--- In [email protected], "Paul Mason" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: <snip> > I notice you don't attempt to correct me on any point raised in the > blog. That is interesting, very interesting
No, it isn't. Peter just doesn't get into that sort of thing. But I do. My comments are in square brackets: Q. So, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi trained to be a teacher of meditation? And his guru bestowed on him the title 'Maharishi' to show his approval? Is that right? [Straw man. Never heard this in the TM context.] A. Mahesh spent years in the service of a spiritual teacher - as a servant performing clerical tasks. [Highly questionable that this is all he did as Guru Dev's assistant.] Q. But it was his master, Guru Dev, who gave him the name 'Maharishi'? [Another straw man.] A. Actually, Mahesh just adopted the title about two and a half years after the death of his master. [According to Sri Ramana Maharishi's editor, "Maharishi" or "Maharshi") is a title bestowed by followers on a teacher who launches a new spiritual path. It isn't an "official" title. There's no documentation on whether MMY "just adopted" it, or whether it was what people started calling him on their own hook after encountering his teaching.] Q. And the surname 'Yogi', is that his family name? [Straw man.] A. No. It happens that Indian holy men tend to have three-word names. The first is the title, usually 'Swami', the second is the name given by the guru, such as 'Sivanand', 'Brahmanand' or 'Vishnunand', and the third denotes the grouping of monks, such as 'Saraswati', 'Giri' etc etc. But in Mahesh's case, 'Maharishi' and 'Yogi' seem to be added just for good effect. Q. But isn't it true that the Maharishi embarked on a mission to spread the practice of Transcendental Meditation with the blessing of his master, 'Guru Dev', who groomed and prepared him for the role? [Straw man.] A. Not a single shred of evidence has been produced to indicate that Guru Dev, Shankaracharya Swami Brahmanand Saraswati, wanted the clerk to teach meditation or pose as a guru. In fact Guru Dev held extremely orthodox views about society and caste. Allegedly, Mahesh was born into a caste of scribes (non-Brahmins) and was simply ineligible to be a swami, and therefore ineligible to become a guru too. Q. But if his master did not nominate Mahesh as his successor, why is a portrait of the deceased guru so often prominently displayed behind the Maharishi? A. It is likely that Mahesh appropriates the name and image of Guru Dev in order to give the impression that he teaches with his master's blessings. [There are other even more likely possibilities, of which Paul is not ignorant. One in particular is directly related to the previous answer.] Q. But surely the Maharishi represents an old tradition of spiritual masters? A. Mahesh's teachings are not traditional. Neither are Mahesh's teachings the same as those of his master. Mahesh is out on his own because he has started something of his own. [Semantic games here. MMY claims he has *revived* an old tradition whose techniques had been unavailable for centuries. He's an Advaitin like Guru Dev, and his metaphysical teaching is straight Shankaran Advaita Vedanta.] Q. But the meditation the Maharishi teaches, that is traditional isn't it? A. Originally, when he started teaching in India, in 1955, Mahesh was promoting a meditation technique based on traditional Hindu devotional meditation. But by 1959, after having travelled to the west, he certainly seems to have become renegade - freely adapting the teachings in order to gain wider acceptance from those outside of the Hindu community. [Sort of like St. Paul was a "renegade" who adapted Jesus' teachings to gain acceptance from non-Jews.] Q. It is claimed that the benefit of the Maharishi's teaching can be proved scientifically? Certainly, he holds a master's degree in physics doesn't he? A. It has not been established that Mahesh attended a university let alone whether he was awarded a degree, in any subject. [It apparently has been established that MMY attended university. "Master's degree" in physics is another straw man; I've never heard anything but that he has a degree in physics. Note that the first part of the question was completely ignored.] Q. But even if the Maharishi's teachings are not as old as they appear, even if he wasn't sent on a mission by his master, and even if he is not as educated as some might think, the meditation still works doesn't it? A. Some say the TM method is a good one, some say not. Q. In conclusion then, isn't it true to say that the Maharishi is nothing other than an opportunistic, self-promoting maverick, who wilfully misleads his supporters and anyone else who has the time, the inclination and the money to listen to him? [I've commented previously on the sudden switch here from the wide- eyed innocent type of question to the snarling, vengeful prosecutor type of question.] A. Some say the TM method is a good one, some say not.
