Friday, January 04, 2013

Tingalingalingaling... Ringing Bells of Invincibility



In gold lettering, the white ribbon reads "A Woman's Place is in the Dome". The green ribbon reads "Maharishi Invincibility".

These bells were in a box with some old family items. These small bells probably came from the 1981 celebration to inaugurate the Bagambhrini Golden Dome. The bells were distributed for attendees to ring rather than clap. The sound of hand clapping was considered too crude. Attendees were told to ring these little bells, creating group tingalinging, in response to inspirational talks about group meditation, enlightenment, and Maharishi's world plan.

Such bells were also used in group meditation by an assigned "timer" or "bell ringer" to announce time to change from the mental practice of TM (...aingnamah... aingnamah... aingnamah... aingnamah..), to next think the TM-Sidhi Program (...friendliness.. compassion... happiness.. strength of an elephant...), tingaling to switch to deemed-flying (...relationship of body and akasha, pause, lightness of cotton fiber... repeat...), tingaling again to lie down and rest while listening to an oral reading about soma flowing through and around Hindu gods, from a translation of the Rig Veda's 9th mandala.

TM devotees still practice the TM-Sidhi program for hours twice daily in gender segregated domes. The better constructed men's dome was built first and is near to  the women's dome. Dome participants believe they influence global events through their TM-Sidhi program.

One friend, also raised in the TM Movement, responded when I texted him this bell image, "Ugh!! Such victimized sweet people. It really makes me sick to think about Maharishi and how callously he used people."

tingalingalingalingaling   You may excuse yourself now in silence.

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