Comment below: **
--- In [email protected], "curtisdeltablues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I find it fascinating that MMY's PR uses the implication that Guru Dev > had a magical source for money: > > "One unique principle of the great Sage that distinguishes him > completely from other living saints of today is that he does not > accept money as gift from his visitors or disciples." > > Who else thinks that he actually had a silent funder and used this > deception as a way to make his reputation more inflated. I would love > to see someone in this day of money trails try this claim! Or maybe > he was using the equivalent of an accounting trick. Donations were > not given to him but to a shell organization that he controlled? The > use of this claim alone makes Guru Dev much less sympathetic in my > mind. It is a physical claim without physical proof. An assertion of > a miracle without any evidence. He is now on the level of the dude > hanging by wires in Africa, bamboozling the rubes with tales of wonder > and magic. Maybe he was the one bamboozled by MMY's runaway PR > machine? The whole piece was such a work of the Carnival Barker's > art! Even though Guru Dev's magical powers are alluded to, there is > no chance for a demo. Only those predisposed to belief > unsubstantiated claims are really being invited. > > It is interesting that MMY felt compelled to elevate his own teacher > above other saints: > > "One unique principle of the great Sage that distinguishes him > completely from other living saints of today is that he does not > accept money as gift from his visitors or disciples." > > A common theme for the rest of his Don King style life: he has the > best, biggest, most wonderful, truest, purest, la di F'n da! > > Now isn't that speeeeeaaaaaciaaaaaal. Not! > > **snip to end** Curtis, excellent two posts (this one and the earlier one on the levitating shaman), and like you, I see them as related. And first off, I have to say that when I watched the video of the shaman doing his stuff I noted (as did Rick) that he waited till the beginning of nightfall before starting the ritual, that he had that fire ring (which, besides looking impressive and magical, would also interfere with good night vision and help hide wires or dark, non- reflective props), and that he seemed to be swinging or dangling rather than floating. Nevertheless, I found myself wanting to believe it. And I've always liked the Guru Dev self-sufficiency thing and story of the magical box given him by Ma Ganga (or some other form of Mother Divine) that allowed him to produce any amount of money as and when needed. I've asked Paul Mason in the past whether or not he had ever heard about what inheritance Guru Dev may have been a beneficiary of (since he has spoken with members of Guru Dev's family). Paul told me no. I asked because the bios all say that Rajaram was the only son (or only child) of his parents and that they were well off, affluent landholders and landlords. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so to speak, which makes his renunciation all that more impressive as well as an echo of Buddha's own abandonment of his princely life. It doesn't seem unlikely to me that he had access to a substantial amount of liquid assets inherited from his parents. He had earlier, before his ascension to the throne of Jyotirmath, already established an ashram and Sanskrit school in memory of his own guru, Swamiji Krishnanand, and that definitely required some cash assets, too. Bottom line is that I love the feeling of him having supernormal powers but it's not necessary for me to believe in them because there seems to be an alternative explanation that is neither unreasonable nor requires the supernormal to explain his financial self- sufficiency. More importantly to me, however, is the fact that regardless of how he was able to generate so much cash, by all the accounts I have ever read or heard of, he did live a life of simple austerity and purity of purpose from which he never deviated. He talked the talk and walked the walk. Marek
