While I am not arguing, and certainly I have no fix on the definitive word on anything, I view it (at times) from a different angle than you. You present a sort of Horatio Alger spiritual unfoldment bio and "can do" gumption and earnestness. I can relate. My first 12 years of TM, 17-29 or so, seemed like that at the time. Looking back at that, or any aspect of my life, the question that arises is "could I have done anything different". As posted previously, I think free will is a bit of a mirage. It sure seems real, but when you look deeper at it, live deeper aspects o fit, there is no "there there", it would seem.
Or much less there than we presume. What else could I have done? Its like an equation A + B = C. A = my internal state, vision, POV, yearning for something undefined but tangible. B = Broad and deep spiritual awakening in America and the world in mid to late 60s spilling over into the 70's. (Broad and deep relative to where the culture was at that time.) Lots of teacher and books emerging. Nothing like today, but lots of new stuff, relative to that time and what preceded it. C = a 12 year (turn of Jupiter) deep dive into TM, MMY, teaching, globe trotting. A + B = C. C was the only possible (or at least one of a few) result. Sure, on the surface, it LOOKED like there were a billion degrees of freedom. Looking deeper, I think there were very few degrees of freedom, very little free will to not jump in tenaciously with everything I had. I simple followed the path of least resistance. The ball of my life could only roll in one direction. There was no free will in that, just as the ball has no free will to roll down and alternative course. My sense is, that while it may appear to you that you sucked it up, made a huge decision to follow this path, gritted your teeth and perceivered across a trail of great hardship and challenge, Indiana Jones style, from another angle, you did nothing but follow the path of least resistance. You simple did what you HAD to do, There was no alternative. Does telling others the Horatio Alger version benefit others. Yes, I think it does. It opens up options in peoples minds, trains their intellect a bit, and fills in some pieces that make up the terrain by which their ball rolls down the hill, EFFORTLESSLY, on the path of least resistance. While the Horatio Alger story has value, it is also a myth. (Myths have value, IMO, even if not literally true.) A Maharishi Jyotishee (of all people -- one who I would have expected to at least parrot the outer house / party line) indicated some things that would unfold in my lifetime (several jyotishees, at different readings said the same). However, the latter one, I politely but firmly challenged. Among my points of challenge was "So even if i totally abandon my practice, this will unfold?". He was adament that my karma was clear from my chart and nothing I could do could stop it -- even if I abandoned all spiritual practices and pursuits. While I don't live my life by jyotish, nor necessarily grant this guy a huge assessment of credibility just because he was a MMY Jyotishee, I do find that this is reflective of the inner message of some if not much of MMY's teaching. "Take it easy, take it as it comes" if REALLY lived, can have as much power in ones life as TM itself, IMO. While in outer forums MMY may have stoked the fires of Horatioism within the weary masses of seekers, I found, when he was more informal, not lecturing and inspiring masses, his approach was along the lines of "Take it easy, take it as it comes./ Do nothing, accomplish everything/ Let go / Act naturally, according to your nature." I have found in my own life, that letting go, not being tied to certain envisioned outcomes, taking it as it comes, being easy with it all, doing nothing (in the sense of NOT bucking it up, gritting ones teeth, pounding the table, and vowing to achieve a particular envisoned goal or requiring a particular outcome) have all been a fuel of nectar for me. Thus, I periodically rib you a bit about the irony of intensely desiring (which is my take of your view and advice) the desireless state. I can and do see it both ways. But the intense desire, relentless, tenacious thing, while that may be what it appears to be on the outside, on the inside, for me, on the inside, its all "take it easy, let the ball roll where it will, down the path of least resistance, don't resist, take it as it comes". So I am puzzled if you really mean "tenatious" (and relentless) as a reflection of your inner experience. At least looking back on it. Could you have done anything different? . --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "whynotnow7" <whynotnow7@...> wrote: > > If a person holds their goal of spiritual liberation tenaciously, nothing can > stop them. Absolutely nothing. On the other hand, if at the first serious > challenge to the ego, the person derails themselves spiritually, their desire > was weak anyway. On thing I clearly received from Maharishi's teaching was to > be self sufficient in our desire for liberation, dependent on nothing, > particularly outside support. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@> wrote: > > > > "But if thou declinest to undertake this righteous combat, then, having > > relinquished thine own dharma and glory, thou wilt reap sin." > > > > Yep, I pray for these guys; particularly the ones who work so hard at > > de-railing folks from the spiritual road. > > > > -Buck in FF > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "whynotnow7" <whynotnow7@> wrote: > > > > > > Sure. There are many ways to do this. Energetic healing is one way to > > > take on someone else's, or a group's, karma. Another way is to engage > > > others as an aspect of oneself, diving deep into their thought process, > > > even mirroring it at times, to gain insight into them. Trippy stuff and > > > very revealing. I don't know that I can explain it better than that. It > > > is a natural result of the internal infinite meeting the external > > > infinite. I realize this still sounds abstract, though it is a definite > > > and concrete experience. > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "seventhray1" <steve.sundur@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "whynotnow7" <whynotnow7@> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Maharishi's general advice aside, there is nothing wrong or scary > > > > about taking on the karma of someone else. Its actually quite an amazing > > > > experience, and a great indicator of attachment to our ideas. > > > > > > > > > > > > Would you care to elaborate on this? Give an example of what you mean? > > > > > > > > > >