--- In [email protected], bob_brigante <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > http://www.maharishiphotos.com/mem2a.html >
Thanks for posting this Bob. There is a contradictions in his account from MMY's own account. Since he was so close to MMY it is interesting that he would tell a different story. I am beginning to wonder if it is MMY who told different versions to different people. But for his official version that is played repeatedly on his courses, we are all familiar with that one so my pointing out the difference certainly wont bring a flurry of resistance, it will just be an obvious fact that we can work out together... C: A few years before he became Shankaracharya, the old sage made one of his rare ventures out of the wilderness. It was at this time that Maharishi saw him in a procession and the experience was something like spiritual love at first sight. Maharishi, a twenty-year-old student, felt an overwhelming desire to be near and serve the great master. Me: In his taped account he came to see Guru Dev in a house at night for the first time and caught a "flashy glimpse" when a car headlight illuminated his face. There was no procession. C: He sought out the Guru Dev who told him to first finish his education and then come. Two years later, having earned his degree, Maharishi headed for the monastery of Jyotir Math in the Himalayan religious center of Badrinath, there to devote his life to the Guru Dev, "to serve at the feet of my master." And this he did for thirteen years until the swami passed on. Over the years, Maharishi would be asked hundreds of times to talk about his past. Reporters were especially curious. But his answer was always the same: "Once you take the vows of the monk, past life is forgotten." He told me long ago that when you become a bramachari, or monk, you no longer relate to your family or to any of your background. Me: So is his obvious connection with his family in the indian movement a departure from his vows? He set them up with sweet jobs, that is definitely relating to them, in fact showing them favoritism. If in fact they are actually getting big bank accounts from the movement's finances, this would also seem to contradict this vow business. So either Charlie is misquoting him or he is not following his own standards. C: From time to time, over the ages, this special technique is brought back into focus. The Guru Dev chose Maharishi to do it now. Where the Guru Dev acquired the knowledge isn't known; whether it was given to him by his own guru many, many years ago, or whether it came to him from his attunement with the Infinite. The Guru Dev was a master of masters, a master of all paths. His comprehension was universal. What Maharishi had inherited was the quintessence of Transcendental Meditation. It was like a magnificent raw diamond requiring the skill of an expert cutter and polisher. Maharishi now had to structure the knowledge and make it workable. What was the best way to teach it? What were the modes of practicing it? How could it be made appealing to the masses? None of the other monks or holy men could help him. He alone had received the knowledge from the Guru Dev. (snip) Me: Here Charlie seems to be trying to share credit for TM between MMY and Guru Dev. Since the simple japa style meditation is so common in India I don't really get this claim. (I know the magic effortless nature of the practice story) The mantras are not meaningless sounds to Indians so for them this aspect of how it is presented in the West is absent. So it seems a bit dubious that TM is so unique. Having spent a short amount of time after getting out of TM practicing some other versions I am not so sure this claim of uniqueness is valid. I know many others here have much more experience with different forms of meditation so I will leave this topic to the experts. C: He had traveled more than 1,500 miles, most of that distance on foot. Me: Puleeeeeeze! Monks get free rides on Indian trains. MMY super hiker! Guru Dev super camper! How did such outdoor types end up with the pasty faced crew that are their most devoted followers?
