> jyouells2000 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> BTW, I have heard that Mike S. is still teaching 6+ people a month in
> Florida under the 'transcendental stress management program' name to
> comply with trade and service mark law after his court case. No mention
> of MMY just the rest of the tradition. So at a reasonable price, there
> is still some demand.
This info about Mike Scozzari's teaching activities is one of those
TM "urban legends" that has some weird life of it's own; but some of
this info just isn't true, and I'd like to offer a corrected version.
I live near Mike Scozzari, have talked with him in person about the
details of his south Florida teaching activities (current and past),
have attended his public intro lecture, have for years been on his
mailing list for notifications about his TM events (group program,
knowledge meetings, socials, etc.), have talked with others in his
group about his activities (numbers taught, frequency of events,
attendance, etc.), I've watched his interaction with the TM movement
including the now famous 2006 court case. And I've also taken the
trouble to check out the new TM teachers in the area and their TM-
teaching numbers and activities. Here's the scoop:
1. The reality is that Mike is stuck in memories of the past - of his
glory days decades ago as the "founding" TM teacher in this area.
2. Mike, through his own admissions to me, was teaching NOT "6+ people
a month" but 6 people a year (if that).
3. Mike admitted that he rarely had ANYONE attend his intro lectures -
he would show up and just sadly sit there in an empty conference
room at Kinkos that he rented and advertised, hoping that someone
would appear - even when he COULD still use the TM name (on the
website, in his newspaper ads, at the lectures, etc.). Now he
can't use that name at all.
4. Mike claimed he had a network of "hundreds of loyal local medita-
tors" who would come forth to support him in his battle with the TM
movement last year. They did not materialize - either in numbers
or in financial support. When he appeared in court, those supporters
were not to be seen. Since he has been teaching perhaps half a dozen
people a year, those references to "hundreds of meditators" probably
refer to the hundreds he taught back in the 70s and 80s, in his hey-
day, and that he holds onto in his mind but that he hasn't seen for
around 20+ years.
5. His once-a-month group programs at his "TM center" (his apartment)
drew about half a dozen people, including Mike and his wife. So his
"hundreds of active, loyal students" turned out to be about 4 friends.
6. His TM e-mail "newsletter" announcing his group program and any other
TM support events, that I signed up for, came to me perhaps once a year
or less! His TM "group", and his TM "Center" and "activities", turned
out to be phantoms, fantasies - there was very little there that was
real.
7. For all his bravado about fighting the TM movement, when his case came
to court Mike caved in - he had no group of supporters backing him, he
had no substantial financial support. When the judge ordered the case
into mediation, immediately Mike gave in on every substantial point the
TM movement was asking for, and agreed to completely disconnect from
the TM movement and any use of it's names, and to make public disclaim-
ers stating his lack of connection. It seems reasonable to assume that
his own attorney advised him of the groundlessness of his legal posi-
tion and told him to settle.
Here is the information about the court case. If anyone is interested
in reading the actual wording of the injunction entered against Mike, I
would be willing to obtain it and post it here.
Broward County Case Number: CACE06002776
(Florida) State Reporting Number: 062006CA002776AXXXCE
Court Type: Civil Division - Circuit Court (Broward County, FL)
Case Type: Contract
Filing Date: 03/01/2006
Court Location: Central Courthouse, Broward County, 201 SE 6th St.,
Ft. Lauderdale FL
Preliminary Hearing: 16 March 2006 - mediation agreed to by both sides
Case Status: Disposition Entered (injunction), 12 April 2006
Document Source: Circuit Court, Civil Correspondence Division: 201 SE
6th St., Rm. 230, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33301, 954-831-5740
$8 money order payable to Clerk of the Court, include SASE
Request 8-page Final Order of 12 April 2006
Case Parties:
PLAFSKY, ROBERT ALLEN, (Attorney) Court-Appointed Mediation Master
MAHARISHI FOUNDATION LTD, Plaintiff
MAHARISHI VEDIC EDUCATION DEV, Plaintiff
SCOZZARI, MICHAEL E., Defendant
STREITFELD, JEFFREY E., Judge
8. To put Mike's teaching and follow-up activities into perspective,
here's an updated version of what I wrote about the south Florida
TM-teaching activities a few months ago:
... here where I live in southeast Florida, the two recertified teacher
couples [four people] who teach in the three local counties (Palm Beach,
Broward, and Miami-Dade), population about 3+ million, [the same area
served by Mike] have taught around 50 over the past year according to
their figures. I believe that this is fairly accurate because:
(a) I've seen the attendance and response at some of their intros,
(b) I've seen the number of new meditators regularly showing up at the
weekly Sunday night group program and pot-luck social that I some-
times attend (which averages about 20 people a week);
(c) The local teachers have reported to me (1) when they've had courses
and (2) how many have started in each course, (in response to pri-
vate inquiries I've made to them), so the numbers are not some vague
estimate.
Putting their numbers together with these other methods of verification
leads me to believe that the number (50 in the past year) is accurate.
Plus just in the past six months they've had about 25 sidhas and gover-
nors take a weekend residence (sidhi refresher course with TM-sidhis
teachers), about 6 meditators take the TM-sidhis course (with the final
block in Fairfield), about 20 local siddhas travel to Fairfield for var-
ious lengths of time to be part of the Invincible America program, and
one local adult meditator move in September to Fairfield to attend MUM
to finish her bachelor's degree and stay for a graduate degree in ayur
vedic medicine. Two of my counseling clients were recently initiated,
and another half dozen of my clients, students, and friends are ready
to learn. These are all middle-class working people and the course fee
didn't phase them. A few took advantage of the Citibank financing op-
tion: no payments for 9 months, then around 5-6% interest with monthly
payment. (Everything I've reported in this paragraph I've personally
witnessed or verified.)
In that same time period I've heard of absolutely no activity from Mike.
So it seems that the local TM teachers are teaching around 8 times the
number of people that Mike does, plus they are offering regular, sub-
stantial follow-up activities (educational, social) which Mike doesn't.
My conclusion, based on living right here where all this is happening:
Mike Scozzari and his local meditation activities are a fantasy.
Please stop spreading misinformation about him and let him be.
Namaste,
Michael
PARA - THE CENTER FOR REALIZATION and THE RELATIONSHIP INSTITUTE
Michael Dean Goodman, Ph.D., D.D., Director
Boca Raton (Palm Beach County) Florida
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