Here's an interesting thought to ponder. There is no question that the TM organization is highly hierarchical. There are "levels of importance," with Maharishi at the top of the pyramid, Rajas and the like below that, others things below the Rajas, then Governors, TM teachers, and finally the peons -- the regular run-of-the-mill TM practitioners.
My suggestion for something to ponder is what seems to happen to long-term peons over time. Has anyone else here noticed that several of the *non* TM teachers or governors here seem to be the ones who are most compelled to "cruise for attention" by either 1) talking about their 'good experiences' or 2) proving how well they were able to memorize What Maharishi (and their TM teachers) Said? Is it possible that what is motivating these folks is a sense of inferiority at being stuck at the bottom end of the power pyramid. They strut their stuff like third-graders in a classroom hoping for a little attention from the teachers. Think about it. Jim. Rory. Judy. None of them TM teachers, *all* of them engaging in a near-constant quest for "strokes" *from* TM teachers. Just look at the way that they *react* when an On The Program TM teacher praises them. They fall all over them- selves thanking their "betters" for the praise, and even adopting the "Aw shucks...you didn't have to call me a Bodhisattva" pose *expected* of someone at the bottom of the food chain when dealing with those higher up in that food chain. The problems with hierarchies in spiritual move- ments is that over time people get *used* to their position in that hierarchy. It starts to become their horizon and to limit what they believe they can accomplish in life. Spend enough time as a peon, and you begin to *think* like a peon, and that the best in life you can ever achieve is to get a few strokes from the "higher ups." Nice, I guess, if that's all you want out of life.
