharishi splashing Ganges water on him, adorning him > with green leaves, offering incense, light from ghee lamps, etc. It reminded > me of a silent film I'd seen of Maharishi's master, Guru Dev, in which he > was worshipped as Shankaracharya in similar fashion. > > This was a great honor for Maharishi, and demonstrated in the most symbolic > way possible that he was held in highest esteem by the present > Shankaracharya Order; with both the reigning and retired Shankaracharyas of > Jyothirmath in attendance. They obviously regarded Maharishi as the most > enlightened disciple of their own guru, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru > Dev). I had heard that Swami Vishnudevananda was supporting Maharishi and > his movement in recruiting Indians for the mass group practice of the TM- > Sidhi program. > > Maharishi always generates a feeling of eternality and transcendent silence > around him that is the most profound I've ever felt, but I had experienced > this most often in the context of large gatherings of Westerners in Europe. > In the midst of his own people, including the most illustrious of the Swami > Order itself, the feeling was deeper, more natural, because the land and its > spiritual history supported it. This was the "Whole Thing, the Real Thing" > as Guru Dev used to say. > > If this were to be my last sight of the master, I had picked the right > night. I felt God smiling on me. For the entire evening, Maharishi remained > in samadhi, eyes closed. That doesn't mean he was completely lost to the > world, though, because at one point I felt as if he were "scanning" me > checking me out with his inner vision. He's far too powerful to not have his > attention felt by his teachers. I felt him look right through me, my organs, > subtle body, mind, everything. While this was going on, I tried to send him > the telepathic message: "Lord Shiva got me in here as a boon." > > If Maharishi was upset about my being here, it was his own fault-he was the > one who taught me, in person, the highly effective techniques for locating > transcendental consciousness and fulfilling desires through That. I was > living proof of his own success this night. I'd gotten through his carefully > selected, highly effective human shield and then been delivered at his feet > as a VIP. That is the power of the Lord. > > The deep velvety-red umbrellas of Swami Vishnudevananda Saraswati and Swami > Shantanandji Saraswati, embroidered with large gold Sanskrit letters, were > obviously very old. To me, they represented the cosmic umbrella that one > gets under for spiritual protection when initiated by an enlightened guru > into the ancient tradition of the Sanatan Dharma. Each umbrella was imbued > with the deep spirituality of ancient India?and great men of cosmic > consciousness. > > I was mesmerized by the rare darshan (sight) of Swami Shantanand Saraswati. > He must have been in his eighties at the time, but still had the wrinkle- > free face of a baby. The glow on his face was more pure, more translucent, > than I had ever seen on any human being before. He looked like the > transcendent personified. He remained seated in deep meditation the entire > evening. He never moved, never opened his eyes. He looked serene, > breathless, in his all-time natural state of cosmic conciousness. From his > whole body he radiated powerful waves of love. > > He was a sensory feast to behold, seated in the highest position in the room > on his "throne" chair that was placed directly underneath what looked like > the same unbrella that Guru Dev hasd sat under as Shankaracharya. The man > had a pure white halo that encircled his whole body." > > Source: > > "Galaxy of Fire" > By Jay Latham > Sunstar, 2000 > p. 550-553. >
