TM-Free Blog: Beatles

Showing posts with label Beatles. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Book Review: "The Secret of the Mantras" by Richard Blakely

I just finished reading "The Secret of the Mantras" by Richard Blakely, and I highly recommend it. This memoir of a baby boomer growing up in the U.S. and moving to France in time for the student uprisings of 1968 includes a 3-month TM Teacher Training course in Rishikesh, India with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Beatles.

What a fun read! What a witty sense of humor Blakely exhibits as he confesses his own foibles, as well as the foibles of TM life. Of particular interest to readers of TM-Free Blog may be the following revelations:

- In 1968, Mahesh gave new initiators three mantras, chosen by age. (Nowadays there are about 16 mantras, chosen by age.)

- In 1968, Mahesh taught initiators only the Sanskrit and the hand gestures for the exotic ceremony preceding TM instruction. (Nowadays, initiators must also memorize the English translation and the emotions one is attempting to experience during the rite.)

- In 1968, students meditated for hours non-stop on courses. Due to the emotional unraveling of some Westerners, Mahesh added yogic stretching. (Nowadays, short meditations are alternated with yoga stretches and breathing exercises.)

- In 1968, Mahesh taught that TMers shouldn't force themselves to change habits such as smoking, drinking and meat-eating if they found the change stressful. Mahesh said that with continued meditation, unhealthy habits would automatically fall away. (Nowadays, "advanced" TMers are encouraged to take up vegetarianism, celibacy, early bedtime, silent meals, etc. etc.)

This last point particularly catches my attention. I find Mahesh's level of hypocrisy? extent of unclarity on fundamental principles? unfathomable. Whatever could he have been thinking, either then or now? What kind of teacher is this?

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

David Lynch film on Maharishi and Transcendental Meditation

Monday, November 16, 2009

TM in the news : Transcendental Meditation as military defense - and Paul McCartney's son at Maharishi University

TM Movement publicity updates:

From The Seoul Times, November 17, 2009 (in Seoul it's our tomorrow) Taking "The Men Who Stare at Goats" Seriously. The newspaper article is written by a TM echelon photographed in his mandated tan business suit. He is associated with the TM site www.StrongMilitary.org. The article discusses TM's magical thinking of harnessing power of the mind to control outside forces, to the point of training military to use TM's mental prowess to achieve victory over one's enemy at will.

From Radio Iowa, November 13, 2009 Son of Paul McCartney to make US debut in Iowa. TM and Scientology market celebrity appeal. It has always been fun to have easy celebrity access amongst TM's minions, great networking opportunities!
Probably likewise with Scientology gatherings.

Enjoy!

Monday, April 27, 2009

More Info On McCartney's TM Academy

Received this recently in my email regarding the English Transcendental Meditation academy seeking funding from ex-Beatle Paul McCartney. (Edited for anonymity.)

As the article attached states it is situated in Ormskirk, Lancashire 15 miles away from Liverpool which happens to be where Paul McCartney was born and raised. The school happens to be part of the siddhaland situated in Skelmersedale, Lancashire which is next to Ormskirk. All the children from the siddhaland, known as the Ideal Village attend the Maharishi school in Ormskirk. It is rather like the set up in Fairfield - I heard there was a school there to.

"In this same siddhaland, some one became a drug addict and was immediately shunned by the Village. There were many broken marriages and Geoffrey Clements told his divorced wife (the 2nd and 3rd wife, I could never keep up) to leave the Village, and put all sorts of intimidating pressure on her to do so."