The 2012 form 990 says that 8,093 adults and 1,473 students learned TM in 2012. So, 9,566 people were taught TM in 2012, or nearly 800 per month. Not exactly the heady days of Merv Griffith where as many as 35,000 were learning per month, but the numbers appear to be sustainable, unlike the figures from nearly 40 years ago.
A short while before he died, Peter McWilliams and I exchanged emails. He told me that he warned Maharishi that the growth that the TM organization was experiencing in the mid-70's was not sustainable, and he thought that Maharishi Ayurveda, the TM-Sidhis, etc., were all ways that Maharishi came up with to attempt to compensate and keep the organization running. I'm inclined to agree, except that I believe that Maharishi believed that the TM-SIdhis really would "destroy darkness of the world" (to quote the Shiva Samhita) and that Maharishi Ayurveda really would extend people's lifespans long enough for them to become enlightened, so they're both auxiliary revenue streams AND exactly what he claimed they are (from his perspective at least). L ---In [email protected], <steve.sundur@...> wrote : I've already reported that in my area activity has increased. But no, not 30-40 a day. Maybe half of that a month. I was responding to Mike's comment that business will be picking up for deprogrammers. Actually, I think Michael would consider that a business opportunity for himself. It seems he always nibbled around the edges of the spiritual game. Maybe he'll finally find a workable niche. ---In [email protected], <mdixon.6569@...> wrote : So, what kind of numbers are we talking about? I remember the days of teaching 30-40 people in a day. On Wednesday, April 30, 2014 5:16 AM, "steve.sundur@..." <steve.sundur@...> wrote: Michael, I do enjoy your comments. You regularly ascribe to the TMO vast power. It's cute actually. ---In [email protected], <mjackson74@...> wrote : "and the organisation itself is a badly run, thinly disguised religious dictatorship" Once again Sal, you have nailed it to the wall. The one positive of all these new initiations IF they exist is for the deprogrammers who will make a lot of money when the innocent victims realize they've been had. --------------------------------------------
