My conclusions (read "MY" as in Mine... not any one else's) I have spent decades dealing internally with the good and "not so good" aspects of the TMO amd MMY. After reading numerous posts over the last several months and numerous anti-TM sites.... and the back and forth on this forum.... this famous teaching comes to mind (More comments after the "story")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Men_and_an_Elephant A Buddhist version is told in Jainism and Buddhism. Udana 68-69: Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant. Buddha tells the story of a raja who had six blind men gathered together to examine the elephant. "When the blind men had felt the elephant, the raja went to each of them and said to each, 'Well, blind man, have you seen the elephant? Tell me, what sort of thing is an elephant?'[2] They assert the elephant is like a pot (head), winnowing basket (ear), ploughshare (tusk), plough (trunk), grainery (body), pillar (foot), mortar (back), pestle (tail), or brush (tip of the tail). The men come to blows, which delights the raja. The raja says: O how they cling and wrangle, some who claim For preacher and monk the honored name! For, quarreling, each to his view they cling. Such folk see only one side of a thing.[2] Back to my comments.... How can there be so many different views of TM... because they are all true, but not complete... even Paul Mason's ;-). There is something to TM and the Initiation that is special. For some of us, it has opened the doors to a more spiritual existence. It's helped a lot of us... but because of over-hyping of possible results, it has made us feel cheated. I really did think I would be enlightened by now.... The big flaw in Paul's arguments about Maharishi never receiving approval to teach TM or anything else... Sorry, neither did Jesus or most great teachers. Is MMY flawed. Is the TMO flawed. Yes, big time. MMY has a HUGE EGO, that is why everything is named after him.... but only a huge EGO could have built the TMO... unfortunately, he sold us on his perfection, and he has not been perfect... Flawed like a lot of great Gurus. That is their own Path. He has helped us, but I believe that many of us were willing Sheep.... It is so much easier to follow than think for oneself. A friend always says..."if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it must be a duck...." And so the TM Movement is a Cult, and many of us will not admit that we belong(ed) to a cult... and that a cult conned us in so many ways ( I am just glad I stopped giving them money decades ago). I am grateful for the Spiritual doors opened to me by TM, whatever the source of the Teaching, and despite MMY's great flaws. A good movie, for those resisting being a follower is "Circle of Iron"... it's interesting how many think this movie is horrid, as it is my favorite of all time.... being both a seeker and renegade at the same time..... Art
