Fleetwood, this is imo beautifully articulated. Thanks...
On Friday, July 25, 2014 7:21 AM, "fleetwood_macnche...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> wrote: [Attachment(s) from fleetwood_macnche...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] included below] Steve's point is a good one - "How's that working for you?" There are several here, who take great delight, and are very conscientious, about pointing out what they consider flaws in Maharishi's system of teaching meditation, and his considerable comments on spiritual growth. There is nothing wrong with being critical, and calling bullshit, when it is apparent, but the process only works favorably, if the same scrutiny is applied to the individual making the judgments, and doing the nit-picking. In other words, a person's credibility, in making these ongoing negative assessments about Maharishi's system, is only solid, if that same critical eye is turned on the person, by his or herself. If nothing is found wanting, if there are no deep desires going unfulfilled, if one's life is spent in ever increasing ease and delight, and success, then, sure, have at it. Turn a critical eye, and voice all of that, about Maharishi's system, over and over and over again. However, if there are deep needs of the heart going unfulfilled, or personal domains that need work, better to spend time working those out, vs. this endless diatribe, against all things Maharishi. Otherwise it looks like a bad day at work, led to kicking the dog, at home, over and over and over again, if you catch my drift. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <mjackson74@...> wrote : I was being somewhat facetious in my commentary on the origins of so-called vedic wisdom, but I bet I am not far off the mark ________________________________ From: "steve.sundur@... [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2014 10:36 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] 7/21-23 - Maharishi: A discussion of karma and not speaking ill of others I know I commented on this before, but going through things again, more leisurely, this is just a too funny analysis by Michael of those who have chosen a different path. God love him. Somehow Michael, you regularly make the exception the rule. And you are always so sure of yourself. Begs the Dr. Phil question, "How's that working for you" ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <mjackson74@...> wrote : for me, I have dropped the notion of higher states of consciousness - its all one thing, what some refer to as higher (which carries a connotation of lower states of awareness) are just experiences, none higher and none lower. As I have stated here on FFL before, its just a bunch of made up stuff to make people feel higher, mightier and more important. And I have said before that it started with the ancient Indians who were too lazy or socially inept to live in society. They just wanted to laze around all day and contemplate the universe and when they ate some extra special mushrooms or some such, they said 'Hey! This is how it is! This is REAL reality." So when some traveler came along and said "What are you sitting around for! Get yer ass up and do something, the self styled rishi would pontificate about real reality and try to get the traveler to follow his new "path" so as to get friends and corroboration that the rishi's way of looking at the world was the right one. ________________________________ From: "steve.sundur@... [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2014 12:15 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] 7/21-23 - Maharishi: A discussion of karma and not speaking ill of others I would say your theory makes sense only if you abolish the whole notion of the so called "higher states of consciousness" I apologize in advance if the spiritual path is not a path for the faint of heart. We've discussed, "dark night of the soul" experiences here often. Might as well dismiss those as well. And I will tell you, that most professionals have little notion of what might be called the spiritual life. It just doesn't show up in anything they are familiar with. You're on your own with that buddy boy. On the other hand, you do see the phenomenon among people who have bailed from the path, to then revert to trashing the path, in every way, shape and form. You'd think they'd just move on without a big to-do about it all. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <mjackson74@...> wrote : See? That's what I am talking about - were the experience really an experience of feeling yourself to be the unbounded awareness that supposedly underlies all creation, there would be no fear. But I know a lot of folks who describe similar experiences to the one you had and I think its a pretty good fit for the psychologists assessment of them. But when the TM'ers started having such things happen, Marshy had to make up some pie in the sky story to convince them to stick with him so he had to tell them it was positive. ________________________________ From: "awoelflebater@... [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2014 9:53 AM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] 7/21-23 - Maharishi: A discussion of karma and not speaking ill of others ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <mjackson74@...> wrote : that which people call witnessing is a state of disassociation - ergo, that which TM'ers love to believe is a sign of rising enlightenment is actually a psychotic state of disconnect from reality. I have to agree with you on the disassociation thing. Witnessing is not pleasant. It used to happen randomly to me as a young person, before TM and sometimes after learning TM. Sometimes it was associated with an event that was freaky or scary which would cause me to witness. Other times it would just happen - the first time when I was 10 years old in Switzerland, I remember it clearly and it scared me because it lasted for about an hour. This is not a state that feels good or appears to accomplish anything for the witnesser other than to make one feel distant from oneself. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like this going on for months or even years. ________________________________ From: "steve.sundur@... [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2014 10:23 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] 7/21-23 - Maharishi: A discussion of karma and not speaking ill of others Oh, okay. My take is that the spiritual path is rigorous, and that transcending offers a respite. That has been my experience. I can't say that the dissociative state is something that makes much sense to me. I can see where there might be some objection to the mantra being associated with a Hindu Deity. I can see where someone might be put off by the ceremony, but quieting of the mind, with the resulting lowering of metabolic activity seem to be positive things in my opinion.
