--- In [email protected], Michael Dean Goodman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Janet Luise <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I remember someone telling about that visit when Muktananda & Co were > > at Seelisberg probably Chotti (Charlotte Uhlenbusch Roeder but maybe > > some other German lady) > > that there were lots of similarities between groups > > Western followers both groups consuming huge amounts of sweets etc > > That MMY made lots of points with Muktanadas followers by having MUk > > sit HIGHER than MMY because he was a Brahmin. > > Muktanada's followers were chanting the Guru Gita & at some point > > Muktananda himself left while they continued chanting. > > > > MMY commented (& I don't know if this was while the other group was > > there or afterward) that did people notice the quality of their > > chanting was different when Muktananda was present? That Muktananda > > was taking their karma as they chanted .... > > so that sounds like the Aussie story. > > > > I actually wonder how they happened to BE in Seelisberg. Thanks for > > the story! > > > >> Rick Archer wrote: > > >> I spent the summer of '76 in New Jersey with John Gray, Billy Clayton, > >> and two other guys. Maharishi sent us there to "inspire the local > >> teachers" during the NJ court case. John and Billy visited Muktananda > >> a lot that summer and invited him to visit MMY in Seelisberg. Reportedly, > >> MMY was pissed that they did that on his behalf without consulting him, > >> but when Muktananda and his entourage showed up, MMY made the best of it. > > > >> After Muktananda left, MMY met with the folks in Seelisberg and reportedly > >> asked them some questions that implied he was concerned that their devo- > >> tion to him might have been swayed by their exposure to another saint. I > >> wasn't there and can't relate anything more extensive than that, although > >> I later saw a videotape of MMY's meeting with Muktananda. > > > Dear Fairfield Lifers, > > I was there at this famous meeting in 1976 between Maharishi and Swami > Muktananda. Parts of the information in the 2 e-mails above seems in- > accurate; here's what I remember: > > Swami Muktananda was traveling on tour throughout Europe with a large > entourage of his followers. A meeting was arranged with Maharishi in > the big meeting room in Seelisberg where Maharishi held evening know- > ledge meetings for the international staff - in the beautiful gold > meeting hall that you see in many videos. > > Muktananda and his entourage were the guests of honor that evening, > and the meeting was, in essence, turned over to them as I remember. > Maharishi was seated on the stage on the central couch, as usual. > Swami Muktananda was seated on another couch to Maharishi's right > (a place of great honor - the teacher often is on the right when > he sits with a student, as in a TM initiation). Neither was higher > or lower than the other. (Muktananda seemed quite happy with the > seating arrangement, and didn't express verbally or physically any > desire to change it - till the end - but we're getting ahead of > the story!) > > The audience was the entire international staff, 108's, faculty, > VIPs, etc. - plus the participants on my course (a year-long, ex- > perimental course where Maharishi was giving us a lot of personal > attention). He specifically invited our course to this special > meeting - sent a bus all the way around Lake Lucerne and had us > travel over an hour to get there, which messed up our routine and > only happened on very special occasions (celebrations, special an- > nouncements, guests, etc.). So Maharishi knew that something spe- > cial was up - Swami Muktananda did not arrive as any kind of sur- > prise. > > That evening, to begin the meeting, Maharishi said some brief, but > very uplifting and honoring remarks about Swami Muktananda. Maha- > rishi then asked Swami Muktananda to speak, which he did, through > his interpreter (a young woman), and during that talk he spoke > highly of Maharishi. He also spoke quite forcefully about the ig- > norance and superficiality of Western science when compared with > deep, vedic knowledge. > > After he spoke, Swami Muktananda and his followers chanted the Guru > Gita (which is a part of the Skanda Purana, and contains some sig- > nificant components of the TM puja ceremony). > > During all of this, all throughout his talking or chanting, Swami > Muktananda did what he does with his students - had them come sit > right near him for a minute or two, and then sent them back to > their seat in the audience and replaced them with another of his > students, apparently giving them powerful darshan. > > Basically, Maharishi turned over the program for the evening to > Swami Muktananda, and sat quietly, often with eyes closed, after > his own opening words. He didn't interact on the surface (make > remarks, do commentary, exchange looks, etc.). He seemed very > deep within. > > To me, and a number of my friends on my course, it seemed like a > kind of friendly, cosmic "contest" was developing: which of these > two powerful saints was going to "make the other move". It was > obvious, almost palpable, that there was a great flow of love, > respect, and especially cosmic power, between these two. > > And the contrast was very clear - Swami Muktananda manifesting > his power through activity (forceful speech, moving his disciples > about, group chanting, animated gestures) and Maharishi manifest- > ing his power through silence and non-movement. Almost like the > polarity of Goddess Shakti and Lord Shiva, the two great polar > opposite fields of life. > > The polarity of this silence and activity was intense. Obviously, > something had to give. And, at a certain moment late in the even- > ing, right in the middle of saying something to or about Maharishi, > Swami Muktananda abruptly stopped talking, quickly got up, sat down > right next to Maharishi on his couch, and hugged him in a big bear- > hug. Everyone, the followers of both Masters, were shocked and > amazed, and the room became VERY agitated! Suddenly, people were > up out of their seats, moving about, taking pictures of the two > Masters, talking, etc. The silence, the chanting, etc. were obvi- > ously over. To the best of my knowledge, no guest had ever sat down > next to Maharishi on his couch, nor snuggled up against him, nor > wrapped him in a hug! > > Maharishi didn't seem upset, and didn't look any more uncomfortable > than you'd be if you'd been deep in silence and somebody bounced > down onto the couch next to you and grabbed you. Maharishi didn't > appear to try and pull away or get up. The two of them exchanged a > few private words in the midst of this chaos, then both arose and > exited the meeting hall together, leaving the room in turmoil. > > Some of Muktananda's followers, in their enthusiasm, and stirred up > by the excited energy of what had just happened, not aware of the > normal etiquette, rushed for the door to follow their Master, liter- > ally climbing over chairs. The men from my course waited a few min- > utes for the chaos to settle down and the exits to clear, and then > we eventually got back on our bus and rode an hour back to our quiet > hotel on the other side of the lake where we spent our days deep in > meditation. > > The consensus among us was that we'd just seem something cosmic and > powerful. Some incredible tension (not of a negative nature) had > been generated, and eventually burst into that final action by Swami > Muktananda. > > When Maharishi came to visit with us the next day on our course, we > asked him about what we'd seen. We said that it had looked like > the meeting of an immovable object with an irresistible force, or > something like that. Maharishi confirmed that. He said that it > was a matter of which one of them was going to move to the other, > and that we had seen activity magnetized to pounce on silence. > > He implied that silence was always the most irresistible, and with > a twinkle in his eye he said that Swami Muktananda had ultimately > succumbed to that irresistibility. There was the implication that > something deep, something invincible, had been revealed to us in > that exchange between these two great souls, something about the > power of silent Being, and that's what he had invited us there to > witness. > > Never having seen Maharishi touched, especially so enthusiastical- > ly and explosively, we asked him something naive like "Wasn't it > strange to have someone touching you like that - how do you main- > tain your purity?" [In retrospect our question was kind of silly, > and reflective of our own spiritual misunderstanding, since Maha- > rishi was not reclusive or disconnected from the world - quite the > opposite, he was so dynamically involved in the world of activity > in those days - much more than most of us ever will be.] Maharishi > replied: "I just stayed on my Self", which seemed to answer more > than we had asked. > > Namaste, > > Michael > > Michael Dean Goodman, Ph.D. > The PremYoga Center, Co-Director > PARA - The Center for Realization, Director > The Relationship Institute, Director > International Governor, World Government of the Age of Enlightenment > Boca Raton (Palm Beach County) Florida > 561-350-3930 * [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Dedicated to removing the constrictions to the full flow of life - > whether they be physical, mental/emotional, or spiritual - and to > the unfoldment of peace, freedom, awareness, love, and ecstasy > > Spiritual guide (ashtanga yoga/meditation, tantra, vedanta, ayur veda) > Counselor * Life Coach * Speaker/Educator * Author > Private Sessions * Classes * Workshops & Retreats * Satsangs (Self- inquiry) > Clients and programs throughout the United States, Europe, and India > Working in person or by phone > Free initial consultation to discuss your needs and goals
Dear Michael I've heard and read this store many times before, the Muktanandagroup also published a pamphlet about this meeting, and the story has been told me from people who also was present. But the details, depth and respect in what you just wrote surpasses anything I have heard before. Thank you very much for sharing this with us !
