Another Deception By Maharishi Uncovered?

Another Deception by Maharishi Uncovered? 

"Puja Feeling" as related to the "Purity of the Teaching"

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that this information has been published anywhere on the internet. 


I attended my TM Teacher Training Course (TTC) in 1974.  The course was three months long, and it was a big day for us when we finally started learning the puja (the Hindu ritual of worship that is done by the TM teacher before teaching someone TM.)   Once we started learning the puja, we were getting the real stuff, the esoteric stuff, the secrets that separated us and raised us higher than the average TMer.  So we were told by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.  

Mahesh was very strict about us being able to perform the puja properly.  We were tested on it, and to pass the test, we had to memorize everything perfectly.  Mahesh used two phrases a lot: "The Holy Tradition," and "the purity of the Teaching."  

We had already been taught to tell our students that the puja was simply "a traditional ceremony of gratitude," non-religious in nature.  But now we were getting the inside scoop.  According to Mahesh, TM had been practiced in India in the distant past, much to the benefit of Indian individuals and Indian society.  But due to incremental small misinterpretations of the procedure, over time the technique had become lost, and India had therefore become a poor and apathetic nation.  Therefore, now that the correct technique had been rediscovered, it was imperative that TM be taught meticulously, so that the "purity of the teaching" be maintained for as long as possible into the future.  

According to Mahesh, teaching someone TM was not a simple matter of giving them their own particular mantra and teaching them how to use it the TM way.  Rather, instruction required careful preparation by the TM teacher in order to ensure the "purity of the Teaching" as handed down by the Holy Tradition of Masters, and to not dilute the purity of this precious life-giving technique.  Unbeknownst to the student, the TM teacher needs to enter an exalted state of consciousness in order to transmit a subtle spiritual essence that allows the technique to work.  The way to enter that higher state of consciousness was to do the puja as taught on TTC.
 
Mahesh taught us that he was the anointed custodian of TM.  And that he was the ultimate arbiter of the Truth.  TM went back for millenia.  Mahesh passed TM along in its purity by making sure we performed the traditional rite before teaching it.  The puja, exactly as he taught it, was the only means by which the purity of the teaching could remained intact.  Every syllable had to be performed perfectly.  If you didn't do it exactly as Mahesh taught it, your student couldn't learn TM.  If you didn't do it right, your student couldn't do TM properly.  If you didn't do it right, you were compromising the purity of the teaching.  If you didn't do it right, you were putting the future of TM at risk.  If you didn't do it right, you were putting the future of the earth at risk.      

Therefore on our TTC in 1974, we labored to memorize the component parts of this venerable ancient puja.  We had to have all components down letter-perfect in order to pass the final exam to become a TM teacher.

Fast forward 35 years.  A few years ago, Sudarsha (a fellow co-contributor to TM-Free,) was telling me about his 1970 TTC.  On his course, there were 3 (three) components to Mahesh's  puja.  


But on my 1974 TTC, there were 4 (four) components.

Oh.

So much for Mahesh's life-shaking claims.
  
To me, this is just one more deception in the long list of lies Mahesh told us.  To me, it is just one more disappointing piece of evidence of Mahesh's frequent modus operandi: be dishonest when it suits your purpose. 

Here are the three components Sudarsha learned:

(1)  "Puja Movements:"  how to hold the flowers, how to place the offerings on the altar before the painting of Maharishi's guru, etc.,
(2)  "Puja Pronunciation:" how to pronounce the Sanskrit properly.  (The entire 11-minute ritual is in Sanskrit), and
(3)  "Puja Translation:" what the puja means in English.

The fourth component, the additional one my TTC learned, was called "Puja Feeling."  This was the emotions the initiator was encouraged to feel while performing certain portions of the puja.

To the best of my knowledge, the complete "Puja Feeling" has never before appeared on the internet anywhere.  I haven't found it on any of the other websites skeptical of T.M. (You can find those websites listed on the right hand column on this page). 

So for your edification, I will quote the relevant Sanskrit puja passages.  After that, their English translation.  And then, the "Puja Feeling." 

My great thanks go to minet.org and to trancenet.org at the link  www.onwww.net/trancenet.org/secrets/puja/tradt.shtml for providing the Sanskrit and English portions.  I take responsibility for changes in punctuation that I have made for increased clarity. 

Sanskrit:

"...AVAHANAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 

ASANAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
SNANAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
VASTRAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
CHANDANAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
AKSHATAN SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
PUSHPAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
DHUPAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
DIPAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
ACHAMANIYAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
NAIVEDYAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
ACHAMANIYAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
TAMBULAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
SHRI PHALAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 

ARARTIKYAM.... 

 ...ARARTIKYAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
ACHAMANIYAM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH. 
PUSHPANJALIM.... 

 ...PUSHPANJALIM SAMARPAYAMI SHRI GURU CHARANA KAMALEBHYO NAMAH." 

 English Translation:

"...Offering the invocation to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering a seat to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering an ablution to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering cloth to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering sandalpaste to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering full rice to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering a flower to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering incense to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering light to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering water to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering fruit to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering water to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering a betel leaf to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering a coconut to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering camphor light....
...Offering camphor light to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering water to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down.
Offering a handful of flowers....
...Offering a handful of flowers to the lotus feet of SHRI GURU DEV, I bow down."

"Puja Feeling," (1974, with 1974 explanatory notes):

 -- Upon saying the line that starts with "Avahanam," and while placing that offering 

(or its symbolic equivalent, raw rice grains) upon the altar, feel the following: 

"I feel the upsurge of purifying waves of knowledge."

Explanation:  This offering of the invocation to the great Masters of the Holy 

Tradition brings a lively awareness of eternal wisdom. 

-- Upon saying the line that starts with "Asanam," and while placing that offering 

(or its symbolic equivalent) upon the altar, feel the following:

"I am realizing the ideal of yogastah kuru karmani." [Note from Laurie:  Maharishi 

told us that"yogastah kuru karmani" translated as "Established in Being, perform 

action."] 

Explanation:  This offering symbolizes the immovable seat of life in Being.  In 

offering this seat we feel stablized in the immovability of Being.  Offerings on 

this firm basis are actions to fulfil cosmic purpose.

-- Upon saying the line that..."Snanam,"...

"I feel the joy of standing in the cosmic waters of pure consciousness."

Explanation:  This offering of an ablution symbolises the refreshing omnipresence of

Pure Consciousness.

-- Upon saying the line that..."Vastram,"...

"I am secure in the Omnipresence of Being."

Explanation:  This offering of cloth symbolizes the garment of all-pervading Being.

-- Upon saying..."Chandanam,"...

"I am refreshed by the tranquility of the Transcendent."

Explanation:  This offering of sandalpaste spreads some pleasant cooling influence 

in the atmosphere.

-- Upon..."Akshatan"...

"I feel the wholeness of individual awareness."

Explanation:  This offering of full rice symbolizes the fullness of eternal life.

-- Upon..."Pushpam"...

"I feel the blossoming of inner Being."

Explanation:  This offering of a flower symbolizes the full bloom of life.

-- Upon..."Dupam"...

"I feel a pleasant wave of inner and outer purity."

Explanation:  This offering of incense symbolizes the sweet fragrance of purity.

-- Upon..."Dipam"...

"I feel the light of life, Pure Consciousness, illuminating everything."

Explanation:  This offering of light brings the light of wisdom to dispel all 

ignorance.

--Upon..."Achmaniyam,"... (before "Naivedyam")

"I feel the support of the waves of bliss."

Explanation:  This offering of water softens the atmosphere.

-- Upon...."Naivedyam"...

"I feel fulfilled in the plentiful life."

Explanation:  This offering of fruit symbolizes the state of fulfillment.

-- Upon..."Achmaniyam"... (said after "Naivedyam")

"I feel the flow of fulfillment in the omnipresence of Being."

Explanation:  This offering of water brings the flow of life in fulfillment.

-- Upon..."Tambulam"...

"I feel everywhere the cleansing and purifying influence at the source of speech."

Explanation:  This offering of a betel leaf brings freshness, purifying the abode 

of speech.

-- Upon..."Shri phalam"...

"I feel the fullness of life welling up."

Explanation:  This offering of the complete fruit [the coconut - Laurie] represents

the fullness of life, unmanifested and manifest.  The entire field of manifest life 

(gross, subtle and subtlest) is represented respectively by the husk or outer

covering, the kernel or meat of the fruit, and the milk or inner essence.  The 

transcendental value of life is symbolized by the self-contained unmanifest space 

within.

-- "Arartikyam."

(Offering a camphor frame)

-- Upon..."Achmaniyam"... (after "Arartikyam")

"I feel the flow of fulfillment in the light of Being."

-- "Pushpanjalim."  (first)

(Offering a handful of flowers)

Explanation:  This offering of a handful of flowers is the offering of the full 

bloom of life which has arisen from the offering of light.

-- Upon..."Pushpanjalim"...  (second)

"I feel oneness with the Omnipresent."

Explanation:  This offering of a handful of flowers symbolizes the surrender of the 

fully blossomed heart and mind in all the glories of the Relative and the Absolute. 

 I hope this newly available information is helpful.  Individuals and websites are welcome to 

use this information, with proper attribution. 

TM Super-Radiance to direct Politics (!)

This post does not endorse, nor criticize any politician nor government policies.
This post highlights the TM Movement's emphasis on group Program to address public issues.
The following images are not copyrighted, so TMFree can display them in full.


Anyone from the TM Movement (past or present) can vouch for community pressure to attend group Program ~ 4-8 hours of gender-segregated daily ritual in an enclosed space lined with white padded foam, preferably inside designated large wooden gold-roofed domes.

Program consists of a few minutes of yoga, followed by hyperventilating breathing exercises, meditation and other mental techniques for mystical powers such as invincibility, strength, friendliness, compassion and levitation.

Program promises a path to enlightenment with an elite spiritual group. Program will supposedly save the world, create peace, ideal weather, economic stability, happiness and even guide elections to maximize "the support of nature."

On the above poster, "Ideal Community Group" thanks Dome Program participants for their work to sway the election. "The Ideal Community Group", founded by TM leaders Bevan Morris and John Hagelin, "is dedicated to inspiring Transcendental Meditation practitioners and Yogic Flyers to visit the town and its neighbor, Maharishi Vedic City - and to join the Invincible America Assembly."

The "Thank you message" above credits Program for America's recent smooth re-election of President Barack Obama. If group meditations do carry a national and global influence, one wonders why Hurricane / Storm Sandy occurred despite the regular practice of Program. Program failed to prevent Sandy's devastation to America's eastern seaboard and the Caribbean.  (Oops! My bad for seeking logic in non-logic.)


Fairfield's TM Community has been overwhelming pro-Obama since  Obama campaigned in Fairfield for the 2007 caucus, speaking publicly with his podium facing the cult-valued Eastern direction, his meeting with TM-mayor, Ed Malloy, and interview on Dennis Raimondi's radio show, "Speaking Freely with Dennis". Dennis' interview with Senator Obama can be watched on video link here. (By the way, Hilary Clinton refused to campaign in the guru-dictated fray of Jefferson County Iowa).

Before the recent election, the TM Movement flattered their devout's spiritual power by encouraging group Program before the national election. The poster below uses cult loaded language "to create coherence in the national consciousness", with a meditator flanked by the American flag and the flag for Maharishi's Global Country of World Peace, even promising attendance prizes. The lure of prizes confirms my knowledge that TM's faithful are straying. There is diminishing interest in Dome participation. Perhaps desperation has led to new methods, flattery rather than guilty obligation to encourage Program attendance?

Mantras and other secrets of Transcendental Meditation

Recently, a non-TM friend asked me, "In the TM movement, what was secret, aside from the mantras?" That question really got me thinking. I have come to the conclusion that there were at least six types of secrets in the TM movement: (1) things that were secret to the lower levels, but were revealed to upper levels, (2) things that were not secret in the earlier days of the TM movement, but later were made officially secret, (3) things we were explicitly told to keep secret, and to tell the public that these things were secret, (4) things we weren't explicitly told to keep secret, but we picked up the cues that we should keep them secret, and (5) things that we were explicitly told to lie about to the public in order to keep them secret, (6) things that Mahesh kept secret from all of us (or you may term that "lied to us about") that we only found out through the internet, etc.

Type (1) might be the religious/Hindu/Vedic side of the movement. Or the fact that Maharishi instituted celibacy for some factions of the movement.

Type (2) might be the fact that the mantras were sounds to attract the favor of Hindu gods. Another example is that "God Consciousness" was later re-termed "Glorified Cosmic Consciousness." Also, originally it was strictly forbidden for non-"flyers" to see "yogic flying." Later the public was invited to watch.

Type (3) might be the mantras, how they were were chosen, and how to do TM, the TM-Sidhis, and other TM programs.

Type (4) might be to not translate the puja if someone asked us. Or to not tell anyone that learning how to choose the mantras took 5 minutes.

Type (5). I remember Maharishi telling us to "tell the audience at the introductory lecture that the puja is a 3-minute ceremony." Someone asked Maharishi in dismay, "It takes me 10 minutes! Am I doing something wrong?" Maharishi replied, "It will feel like 3 minutes to the student." Or Maharishi's explicit instruction to "tell the students that the puja is a non-religious ceremony, just for the purpose of giving gratitude to the tradition of masters." However, on my TM Teacher Training Course, Maharishi told us that the real purpose of the puja was to temporarily lift the TM teacher into a higher state of consciousness, and sped his/her growth towards enlightenment.

Type (6) might be the fact that Maharishi's "timeless wisdom, the purity of the teaching" consisted of him teaching different mantras and different criterion for choosing mantras on different TM Teacher Training courses. Or that Maharishi was not Guru Dev's favored disciple, but rather his clerk. Or that TM research is biased, that some people have harmful results from doing TM, and that other techniques have proven as good as TM.

Please, add your memories of TM secrets to this list!

When did you first realize that the Transcendental Meditation organization and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi were fraudulent?

Two of our readers have recently written in the "Comments" section of TMFree Blog that they are interested in the above question, and also in these related questions:

Was it a gradual realisation or a specific event? After this, how much longer did you remain in the TMO and/or how much longer did you carry on with TM techniques?

So I thought I'd write up their questions as a separate post. Would anyone like to share their experiences?

By the way, this topic was covered in an old post, about one-and-a-half years ago. But I can't remember which one....! I hope interested readers can find it through our "Blog Archives Labels" section on the home page of TMFree, on the far right column, near the bottom.

By the way, if you have an idea for a post, just let us know in the "comments" section, and we will do our best to post it.

Critiquing Transcendental Meditation's "scientific research"

Question: How valid is TM's scientific research?
Answer: Not very.

A Brief Overview of TM Research:
According to the Transcendental Meditation organization (TMO), "...More than 600 scientific studies have been conducted at more than 250 universities and research institutes in 33 countries. These studies have been published in over 100 leading scientific journals worldwide, and they objectively document the profound physiological, psychological, and sociological benefits of Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programme in every area of life...." (1)

What the TM organization does not publicize, however, is:
(1) that a high percentage of these studies are suspect. The research is specifically designed so that TM will come out looking good. (See http://trancenet.net/research/index.shtml

In addition, the quote above from the TMO website does not mention that:

(2) a lot of the research is done by TMers or funded by TMers, and is therefore inherently biased; and
(3) when non-TM scientists do research, they compare various types of meditations, and the results have been that each meditation has its own strengths and weaknesses. TM does not stand out as best. These studies are ignored by the TMO. For information, google "Google -- Scholar" and type in something like "comparision meditation techniques research results." Also, see http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/expressnews_template/article.cfm?id=8572and
(4) Research has shown that TM can sometimes be harmful. These studies are never quoted by the TMO. (See http://minet.org/research.html.)

So where do we come in?
While most TMFree readers are not professional researchers, I think we can contribute something useful to the research, specifically to the bias problem mentioned in item (1) above. Critics of the research papers have done a good job in critiquing what has been published. But what if something questionable was done that was not reported in the final paper?

So that's where we come in.

Many of us have "insider" experiences with the TMO. During our time in the TMO, we may have accidentally stumbled upon a small piece of the research that was unscientific. So I invite readers to search their memories. Do you recall incidents which at the time seemed simply quirky or isolated, but in retrospect, were examples of a violation of the scientific method? You may have to think outside the box or reframe the incident to see how it is related to the scientific method. You may have to consider not what was done, but what was not done; not what you saw, but what you didn't see....

Our stories will only be anecdotes, and anecdotal evidence is not scientific proof. However, these anecdotes provide glimpses which may inspire researchers to dig deeper into questionable practices.

So, to get the ball rolling, I will share my own memories that relate to the biased quality of TM research. In addition, I will relate a few anecdotes from old TMFree posts and comments. Unfortunately I have neither the time nor the inclination to dig up all the original posts and comments, so I apologize in advance for any errors in my memory or interpretation.

So here goes. To reiterate, the question for the day is:

Did you ever personally see evidence of violation of the scientific method in TM studies?

1. The year was 1980, I think. I lived on the MIU campus in Fairfield, Iowa, USA. I did the TM and TM-Sidhis program in the meditation hall from 2 to 4 times a day with up to 700 other women. One day, after everyone was seated on the mattresses, the leader announced that we were all going to add something to our program. She had something like an electric meter in her hand. She spoke a phrase that went something like: "Turn back the meter." She instructed us to think this phrase in the same manner as we thought the "sutras" in our TM-Sidhis program (the technique in which the phrase we thought was supposed to manifest in the world.) We were to think the above phrase 2 or 4 times (I can't remember which), after we finished TM but before we started the TM-Sidhis. She didn't tell us who had ordered this change, or who had designed it, or why we were doing it. The only additional thing she said was, "Do not say a word about this to anybody!"

We did this practice for about a week, and then we were told to stop doing it. We weren't told why we were now stopping. We were reminded, "Do not mention this to anyone!" And we never heard another word about it.

What was this all about?

Today, I believe we were guinea pigs in an experiment to prove that the TM-Sidhis actually produced effects in the physical world. (An illegal experiment, I might add, since we had not volunteered, and we had not been warned about possible harmful effects.) If 700 sidhas had actually succeeded in causing the meter's hand to move even a millimeter, I think they would have published that. I think we failed to produce the result they wanted, so the experiment was scrapped, we were warned against spilling the secret, and the failure was never reported.

2. A few years ago, one of our TMFree regulars (possibly Sudarsha) wrote that he once saw Maharishi sit with someone and review a line graph illustrating the results of a study showing the benefits of TM. Maharishi asked, "Couldn't you draw the line 'this' way instead of 'that' way, in order to make the results look better?" The other person agreed to make the change.

3. About a year ago, one of our readers shared that she had chatted with a researcher at MIU who was studying the "Maharishi Effect." (The ME states that when a certain percentage of the population practices TM, quality of life improves, as shown by crime statistics, pollution, unemployment rate, etc.) The research compared cities that had comparable demographics but a different percentage of TMers. The researcher told her, "In some cases, the city with the higher percentage of TMers did not show an improved quality of life. So we deleted those groups of cities from our final study."

4. A few months ago, contributor Gina wrote that when TM researchers in Fairfield were studying TMers to prove TM's benefits, they first eliminated "heavy unstressers" from their sample.

5. An old TMFree post is a reprint of a public letter from Earl Kaplan, a TMer who together with his brother David had donated over $100 million dollars (U.S.) to the TMO. He writes that "Mahesh for years had been raising hundreds of millions of dollars for his world peace groups...." (World peace groups were the gatherings of thousands of pundits to one location to chant together, thus assuring world peace forever.) According to Earl's letter, Earl said to Maharishi, "Maharishi, since you have the money and supposedly you have enough pundits, why don't you create a 10,000 group in India and the world will experience peace?..." (Several years previously, his brother David had obtained U.S. governmental approval to bring one or two thousand pundits to the USA. before this could happen, he got word that Maharishi had changed his mind and felt it was not a good time to send them.) Mahesh looked at Earl like he was crazy and said, "Earl, if we created the group then we don't know if it would create world peace or not. We would have to have the group and then see what the effect it has." Earl and David have since left the TMO.

Aside from the contempt and deceit Maharishi exhibited, I believe Maharishi was also saying that he did not want an experiment to be performed if the results would not make TM look good, i.e. if the results disproved the "Maharishi Effect."

OK, those are my offerings. Anyone else have memories about TMO's corruption of the scientific method in TM studies?

Footnotes:
(1) www.globalgoodnews.com/research.html

Transcendental Meditation and the TM-Sidhis

I am reminded of an old joke.

Tom: Hey, Bob, about that bucket I lent you last week. Well, when you returned it to me yesterday, it was broken!

Bob: Tom, first of all, it was broken when you lent it to me; second of all, I returned it to you in perfect condition; and third of all, I never borrowed it from you!

About 1965, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi promised that "TM, 15-20 minutes twice a day, will make you enlightened in 5 to 8 years." Yet, around 1975, he introduced the TM-Sidhis program, whose purpose was to speed us on the road to enlightenment. Well, it's now been over 30 years since people started practicing the TM-Sidhis, but I still haven't heard of many people getting enlightened.

Why did Maharishi even introduce the TM-Sidhis program? As the joke above suggests, when a person makes too many explanations for something, it can make all of the explanations suspect.

Therefore, I would like to invite TM-Free Blog readers on another one of my trips down memory lane. I will share with you my memories of Maharishi's many explanations of why he started teaching the TM-Sidhis program. These memories are over 30 years old, so I do plead guilty to the possibility of misremembering. If you remember these quotes more accurately, please share them below.

And also, if you'd like, share with us your own memories on his excuses for why TM 20 minutes twice a day was no longer enough. Also, your opinions on said explanations. Also share with us, if you'd like, your conjectures on why you think he REALLY started teaching the TM-Sidhis. Or share any other related thoughts!

Here, (paraphrased) are four different answers that I remember Maharishi giving, as to why he was now adding a technique to his already flawless and complete technique:

1. "My initiators kept asking me, 'What more can I do to help the movement? What more can I do?' So I finally said, 'I am very tempted to give you something....' "

2. "The reason initiations are now dropping is because, due to all the TMers in the world, the consciousness of the average person has gone up. Non-meditators used to start because they were attracted to the glow of evolution on the initiators' faces. But now that the average person is more evolved, the contrast is no longer so great. So the initiators must rise up to a higher level of evolution so that the non-meditators will be attracted to us and thereby want to learn TM."

3. "Because of all the TMers meditating over all these years, the atmosphere has become more refined, softer, so that we can now teach more advanced techniques which would not have brought results in the past."

4. Maharishi: We have been teaching TM for many years, people have been dipping into the Absolute for many years. Yet they are not living all the values of the Absolute! We must ask, "Why not?" What are the values of the Absolute?

Initiator #1: Omniscient.

Maharishi: Yes.

Initiator #2: Omnipresent.

Maharishi: Yes.

Initiator #3: Immovable.

Maharishi: (chuckling) That one not so fascinating!

Initiator #4: Love.

Maharishi: (Annoyed) No, no, no....Almighty. The Absolute is Almighty. We should all be almighty. All-powerful. And yet we are not exhibiting this quality. Why not? Something must be done. We dip into the Absolute, but we are not pulling these qualities up into the Relative. Something must be done to pull these qualities out into the individual's life.
(Hence, the TM-Sidhis).

By the way, just like he promised us that TM twice a day would bring us enlightenment in 5 to 8 years, he continued his tradition of promised completion dates with the TM-Sidhis. When speaking about the "Six-Month Courses," where he first started teaching versions of the TM-Sidhis, Maharishi said, "One six-month course is enough to enlighten some people, two six-month courses are enough to enlighten most people, and three six-month courses are enough to enlighten a horse! (laughter)."

By the way, did you believe him in 1965? Why? Did you believe him in 1975? Why? I believed him both times.

Now it's your turn.

If Transcendental Meditation's Founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Came Back for One Day

I have a fantasy. What if Maharishi came back from the dead for 24 hours? And what if, for those 24 hours, you could ask him anything you wanted? And best of all - for those 24 hours, he would answer every question with absolute honestly? What would you ask him?

Do you have a burning question about TM, the TM organization, or Maharishi that you have been wondering about for years, or decades? I invite readers to pose their questions for Maharishi here. Unfortunately, since Maharishi is dead, he will not be answering us. But together, the readers on this blog have acquired great wisdom and insight, so maybe we can make some headway in uncovering some answers. Therefore I invite readers to this blog to pose questions, and then I invite other commenters to read the questions, and if you have an insight that might answer the question, to write your answer here. I'm not asking for the "perfect" answer, just your best guess. Remember, the guiding principle for your best-guess answer is: "If Maharishi were to tell the truth, what would he say?"

To start the ball rolling, I will ask a few questions of my own.

1: Were you really a monk/disciple/yoga student under Guru Dev, or were you just his secretary?

2. If you were his disciple, were you really his favorite?

3. Did Guru Dev really teach you the TM technique, and instruct you to teach it around the world? Or did you invent TM yourself? Or how did you come up with TM?

4. What was your real goal in teaching TM? Was it your first stated goal, the "spiritual regeneration" of humans? Or was it the goal you ended up with, to build a large empire of "Vedic" communities? Or was it to make a lot of money? Or all of the above?

5. You describe cosmic consciousness, God consciousness, unity consciousness, angels, gods, the universe, etc. with such assuredness, as if you have actually experienced these things first hand and are living in higher states. Is that true? It has also been said that you performed "miracles." Is that true? If all this is true, does it mean you are in constant touch with God, or that you are "enlightened," or that everything you do is life-supporting? What does it mean for us as your students? Does it mean we should obey you totally? Does it excuse you from having the same ethical principals as the rest of us try to live by? Why or why not?

6. Why did you perpetuate so many lies? Was it because you had contempt for the average person? Was it because you wanted wealth and power? Was it because you thought the spiritual ends justified the means? Or what?

7. Do you really believe that TM can lead a person to enlightenment? Or that TM plus the Sidhis, or plus Ayurveda, or plus Maharishi architecture (etc.) can lead a person to enlightenment? Do you really believe that "enlightenment" exists?

8. I don't understand where all the money comes from, or where it all goes. I mean, I know it comes from initiations, from ayurvedic treatments, from the spas, from the architecture, from big donations from rich people, from tuition to schools in the U.S. and in India, from factories, etc. And I know it goes to buy land, hotels, schools, pundit communities, and to start big projects that then don't get finished, etc. But then the schools charge admission, the hotels charge rentals, the communities cost money to build, the factories produce consumer products. So where does the money from that go? To more, bigger, better? And where does THAT money come from/go to? I hear the money is going to your extended family, but what are they doing with it? Are they just building more and more money-making ventures, like more factories, or living in palaces, or bribing the Indian government, or what? And what sort of things are they bribing for?

Well, there's my list. Readers, now it's your turn. Any questions you have always wanted to ask Maharishi, and get honest answers to? Any questions you might know the answers to?

Still Dreaming After All These Years

Even though I left the TM movement in 1981, I still often dream about life in the TM world. I have even had some dreams more than once. I thought I was the only one still dealing with TM in my dreams.

Recently, in chatting with other former TMers, I discovered that other people too, even people who have been out of TM for decades like me, have dreams about TM. We even discovered that some of us have virtually the same dream! We were surprised to see how much fun it was to share our dreams. We were also pleased to find how healing it was, for us to tell each other our TM dreams.

Do you have TM dreams? If so, I invite you, if you'd like, to share them here. Dreams can be revealing, so please only share what you're comfortable sharing. Or send your comment anonymously - and make sure that the "Comments" page doesn't accidentally pull up your real name as well as your pseudonym.

To start the ball rolling, I will share some of my TM dreams.

1) I'm on a one-month residence course. I wonder what I'm doing here, since I'm of course now out of TM. I refuse to meditate for the entire course.

2) Maharishi is teaching a new meditation technique. Due to stupidity or stubbornness on my part, I have refused to learn it. Now I realize that this technique was "the big one" - if only I had learned it, then my life would truly be marvelous. All my friends who learned it are performing miracles, making great spiritual progress.

3) I attend a TM course and share TM-Free, minet, trancenet etc. type materials with the other course participants.

4) I'm on a TM course, and I refuse to learn an advanced technique. Then I regret it, because this is "the big one." I trick some course participants into telling me how to do the technique, and I realize it's a dumb technique that wouldn't have improved my life anyhow, and I basically already have that technique.

5) My sister (she was a governor in real life) is on a new 6-month course. She will for sure come out of this course enlightened or immortal or something like that. The world will soon be destroyed by pollution or nuclear bombs, and only the people on that course will survive. I regret that I've turned away from the TM path.

6) I'm living at M.I.U. again. "What am I doing here?" I ask myself. "Didn't I promise myself that I was through with the TMO?" I'm conflicted about leaving, however, and am scared about returning to the non-TM world.

7) The TMO is offering a new technique. I excitedly sign up for it, hoping I'll have a great breakthrough from it. At the last minute, I realize that their price of $500 for a one hour lesson is a rip-off - easy money for them and probably the technique will be of no benefit to me.

8) Maharishi wants to teach us a new technique, but to get it, we have to do the puja in front of him. I'm so embarrassed that I've forgotten how to do the puja after all these years of anti-TMing. I'm scared of what he'll do or say when I do it wrong.

Well, there they are. Now it's your turn to share, if you'd like, your thoughts about dreaming about TM.

Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 4: Bowing Down

(Note: This essay is fourth in a series. See also Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 1, posted 11/11/2008, Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 2: The Puja ("Traditional Ceremony of Gratitude"), posted 11/20/2008, and Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 3: The Mantra, posted 12/5/2008.)


There is a knock at the door of the initiation room. The initiator opens the door and welcomes in the initiate, who is carrying his basket of fruit, flowers, handkerchief and initiation form. The initiator takes the basket, and both sit down.

Fantasy Initiation #4

Question from initiate: May I ask you a few questions about all this before we begin?

Answer from initiator: Okay.

Q: I've heard that at the end of this traditional non-religious ceremony of gratitude, you bow down to the floor in front of the painting of Maharishi's teacher. Is that so?

A: We don't bow down. We kneel.

Q: OK, whatever you call it, isn't that a problem for you?

A: No. Why should it be?

Q: Well, I understand that you're Jewish.

A: Yes, I am, but so what?

Q: Well, isn't it against your religion to bow down -

A: We don't bow down. We kneel.

Q: - to kneel before anyone other than God?

A: Oh. I see what you're getting at. Over 600 published scientific research studies prove that Transcendental Meditation benefits an individual in every area of life. To preserve this precious teaching, the teacher teaches it exactly as given. The nonreligious ceremony of gratitude, which has been passed down for centuries, is the traditional way to remind the teachers of their responsibility to preserve the purity of the teaching, so that the student gets maximum benefits. That traditional ceremony includes certain age-old words, objects, and gestures, and it includes kneeling at the end. For maximum benefits for the student, the teacher promises not to deviate from the correct way to teach it.

Q: That's very nice. But couldn't Maharishi make an exception, for people whose religion prohibits them from bowing down -

A: We don't bow down. We kneel.

Q: - from kneeling before anyone other than God?

A: Oh no. Maharishi said that if he made an exception for one group, other people would say that he should make an exception for their group too, and before you know it, the purity of the teaching is lost.

Q: Well, that's reasonable. But you still haven't answered my original question.

A: Which was what?

Q: Don't you feel you're going against the precepts of your own religion by bowing down-

A: By kneeling.

Q: - by kneeling before someone other than God?

A: No. Maharishi explained that it is not a violation of my religion to kneel before a picture of Guru Dev.

Q: Oh. That's nice. I didn't realize that Maharishi was an expert on Judaism.

A: Well, he pointed out that religious people kneel all the time in front of things that are not God.

Q: They do?

A: Yes. They kneel in front of closets and cars.

Q: What?

A: He pointed out that even the most religious people kneel in front of their closets to tie their shoelaces, and in front of their cars to change a tire.

Q: But isn't that totally different? I mean, you're not worshipping the closet or the car.

Q: Well, Maharishi explained that kneeling at the end of the non-religious traditional ceremony of gratitude is just a procedure. Bowing down would be worship, but kneeling is just a physical procedure, just like kneeling in front of a car. So there's no conflict with any religion.

Q: Doesn't Maharishi's answer strike you as a little disingenuous?

A: No.

Q: Oh. Well, does this mean that you're going to have to give up teaching TM when you get older?

A: Of course not. Why would it?

Q: Suppose your joints get too stiff to bow dow- to kneel.

A: Oh, I see what you're getting at. No, I wouldn't have to give up teaching TM when I get old. One woman on our TM Teacher Training Course said she couldn't kneel due to arthritis. She said that if she got down, she wouldn't be able to get up again! The instructor told her that was OK, she wouldn't be required to kneel.

Q: But you just told me that Maharishi said he couldn't start making exceptions, or before you knew it the purity of the teaching would be lost. Well, here he's making an exception for people with arthritis. How do you explain that?

A: I don't know.

Q: Could it be a matter of intent? The person with arthritis wanted to bow dow- wanted to kneel but wasn't able to, while the religious person was able to kneel but refused.

A: I don't know.

Q: Or could it be a matter of obedience? The person with arthritis wanted to obey Maharishi but wasn't able to, while the religious person was able to obey Maharishi but wouldn't?

A: I don't know.

Q: Don't you think you're a little bit lacking in healthy curiosity?

A: No.

Q: Could it be about the relationship with Guru Dev? The arthritic woman wanted to worship Guru Dev but wasn't able to, while the religious person was able to worship Guru Dev but wouldn't?

Q: We don't worship Guru Dev. That would be against my religion, and Maharishi says that TM doesn't conflict with any religion. TM is a simple, natural, nonreligious, scientific technique.

Q: So that's that? The woman with arthritis isn't required to kneel?

A: Right. But they did tell her to make a comparable gesture at that point.

Q: Oh! What gesture did they tell her to make?

A: No, no. They didn't show her a comparable gesture to make. They told her, "Make a comparable gesture."

Q: You mean she made up the gesture herself?

A: Yes.

Q: Did she run it by Maharishi after she decided on one?

A: No.

Q: Well, then how could they assure the purity of the teaching if they let any old person invent part of the ceremony?

A: I don't know. I'm sure the instructors knew what they were doing.

Q: Why?

A: Well, they were chosen by Maharishi.

Q: Don't you think you're showing a slight lack of intellectual acuity here?

A: Of course not. Over six hundred published research studies prove that TM improves all areas of life, including intelligence.

Q: But how could this woman know what gesture of her own choosing might be comparable to kneeling if the only rationale for the kneeling was "it's just a physical procedure" and "that's the way it's always been done"?

A: Oh, wait. I just remembered another reason for kneeling. Maharishi said, "We kneel so that we should not fall."

Q: Oh. Did he say that if you didn't feel in danger of falling, then you didn't have to kneel?

A: No.

Q: Did you ever feel you were in danger of falling?

A: No.

Q: Do you think maybe you were doing the ceremony improperly?

A: Certainly not.

Q: I mean, if you had done it properly, perhaps then you would have felt like you were in danger of falling.

A: No, I do the ceremony properly. Every word, every gesture has been passed down for centuries, and they didn't let us graduate until we could do it all properly.

Q: Then if you were doing it properly, why didn't you feel like you were going to fall?

A: I don't know.

Q: Do you think Maharishi was perhaps saying what was expedient?

A: No. He wouldn't lie.

Q: Did you know that you don't recognize weakness in logic when you hear it?

A: I don't think that's true.

Q: Oh well. Let's get back to that woman who was told to "make a comparable gesture" to keep from falling. What would be a comparable gesture?

A: I don't know. I've never thought about it. I don't have arthritis.

Q: Hmm, do you think she could have pushed a few chairs together, and at that point she could lie down on the chairs?

A: Of course not. That's ridiculous.

Q: Maybe at that point in the ceremony, she could grab onto the furniture to keep from falling.

A: I really think you're making a joke out of this.

Q: I am not.

A: Lying on chairs, grabbing onto furniture. That's no way to show reverence.

A: But there's no need to show reverence. Isn't this simply about keeping from falling?

A: Of course it's about reverence. Part of the translation of the traditional non-religious ceremony of gratitude goes like this:

"White as camphor, kindness incarnate, the essence of creation garlanded with Brahman, ever dwelling in the lotus of my heart, the creative impulse of cosmic life, to That, in the form of Guru Dev, I bow down."

Q: Don't you mean "I kneel"?

A: No. This is the translation. "Guru in the glory of Brahma, Guru in the glory of Vishnu, Guru in the glory of the great Lord Shiva, Guru in the glory of the personified transcendental fullness of Brahman, to Him, to Shri Guru Dev adorned with glory, I bow down.

The Unbounded, like the endless canopy of the sky, the omnipresent in all creation, by whom the sign of That has been revealed, to Him, to Shri Guru Dev, I bow down.

Guru Dev, Shri Brahmananda, bliss of the Absolute, transcendental joy, the Self-Sufficient, the embodiment of pure knowledge which is beyond and above the universe like the sky, the aim of "Thou art That" and other such expressions which unfold eternal truth, the One, the Eternal, the Pure, the Immoveable, the Witness of all intellects, whose status transcends thought, the Transcendent along with the three gunas, the true preceptor, to Shri Guru Dev, I bow down.

The blinding darkness of ignorance has been removed by applying the balm of knowledge. The eye of knowledge has been opened by Him and therefore, to Him, to Shri Guru Dev, I bow down. Offering a handful of flowers to the lotus feet of Shri Guru Dev, I bow down."

Oops. I don't think I was supposed to tell you the translation.

Q: Why not?

A: Er, because you might misunderstand it.

Q: What might I misunderstand?

A: Well, there's the possibility you might think TM is religious in nature.

Q: Oh, come on. How could I possibly think anything else after hearing that translation?

A: See? You did misunderstand. TM is just a simple natural non-religious scientific technique. Or you -

Q: Did you notice that any time I ask you a potentially embarrassing question, instead of thinking it through, you answer by quoting Maharishi like you're a broken record?

A: I don't do that. - Or you might misunderstand and think we worship Guru Dev.

Q: How could I possibly think anything else after hearing that translation?

A: You see? You misunderstood that too. The traditional non-religious ceremony of gratitude is just a procedure. It's not a worshipping of Guru Dev.

Q: Then why did you keep saying, "I bow down"?

A: That's just the translation. Oh, I just remembered another reason why we kneel. At one lecture, Maharishi explained, "When I was designing the ceremony, when I came to the final line, I was so overcome with emotion that there wasn't anything I could possibly think of doing at that point except kneel."

Q: What?! Do you know how many times in the last five minutes you've insisted that this ceremony is ancient?

A: I'm sure Maharishi didn't mean that the way it sounds.

Q: Oh. What do you think he meant, then?

A: I'm sure it's an ancient ceremony. Maharishi wouldn't lie.

Q: I'm sure he wouldn't. When was it written?

A: I don't know.

Q: Who wrote it?

A: I don't know.

Q: What were the author's qualifications?

A: I don't know.

Q: What happens if you teach TM without doing the ceremony?

A: I don't know.

Q: What happens if you do the ceremony without kneeling at the end?

A: I don't know. I'm sorry. We didn't learn any of that on the course.

Q: Didn't you ever have any doubts, or try to find out?

A: No.

Q: Despite all Maharishi's contradictions?

A: Maharishi doesn't contradict himself. He teaches a simple, natural, non-religious scientific technique.

Q: You don't think he shades the truth?

A: Of course not.

Q: Don't you think he discourages you from questioning his word?

A: No.

Q: Don't you think you have an impaired capacity for logical thinking?

A: Of course I don't.

Q: Have you noticed that you often contradict yourself?

A: I don't. This is a scientific technique, backed up by science.

Q: Did you notice that you lie to your students?

A: I wouldn't do that!

Q Did you know that you lie to yourself and aren't even aware of it?

A: I really can't agree. I don't do any of those things. Over six hundred published research studies prove that TM benefits an individual in all areas of life. Well, any more questions? No? Alright then, shall we begin? I said, shall we begin? Excuse me? Sir? Shall we begin?

- end -

(Note: The author attended TM Teacher Training in La Antilla, Spain in 1974. What she learned there informs this article. People who attended other courses may have learned different things.)

Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 3: The Mantra

(Please note: This is a four-part series. Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 1 was posted on 11/11/2008, Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 2: The Puja ("Traditional Ceremony of Gratitude") was posted on 11/11/2008, and Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 4: Bowing Down was posted on 1/1/2009.


The last initiate has just left. The initiator is again standing alone in the initiation room. There is a knock at the door. The initiator opens the door and welcomes the next initiate, who is carrying his basket of fruit, flowers, white handkerchief and the initiation form. The initiator closes the door and both sit down. The initiator takes the basket and looks over the form, circling and checking items with a red pen.

Fantasy Initiation #3

Question from initiate: If I have any questions as we go along, is it OK if I ask them?

Answer from initiator: Sure. (She puts pen and form on the floor.) In this personal instruction, you will receive a mantra or sound--

Q: Can I ask you something about the mantra?

A: Yes.

Q: Just now, when you were reviewing my form, were you choosing my mantra?

A: Yes.

Q: How do you know which mantra is right for me?

A: We go by the neurophysiological specificity of the individual in order to choose the mantra which is most appropriate and will bring the most beneficial -- (She stops, remembering her recent vow to herself to be honest with her students from now on.) (Author's note: See Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 2, Nov. 20, 2008.) -- well, actually, choosing the mantra is a totally mechanical, mindless process. There's no sophisticated discernment involved in it at all.

Q: But in the preparatory lecture you said that you had a complicated criteria and it took you months to learn to be a TM teacher.

A: Well, the course itself lasted 5 months. A lot of that time we were meditating. But learning the mantras themselves and how to select the right one took a total of 3 minutes.

Q: What?

A: There wasn't very much to learn. It's just a simple grid. You know, it's like if you weigh 100 lbs. or less, you get mantra "A." If you weight 100-200 lbs., you get mantra "B." If you weigh 200 lbs. or more, you get mantra "C."

Q: (Picks form off the floor and looks at it.) But I didn't write my weight on this form.

A: I didn't say it was by weight. I said it was "like" weight. We just go by the numbers.

Q: (Looks at form again.) The only number I wrote on this form is my age.

A: That's true.

Q: That's all? You choose my mantra according to my age?

A: I gave Maharishi my word that I wouldn't reveal the mantras he gave me or how to choose them.

Q: Fine, you choose the mantra by age. Then why were you circling and checking off things on my form?

A: Maharishi said to do that so it would look like we were choosing your mantra. He said to be sure to use a red pen. It makes it look more official, don't you think?

Q: (Looks at form again.) But you haven't even circled my age. You've circled all sorts of other things.

A: He specifically said to not circle the age.


Q: Then why are all these questions on this intake form? Look, I've answered all sorts of personal questions: my mental health, my physical health, what previous self-development programs I've tried, even which illegal drugs I've taken. Is none of that relevant?

A: None of it. I don't even read any of that.


Q: Oh, for pity's sake! Then what's the big deal? I'm paying you $2,000 just so you can assign me a mantra by age?

A: Oh no, there's much more to it than that. We maintain the precious purity of this teaching to ensure maximum results for every student, so that everyone who learns is assured of getting exactly what was passed down through the centuries by the Holy Tradition of Masters.

Q: So I receive the identical instructions and the identical mantra, no matter who teaches me?

A: Absolutely. (Long pause) Well, actually, no. I understand that from one course to the next, Maharishi taught different age criteria for the mantras. And on some courses he taught different mantras. And on some courses he taught by age plus sex.

Q: Didn't you feel betrayed when Maharishi told you that?

A: Oh, no. Maharishi never told us that. I found that out later, on the internet. (Author's note: See minet.org/mantras.)

Q: What sort of boondoggle is this, anyway?


A: Please, don't judge so hastily. There are other things that make TM unique and wonderful, like the special way we use the mantra.


Q: What do you mean?

A: Well, as you know, the mantra is a sound that has no meaning and the effects of which are known to be beneficial. The sound keeps the mind alert, yet the meaninglessness of the mantra keeps the mind undirected. That's crucial. So, when we use the mantra in a particular way, the mind, undirected by meaning, naturally dives inward -- (Pause.)

Q: Now what?

A: I just realized that sometimes the mantra actually does have a meaning. And yet that has never prevented anyone's mind from diving inward.

Q: "Sometimes" it has a meaning? But in the preparatory lecture, you told us that the mantra has no meaning.

A: Well, before Maharishi came to the west, he taught TM in India. And the mantras he gave out were already familiar to some Indians. They knew the meaning of them, but TM worked
for them all the same.

Q: What did the mantras mean to the Indians?

A: Maharishi would choose the right mantra for the initiate by asking him, "Who is your favorite god?" The Hindus have lots of gods, you know. Depending on what the student answered, Maharishi would assign a mantra --

Q: Pardon my sarcasm, but what happened to the unchanging Holy Tradition of choosing the mantra by age, or by sex, using a different criterion each year?

A: Well, he realized that asking "Who is your favorite god?" wasn't going to mean much to westerners....

Q: So he personally invented the age and sex system?

A: I don't know. He assured us that this teaching was all passed down in its unchanging purity for generations. But anyway, the mantras he gave out in India did have a meaning to some Indians.

Q: Alright, what did the mantras mean?

A: Some of them were the names of Hindu gods, and some of them were the "seed form" of the names of the Hindu gods. I don't understand the fine points of Hinduism, but certainly some of the Indians recognized these mantras as the names or seed names of gods. Yet the Indians had no trouble doing TM. Hmm, I'm baffled. Maharishi taught us that TM can't work if the mantra has a meaning. I can't figure this out.

Q: So in the west he decided not to hand out the names of Hindu gods?


A: Oh, no, that's not so. All of the mantras Maharishi taught on my course are the seed form names of Hindu gods.

Q: What? Didn't you find that a little contradictory to Maharishi's contention that TM is not a religious practice?

A: Oh no, not at all. You see, Maharishi never told us that the mantras were the names of Hindu gods. He told us that the mantras were meaningless sounds. I learned about the Hindu gods later, on the internet.

Q: Alright, let me get this straight. You are about to teach me a technique whereby I am going to be thinking the name of a Hindu god for 40 minutes every day without my informed consent?

A: Well, yes.

Q: And yet you say in the introductory lecture that TM is not a religious practice?

A: (Laughing) Oh no, of course it isn't. Maharishi says that TM is not a religious practice. And Maharishi wouldn't lie. (Pause.) My, you're so quiet. You must have run out of questions. Well then, shall we begin?

- end -

Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 2: The Puja ("Traditional Ceremony of Gratitude")

Please note: This is a four-part series. "Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 1," was posted 11/11/2008. "Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 3: The Mantra" was posted 12/5/08. "Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 4: Bowing Down" was published 1/1/2009.

The initiator finishes instructing the initiate, and he leaves. The initiator is now alone.

The initiator is striken with a bout of conscience. "Good heavens!" she thinks to herself. "I told that initiate one lie after another. I thought I was a person of integrity. I'm ashamed of myself. I've got to turn over a new leaf. I hereby promise myself that from this moment forward, while keeping my promises to Maharishi, I will also be truthful with my initiates."

There is a knock at the door. The next initiate enters with his basket. They both sit down.

Fantasy Initiation #2:

Question from initiate: Is it OK if I ask you a few questions as I'm learning?

Answer from initiator: Sure.

Q: Why do you do the ceremony of gratitude in the traditional way? Why don't you express gratitude in a Western way?

A: Well, Maharishi said that to assure the purity of the teaching of TM, we should start with this traditional ceremony.

Q: But you do so many other things that deviate from the tradition, that are the Western way.

A: You're right. Maharishi was very strict about us wearing Western clothes - he forbade us from wearing Indian costumes when representing TM. And he told the men that they were absolutely not to grow their hair long in imitation of him - they had to keep their hair cut short. Also he modified the traditional meditation posture into sitting in a chair to make it comfortable for Westerners. And he was insistent that we use Western scientific research to sell TM. He changed the language from traditional "God" to "Creative Intelligence" to make it more Western. So you're right - I really can't prove to you that the traditional way is essential.

Q: You said in the preparatory lecture that the reason you do the ceremony is to remind yourself to teach TM in its purity, accurately. Why do you have to remind yourself? My school teachers taught me all sorts of things accurately, without a big reminder priming themselves to teach it accurately. Isn't it enough to just have a minimum level of integrity?

A: Well, when I was learning to be a TM teacher, Maharishi told us to tell the public something different from what was the real reason for the ceremony. He said that when the initiator invokes all those great teachers or gods during the puja -

Q: Gods? Didn't you assure us that this wasn't a religious ceremony?

A: Yes, that's what I said, but there are gods named in the puja.

Q: And didn't you assure us that TM wasn't a religious technique?

A: Well, yes, it isn't. Anyhow, when the initiator invokes the names of the gods and masters, it sort of enlivens the room with the qualities of those beings -

Q: What are you talking about? This sounds like some weird spiritualist religion.

A: Oh, no, it's not a religion. TM is a simple natural non-religious technique. Anyhow, when the initiator invokes the names of the gods and masters, it sort of conjures up the essence of those beings, and Maharishi said that the initiator takes on some of the qualities of those beings -

Q: It sounds like Maharishi trained you to be a medium. It sounds like you're channeling these creatures. Now you're taking on their qualities. Do you think you're "possessed?"

A: Of course not. I continue to say the words I had planned to say; I don't find myself speaking the being's words.

Q: I don't believe in this conjuring stuff. To put it in Western terms, don't you think it would be accurate to say that you go into an altered, highly suggestible state?

A: I've never heard that. But anyhow, when the initiator is vibrating with the qualities of the gods and masters, in that state, we can teach TM properly.

Q: You said in the introductory lectures that TM is a mechanical technique that uses the natural tendency of the mind to go to increasing charm. If it's such a natural technique, why do you have to go into an altered state in order to teach it properly?

A: Maharishi told us on Teacher Training that when the initiator is in that state, the initiate becomes sort of in awe of or intimidated by the initiator, sort of like "cat and mouse" were his words. If the initiator does something, the initiate does it back.

Initiate: That sounds nefarious. It sounds like you're trying to control me. Why can't I just follow your instructions of my own free will, because I want to learn? Why do you have to entrance me into obeying you?

A: I don't know. Maharishi didn't cover that point.

Q: You told us that the ceremony is just a reminder for yourself. But you want me in a suggestible state, right? That's why I have to be present, right?

A: Well, I wouldn't put it that way.

Q: Well, does the puja do anything else aside from supposedly making you resonate with these beings and making me compliant?

A: Well, during the ceremony, I sing out loud in Sanskrit as I simultaneously translate it into English in my head. Then there's a certain point where I start offering objects to the painting of Guru Dev in a very prescribed way. And at the same time, I am supposed to be thinking prescribed "puja feelings" that the actions and words are supposed to be inspiring in me. Like when I am offering water, I am supposed to be thinking of feeling "I feel an upsurge of purifying waves of knowledge." So I am doing four things at once.

Q: Yeah, so what's the point?

A: Maharishi said that the purpose of thinking the "puja feelings" was to amplify the feelings that I was already having.

Q: What's wrong with the feelings you're having naturally? Why do you have to amplify them?

A: I don't know.

Q: So Maharishi wants you to amplify your feelings. You mean talking yourself into feeling an emotion strongly that you may only feel slightly?

A: Yeah, I guess so. Embroidering. Embellishing. Mood-making. It's strange, because Maharishi had such contempt for, and taught us the worthlessness of, what he termed "mood-making." That was the term he used for when people kidded themselves that they were having a spiritual experience. He used the term contemptuously for people who claimed spiritual experiences but did not practice TM. And here he was encouraging us to "mood make."

Q: Well, did you find it successfully amplified your feelings?

A: No. Most of the time I find it sort of disorienting, because it's not easy to keep two thoughts going at the exact same time. (I don't know if other initiators have that same problem. ) Even though he said it was a "feeling," we had to memorize the feeling as specific words. I think it made me sort of woozy. By the end of the puja, I am thoroughly zonked.

Q: Why would Maharishi want you in an altered state by the end of the puja?

A: He said that between invoking the beings to possess some of their qualities, and amplifying the feelings, we get into a deep state, and it is from there that we "pick up" the mantra. Then when we impart it to the initiate, we are "planting" the mantra, and it heads right back inward from whence it came, thus facilitating the inward direction of the meditation.

Q: Wait a minute. In the preparatory lecture, you said that the mantra moves inward due to the natural tendency of the mind to seek increasing charm. Now you're giving me this mumbo jumbo that the mind moves inward because with the help of these beings and your trance state, you have dug up the mantra from some esoteric realm and the mantra wants to go back there. This doesn't make any sense to me, and it certainly doesn't square with what you told us, that this is scientific and non-religious. You have a whole esoteric spiritual teaching going on here. So Maharishi told you that you virtually channel these creatures, and that you and the initiate go into a hypnotic state?

A: Isn't it strange that you should put it that way; because at the end of the teacher training course, he told us there were two things we should specifically avoid: channeling and hypnosis. Well, do you have any more questions? No? OK, then shall we begin?

- End -

(Note: The author attended TM Teacher Training in La Antilla, Spain in 1974, and is using those experiences to inform this article. People on other Teacher Training courses may have learned different things.)

Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 1

(Note: This is a four-part series. Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 2: The Puja ("Traditional Ceremony of Gratitude") was posted on November 20, 2008. Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 3: The Mantra was posted on December 5, 2008. Revisiting TM Initiation, Part 4: Bowing Down was published on January 1, 2009.)

Since leaving the TM movement 27 years ago, I have been impressed with how tenaciously my mind has held onto illogical TM beliefs, even though I have researched mind control, studied the dishonesty in the TM movement, been exit counseled, learned about suggestibility, etc.

I used to think that my indoctrination occurred on my five-month Teacher Training Course, where I meditated up to 12 times a day, leading to a state of heightened suggestibility. Later, I decided that the indoctrination came earlier, at a one-month course I had taken the previous year, where I meditated up to 6 times a day.

Now I realize that TM mind control started even earlier. I see now that some of the groundwork was already set in place by the day of "initiation" (personal instruction). I don't mean the specific beliefs were in place, like "Don't eat meat - it's bad for your spiritual evolution," but a basic mindset necessary for further indoctrination into the TM world view was already in place. These never-explicitly articulated, yet understood ground rules included: Don't ask awkward questions. Obey. Don't rock the boat. Overlook inconsistencies. Collude. Don't embarrass the teacher. Believe everything Maharishi says.

I did see people showing independent thought and asking difficult questions at the Introductory Lecture and the Preparatory Lecture. But by the time of initiation, I was already a lot more sheep-like. And the other people who learned TM the same day as me seemed to be, too. I mean, I don't recall hearing any pointed questions in the three days of follow-up.

So let's go back in time to the "Initiation." Fortunately for me and for you, the reader, I can tell you almost exactly what happened in your and my initiation room, even though it happened to me 37 years ago, because the initiators had to learn the initiation verbatim. My thanks to the website minet.org/steps.html. for writing up the initiation word-for-word.

In the waiting room, the assistant asks the initiate (student) to remove his/her shoes, and then, to carry the basket containing the fruit, flowers, handkerchief and initiation form, and to follow the assistant to the initiation room. The assistant knocks, the initiator welcomes the initiate in, the assistant departs, and the initiator closes the door.

The initiator offers the initiate one of two chairs and both sit down in front of an altar, set with a painting of Guru Dev on a raised dais, a brass tray, brass water holders with water, incense holder with incense, candlestick with candle, etc. The initiator takes the basket from the initiate and looks at the initiation form again.

Here is what the initiator has been memorized to now say, verbatim: "In this personal instruction, you will receive a mantra, or sound, and then the procedure how to use it properly. Once you know the mantra, or sound, by tradition, we keep it to ourself. Also, the actual procedure of meditation that you receive is to be kept private. For maximum results, all that we learn in private, we keep private. Do you agree? (Initiate agrees.)

Now, please come, stand here, (both stand) you would like to have a flower? (hands initiate a flower) and witness the ceremony which I perform in gratitude to the tradition of Masters who have given us this wisdom of integration of life. This is a picture of Guru Dev, His Divinity Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, Maharishi's Master, from whom we have this meditation. Now I'll begin -- and you just witness." (Initiator performs ceremony and then instructs initiate in how to do Transcendental Meditation.)

It is my opinion that in these twelve minutes, from taking off their shoes in the waiting room to hearing their mantra for the first time, the initiate has systematically relinquished more and more independent thinking and has fallen into the TM mindset. Let me explain why I believe that.

Let's return to the moment when the initiate and the initiator sit down in front of the altar. Let's slow down the initiation to a snail's pace, so that the initiate can maintain his/her ability to think independently and capacity to process inconsistencies. Let's see what questions the initiate might have asked if he/she were not already falling under the pressure to not ask awkward questions, to obey, to not rock the boat, to overlook inconsistencies, to collude, to not embarrass the initiator, and to believe everything Maharishi says.

My Fantasy Initiation:

Question from initiate: Is it okay if I ask you a few questions while I'm learning?

Answer from initiator: Sure.

(Stop the film! I would like to point out that, on Teacher Training, we were NOT taught to answer questions honestly. What we were taught to do was to give the answer that Maharishi wanted us to give. Thus, whenever I as a TM teacher was asked a question, I had four possible options:

1) If Maharishi had so instructed, answer truthfully.
2) If Maharishi had so instructed, answer with a prepared lie.
3) If Maharishi said to keep it a secret, find a way to hedge.
4) If Maharishi never told us what to say regarding a certain question, try to figure out what I think Maharishi would have wanted me to say - using the three choices above as guidelines - and say that.)

Start rolling the film again. Let's see what an initiation might look like if the initiate continues to use their critical thinking and does not fall under the TM unspoken ground rules. It is astonishing how many opportunities for slippage into unclear thinking exist in just 126 words.

Question from initiate: Is it okay if I ask you a few questions while I'm learning?

Answer from initiator: Sure.

Q: Why was I told to take off my shoes?

A: Um....It's part of the traditional ceremony of gratitude.

Q: Why do you take off your own shoes?

A: Same reason.

Q: But why did the assistant take off her shoes? She's not in the ceremony.

A: Um...tradition.

Q: You said I wouldn't participate in the ceremony, only watch it. Now you're asking me to take off my shoes. That makes me part of the ceremony.

A: Well, it's to show respect.

Q: I respect a lot of things, but I don't take off my shoes for them.

A: Well, it's the traditional way.

Q: Why was I instructed to bring fruit, flowers and a white handkerchief?

A: For the traditional ceremony of gratitude.

Q: But why those particular items?

A: Um...tradition.

Q: Why the fruit?

A: Well, it's symbolic.

Q: Fruit and flowers I can understand. But why a handkerchief?

A: Um...well originally it was a white cloth.

Q: But why?

A: Um....It's traditional. I'm sure you'll like the ceremony.

Q: But why are you doing a traditional Indian ceremony? We're Americans.

A: Um....Maharishi's request. For the teacher to remember to preserve the teaching in its purity.

Q: Then why not do it alone? Why do I have to be present?

A: Um....

Q: Is it in English?

A: No, it's in Sanskrit.

Q: Do you understand Sanskrit?

A: Just a little. I understand the translation of the ceremony.

Q: Will you translate it into English for me?

A: No.

Q: Why not?

A: Um....

Q: How do you know I'd be comfortable with its sentiments if you won't translate it?

A: Um...It's just a ceremony of gratitude.

Q: Then why won't you translate it for me?

A: Um....

Q: Will you explain the ceremony to me?

A: No.

Q: Why not?

A: Um....

Q: Well, that's all the questions I have for now. I'm ready to proceed.

Initiator: "In this personal instruction, you will receive a mantra or sound --"

Q: How do you choose the mantra?

A: Um...Well, by the individual's characteristics. We were carefully trained.

Q: What characteristics do you look at?

A: Um....

Q: Are you allowed to tell me how you choose the mantras?

A: No.

Q: Why not?

A: Um....to keep the purity of the teaching. So only people properly trained will teach.

Q: How many mantras do you choose from?

A: Um...a handful.

Q: How many?

A: Um....

Q: Are you not supposed to say?

A: That's right.

Q: Why not?

A: Um....

Q: I'm through with questions for now. Please go ahead.

Initiator: "In this personal instruction, you will receive a mantra, or sound, and then the procedure how to use it properly.
Once you know the mantra, or sound, by tradition we keep it to ourself --"

Q: Why?

A: To go inward.

Q: But you said it's the natural tendency of the mind to go to the Transcendent. So my saying it out loud or not wouldn't interfere with that.

A: Um....

Q: Why do you say "we." I'm the one who's learning it, not "we."

A: It's a little more polite to say "we."

Q: Why do you say "ourself?" That's not even a word.

A: Um....

Q: I'm through with my questions for now. Please go on.

Initiator: "Also, the actual procedure of meditation that you receive is to be kept private--"

Q: Why?

A: So that it's only taught correctly, by someone thoroughly trained.

Q: Please go on.

Initiator: "For maximum results, all that we learn in private, we keep private--"

Q: Why does it bring maximum results if all that I learn in private I keep private?

A: I just explained. To make sure it's only taught by thoroughly trained teachers.

A: No, you explained that to keep the purity of the teaching, I shouldn't teach it if I'm not trained. But you didn't explain why for maximum results, all that I learn in private I should keep private. Why will keeping it private lead to maximum results?

A: Um....

Q: When you say "all that I learn in private" do you mean just the mantra and how to meditate, or do you mean the ceremony, the altar, etc.?

A: Um....

Q: I'm done with questions for now. Please go ahead.

Initiator: "Do you agree?"

Q: Do you mean, do I agree to keep this private?

A: Right.

Q: If I don't agree to keep this private, then what happens?

A: Then I can't teach you.

Q: Well, I want to learn. This seems like a great technique. OK, I agree.

Initiator: "Now, please come, stand here--"

Q: Why should I stand?

A: To witness the ceremony.

Q: I can see it fine from my chair. Can't I stay seated?

A: No.

Q: Why not?

A: Um....

Q: You said I wouldn't participate in the ceremony, just observe it.

A: Um....

Q: Well, go on.

Initiator: "You would like to have a flower?--"

Q: Why would I want a flower?

A: Maybe you'd like to hold one.

Q: What for?

A: To feel part of the ceremony.

Q: But you said I'd just watch it, not participate.

A: Okay, don't take the flower.

Q: Go on.

Initiator: "And witness the ceremony that I perform in gratitude to the tradition of Masters who have given us this wisdom of integration of life --"

Q: "Tradition of Masters"? What does that mean?

A: One person taught the next, down through history. That's why we have Transcendental Meditation today.

Q: Then why is there only one person in the painting?

A: Um....I don't know. I guess that's traditional. That's Maharishi's direct teacher.

Q: What do you mean by "integration of life"?

A: One hundred percent inner life, 100% outer life.

Q: What do you mean by 100% inner life and 100% outer life?

A: Complete unfoldment of inner potential, complete successful activity in the world.

Q: Do you have 100% inner life and 100% outer life?

A: No.

Q: Do you know anyone who does?

A: No.

Q: Then how do you know that TM produces this?

A: Um...Well, Maharishi says so.

Q: Does Maharishi have 100% inner and 100% outer life?

A: Yes.

Q: How do you know?

A: Um....well, I know. He says so....Well, he never exactly says so. But you can tell....

Q: How can you tell?

A: Um....

Q: Did he get this 100% of inner and outer life by doing TM?

A: No, he got it by being in the presence of his teacher.

Q: Please go on.

Initiator: "This is a picture of Guru Dev, His Divinity Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, Maharishi's Master, from whom we have this meditation --"

Q: Why do you call him "His Divinity?"

A: Um....

Q: Is he God?

A: No.

Q: Do you worship him as a God?

A: No.

Q: Does Maharishi think he is a God?

A: Um...I don't think so.

Q: Please go on.

Initiator: "Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, Maharishi's Master, from whom we have this meditation--"

Q: But you just said you have the TM from a tradition of Masters. Now you're saying you have the TM from Guru Dev.

A: Um....

Q: Did these Masters only teach it to one other person, so that the technique was passed down from one person in each generation to one person in the next generation?

A: Um....I don't know.

Q: Or just like Maharishi trained teachers to teach it to many people, didn't these ancient sages teach it to many people?

A: Um...I don't know.

Q: How do you know these ancient teachers taught TM?

A: Um...well, it's part of the tradition.

Q: India is a country that has been in a lot of trouble for centuries. Are you saying that TM has been taught for centuries and yet India is such a mess?

A: Well, there were times when the purity of the teaching was lost. Guru Dev revived it and passed it on to Maharishi.

Q: So then there isn't really a "tradition of Masters." You're saying there were breaks in the teaching.

A: Um...yes.

Q: Never mind, go on with the lesson.

Initiator: "Now, I'll begin and you just witness."

Initiator begins to do ceremony, singing in Sanskrit and waving the fruit, flowers, water, candle, etc. around.

Q: Why are you holding that flower in that odd position?

A: Um....

Q: Why are you dipping the flower in the water?

A: Um...it's the traditional way to give gratitude.

Q: Why are you shaking the flower over your head?

A: It's traditional in India. It's different from the way we do things in America.

Q: Who devised this ceremony?

A: Um....

Q: How long ago was it invented?

A: I don't know.

Q: Why are you putting objects on the tray?

A: Um...Traditional way to give thanks.

Q: Are they gifts to Guru Dev?

A: Um, metaphorically, I guess.

Q: It's only a painting. The painting doesn't have any use for flowers and fruit.

A: Well, that's true.

Q: Why is the painting on a dais, higher than everything else?

A: I guess to honor him.

Q: What's in that bowl?

A: Sandalwood paste.

Q: What's sandalwood paste?

A: I'm not sure. I think it's ground up wood from the sandalwood tree.

Q: What's it for?

A: I think in India, people put it on their foreheads.

Q: Why?

A: I don't know.

Q: What's that stuff there?

A: That's camphor.

Q: What's camphor?

A: I don't know.

Q: What's it good for?

A: I don't know.

Q: What's that stuff?

A: Those are rice grains.

Q: Why are you placing them in front of the picture?

A: Traditional ceremony of gratitude.

Q: I can understand what a flesh-and-blood teacher could do with fruit or flowers. But what's he going to do with a few grains of rice?

A: I don't know.

Q: Why are you waving the candle and incense in circles in front of him?

A: Um....

Q: Now you're holding the flowers in your hands in a prayer position. Are you praying to Guru Dev?

A: No.

Q: Then what are you doing?

A: Um....

Q: Why are you kneeling?

A: It's the traditional ceremony of gratitude.

Q: Are you worshiping Guru Dev?

A: No.

Q: It looks like you're worshiping his picture.

A: No, I'm not.

Q: The Ten Commandments said "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. Thou shalt not make graven images of God." I think this ceremony conflicts with my religion.

A: No, it doesn't.

Q: You said in the introductory lecture that TM doesn't conflict with my religion.

A: It doesn't.

Q: You don't even know what my religion is; so how can you know if it conflicts with my religion or not?

A: Um...TM is just a simple, natural non-religious technique.

Q: You said TM isn't a religion, but you're certainly kneeling in front of that painting like it's a religion.

A: Um....

Q: You gestured for me to kneel.

A: Um....

Q: I can't kneel before a graven image.

A: Okay, then stay standing.

Q: You told me that I would not participate in the ceremony, that I'd just witness it. But you just gestured for me to kneel.

A: Um....

----

End of article.