the end of playing the game

TM: religion, cult, science? 

Sure, why not! 

It's how you play the game, plain and simple. 

An old-time friend wanted to know why I, such a devoted, committed, true-believer (in the old days), quit TM. When I said I began to feel that I was living a lie, he declared a whiff of bovine excrement. He was right.

It was so much more than that. But the words that told the story were short in coming, suddenly. Hard to believe, I know, given my propensity for rants.

What was really going on? what had really gone on?

Some folks find that TM is ok, lets them feel rested and lets them go about their business feeling free-er ... ok, less stressed. Is that a lie, too? Mahesh said, I thought quite rightly, that we judge the effectiveness of meditation by our results in activity. I don't know any TMers any more. Haven't met one in years. Are they good, kind, effective, happy people? Does anyone know? Or is expecting to find good, kind, effective, happy people anywhere a contemporary myth and fantasy?

Unfortunately, like drivers on the highway, we only notice the ones who cause accidents, vehicular trouble. Just as unfortunately, I met lots of TM casualties. To me, they were "proof" that there was something absolutely NOT universal about Mahesh's panacea. Something whiffy about the TMO party-line.

When I compare the true-believing big-wig organizational whoo-has on YouTube (including the head whoo-ha, David Lynch) I wonder just who Maheshism is benefiting, other than whoever is in charge of Mahesh's bank account. I don't see and hear solid-based logic and clarity. I hear proselytising and belief-based fantasy. Perhaps I am jaded (oh, horrors). Yet, I think that is not the case. Logic is logic and I hear alternative-logic, alternative-facts and lofty "spiritual" crap-speak.

Any ideas? experiences, commentaries?

Friends tell me that Leigh Remini's TV episodes on Scientology are informative, worthwhile watching. I shy away from even clarifying-cult talk; it's just too full of the old days, somehow. Will there, ever/someday, be a post-TM-version of Leigh Remmini's courage, clarity and forthcoming? I hope, but do not restrain my respirations.

Mahesh envied Hubbard (his apparent success, anyway) and I guess, like the current U. S. President, tried to outdo what he considered a rival. I see a lot of similarity between Mahesh (the one I knew in private) and the very public current President. One shudders at the thought of what goes on in private in the oval office one hears so little about! but that's probably another story inappropriate for this Blog.

So, what are current TMers like, the Fairfield variety, the ordinary other-than-Fairfield variety, the run-of the mill variety? do they talk like the YouTube variety? are they really successful, skilled in action and so on?

 I, a curious reader, want to know.

"Eternal Truth" from Maharishi Changes Once Again

I believe I have uncovered another example of the changing teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Click on this link to watch an old videotape of Maharishi talking about TM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7ajEzVsuhg
 
Or skip the tape and go straight to my transcription of it, below. 

(The videotape is from an official TM website.  Although their website includes a transcription, I have watched and listened to the tape a half dozen times and have spotted a few minor errors in the transcription.  So my transcription below is slightly different from theirs.)

There is no date (or location) given on the videotape.  However, judging from the color of Mahesh's hair; plus the fact that he uses the word "pencil" as his sample mantra, rather than "flower," which became his standard sample mantra later; plus his stumblings and hesitations in explaining TM, cause me to guess that the tape was made in the mid to late 1960s.

Plus the fact that he offers an explanation for the basic mechanism by which he says TM works,  i.e. "the natural tendency of the mind."  The natural tendency he refers to in this tape is different from the "natural tendency" that he dwelled on in subsequent years.  (I haven't listened to 2015 TM Introductory Lectures - maybe our readers have, and can let us know if this concept is still taught today.)  The "natural tendency" that was impressed upon my generation (1971-1981) was that TM is easy, effortless, natural and effective because it makes use of "the natural tendency of the mind to go in the direction of increasing charm."  This pronouncement has virtually become canonical in the basic teachings of TM. 

Here is my transcript of the relevant first three minutes:

"...The teaching has been set up in a very, very standard form. What we do is…actual practice involves thinking of a word - a word devoid of meaning. We don't know the meaning.  We don't try to know the meaning. And the principle is that if we know the meaning - then meaning is a static thing. If we say 'pencil, pencil,' someone who doesn't know what 'pencil' means in English, he just hears the sound 'pan-sool.'  And someone who knows the 'pencil'…you see, the meaning is static.

"The sound changes in its pitch.  It could be loud sound, it could be low sound or some…so.  And the meaning is the same at every pitch, high or low.  So if the mind is on the meaning, then there is no chance of refining the meaning.  If the mind is not on the meaning, then there is a chance of refining the sound.  Then there is a chance of experiencing the sound in its finer values; til the finest could be transcended, and the awareness could reach that inner wakefulness, devoid of any perception.  This will be transcendental consciousness.

So we take a thought, and experience it, and in experiencing the thought, the simple formula is, that the thought functions as an impulse, as a motivation for the impulse, like that, like that. Then the mind is pulsating. If we don't try to manipulate the thought in any sense, concentrate or hold it on or anything, then the thought will start to be refined, refine, refine; it will sink out.  The activity will start to die out, die out, die out. So this is what we say:  naturally greater activity of the mind reaches its least value - in a very, very natural way. Any activity has a tendency to settle down and be quiet. So this natural tendency of the mind to be quiet is all that we use in meditation, and nothing else. (Emphasis added - Laurie.) So in a very innocent manner we think of the thought. And every time we think it, it becomes finer and finer and finer. We experience its finer states, and then it dies out...."

Have you ever heard this earlier explanation before?  Does this explanation make sense?  Does the newer explanation make sense?  Or can you suggest a better explanation for how and why TM produces the results it does?  What do you think is actually happening when a person does TM? 

Mahesh told my generation that his name, "rishi" means "seer;" that is, seer of the Vedas, which he told us is the Eternal Truth.  So what do you make of Mahesh changing his core explanation?  Was it opportunistic, or sincere, or what? Did this "great seer" not see the "eternal truth"? 

And anything else you'd care to comment on!

At Least Maharishi Never Claimed to Be God ???

 At Least Maharishi Never Claimed to be God

That was a comment I made to a former TMer.  I was comparing the teachings I received from Maharishi with the teachings of other gurus who had come from India to the West.  I was suggesting that in this particular area, we former TMers had less recovery work to do than former members of other groups who had been told that their guru was actually God.

My friend replied incredulously, "Never claimed to be God!  Mahesh claimed to be greater than God!"

Oh.  Oops.  Did I miss something?  My friend soon supplied me with the following quotation, from: 

http://www.ayurveda-florida.com/articles_ayurvedic_medicine_diet_lifestyle_dhanvantari_ayurveda_center_ayurveda_education_programs/Hinduism/mmy_on_role_of_a_guru.htm

The above is not a TMO site.  When and where this conversation took place is not recorded.  Read it and decide for yourself.

"MMY on Role of A Guru

Dr Hagelin: ‘Maharishi, there is a question on the special role of the teacher, the Guru, in gaining the full awakening of enlightenment. The reporter asks, “In every news conference, Maharishi pays tribute to his teacher and to the tradition of Vedic teachers for giving the knowledge and technique of Transcendental Meditation to gain enlightenment. Is the technique of Transcendental Meditation and other advanced programmes sufficient to gain enlightenment, or is there an indispensable role that a teacher plays to guide an individual on the path to enlightenment? And if so, what would that role be?” ’ Maharishi: ‘The role is that the teacher is absolutely woven into this knowledge. And when the knowledge is in our awareness, it is the total teacher that is in our awareness. It says in the Vedic Literature about the teacher, “Na Guror Adhikam, Na Guror Adhikam, Na Guror Adhikam.” There is nothing greater than Guru; there is nothing greater than Guru; there is nothing greater than Guru, because Guru is the embodiment of all that is greatest.

‘Guru is Brahm. “Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnur.” These are not the words of adoration; this is the description of the reality of Guru. Guru is on the level of Totality personified. When Guru speaks, it is the Totality that speaks. Words of the Guru are the words of the Veda. Veda is only heard from the Guru. So Guru means the Totality. If one is in the sense of Guru all the time, one is in the sense of total Natural Law and its total organizing power; there is nothing greater than that.

‘That is why Guru is completely natural in our awareness. It is not a matter of anything that is from outside or anything. It is completely natural. It is simple. It is Totality. It is a great thing. One knows it in being that level of relationship. “Na Guror Adhikam”—there is nothing greater than Guru, nothing greater than Guru.

‘Guru Purnima is the Full Moon of the Guru—one day of the year. In the Vedic Calendar, each day is attributed to some Devata, to some special creative intelligence—Sun, Moon, Shiva, Vishnu, and all. There are an enormous number of Devatas, embodiments of the Kriya Shakti. “Kriya Shakti” is the power of action. There are two things, basically: the silence and action, silence and activity, infinite silence and infinite activity, and both in perfect accord with each other. Perfect silence, perfect dynamism: this is Brahm—this is Totality.

‘The Guru is Totality. He has, as it is said in the Vedic Literature and with reference to what Dr John Hagelin just said, “Pripad Asyamritam Divi”. That means three-fourths is Amrit. “Amrit” means eternal. Three-fourths is eternal; one-fourth is juggling around.

‘Three-fourths is eternal. This is what makes us stand on our own feet eternally. We are embedded in the three-fourths of the unmanifest, as Dr Hagelin said. This unmanifest, this Avyakta, is three-fourths, and the manifest is one-fourth. Three-fourths is unmanifest; one-fourth is manifest. The changes take place in the unmanifest. What continues in the field of flow is three-fourths. So the dominant factor is three-fourths of Totality....We are announcing a very, very effective program where the achievements will be a matter of much shorter time. Centuries have gone and in every generation, the wise have been searching for it, searching for it, searching for it. But now, with the blessings of our Master and the spiritual Vedic Tradition of Masters, we are blessed. We are offering ourselves and all our achievements and all our understandings and all our knowledge and all our future programs to the lotus feet of Shri Guru Dev. Jai Guru Dev.’ "

I also recall Mahesh saying on one of my courses, "Guru is greater than God, for without him I would never have met my God."  But then, I also heard Sat Guru Maharaj Ji (aka "the little fat boy," an Indian child-guru who came to the West circa 1973) say those words too.

What do you think?  Was Mahesh just speaking in hyperbole about his own guru - or about himself, or was he actually trying to instill in his followers a belief that he himself was greater than God?  Have you wrestled with the belief that Maharishi might be God?

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.

The Charisma of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Founder of Transcendental Meditation

About a month ago, I attended a 2-hour workshop on healing through movement. After this brief workshop, I wanted to immediately buy the presenter's book, take his classes, do home practice off his audiotapes, immerse myself in his technique and philosophy, and become a true believer, practitioner and follower.

I had to shake myself awake! It was only because of my years in recovery from TM that I so quickly recognized that I was thinking irrationality. Why would I become a "true believer" after only 2 hours?

I picked apart my reactions, and realized that what I had been reacting to had been the teacher's "charismatic" presentation. Here is what he did that won me over:

1. He appears absolutely sure of the truth of his knowledge.

2. His teaching encompassed sweeping areas of life (health, biology, movement, evolution, physiology, healing, the brain).

3. His teaching was internally consistent.

4. He promised us great things.
(fluidity of movement, no more aches and pains, healing of chronic injuries).

5. He backed up his promises both with fascinating anecdotes and with quotes from science.

6. He appeared knowledgeable about his competitors' products, and discredited them in a way both loving and condescending.

7. His teaching was original and off the beaten track.

8. His personality was attractive (a happy, warm man.)

9. He promised his technique would give me exactly what I longed for (relief from chronic pain and healthy aging.)

Put this all together, and it was so easy to take the internal steps from, "How nice if this were true," to "Wow, there is some evidence that this is true," to "This must be true. How lucky I am to have found it!"

Upon reflection, I could see how closely this brief experience paralleled my experience with Maharishi. Each of the qualities I experienced in this exercise teacher, I also experienced 40 years earlier in Maharishi:

1. Maharishi seemed absolutely convinced of the truth of his knowledge. No gray areas.

2. Maharishi's teachings encompassed physical, mental, emotional, social, financial, governmental, educational, philosophical and spiritual regeneration.

3. His teachings were internally consistent. (If you didn't dig too deep.)

4. He promised great things for us: enlightenment, having the support of nature and inner peace; and later he also promised us perfect health, immortality, and world peace.

5. He backed up his promises with endless fascinating anecdotes of people who he said had benefited from TM, as well as appeals based on scientific research.

6. He described what he said were the different types of meditations, and explained why his meditation technique was superior. He quoted scientific research to back it up.

7. His teaching was original and off the beaten track.

8. His personality was attractive (joyous, bubbly, happy).

9. He promised that his technique would give me exactly what I personally longed for (peace of mind, self-esteem.)

So it wasn't surprising that at the naive age of 19, I fell under the sway of Maharishi and his teachings.

What were your experiences of the persuasive powers of Maharishi?

As long as I'm talking about Maharishi's public appeal, I wanted to comment on Maharishi's physical appearance. It's ironic that TM teachers became known for looking "corporate" (business suits, clean shaven, etc.), - Maharishi had a strict dress code - because in fact, Maharishi looked like the quintessential "flower child." He had the long hair, flowing beard , beads, carried a flower, sandals or bare feet, sat cross-legged, talked about love. In fact, his only lapse was wearing a dhoti instead of blue jeans and a tie-dyed shirt! Which came first - Maharishi, with flower children emulating him? Or flower children, with Maharishi imitating them?

Acting Funny Around Money

This essay is a preliminary examination of the painfully dysfunctional way some of us acted around money when we were involved in the TM life. I invite you to take a walk with me down memory lane, and see if you, like me, remember moments during your time in TM when your thinking around money, or the thinking of those you knew, was seriously askew. Hopefully, this will be an opportunity to recall, to re-evaluate, and to heal. One question I have found helpful to ask myself is, "What thoughts were going through my head to permit me to engage in these seriously dysfunctional behaviors? " I also invite you, if you so choose, to invent a different ending - how the incident would have played out if we had been acting from a place of sanity and empowerment. If you would like, share your memories and alternate endings with us in the comments section.

To start the ball rolling, I will share seven true stories from my TM days of "acting funny around money." Some of these stories are humorous, but some of them have tragic outcomes. I think they all reflect how Maharishi's teachings wreaked havoc with our sanity around money.

1. When I was about 19, in 1972, I lent my boyfriend $100 for some emergency. He promised he would repay me. A few months later, I asked him for the money back. He didn't have it; however, he admitted that he had recently attended a TM weekend residence course. I was angry. "How could you go off and spend money on a vacation when you still owed me money?" He replied huffily, "Well, which is more important for the evolution of the universe? Returning the money to you, or going on a residence course?!" I could think of no reply.

What was going on? The answer is that my boyfriend and I had recently attended a one-month TM rounding course, where Maharishi lectured three times a day. Maharishi had taught us that meditating, and in particular rounding, was the most important thing we could do for the "evolution of the universe." So my boyfriend and I were both responding to Maharishi's persuasive words, pounded into our brains with the sledgehammer of rounding.

What might be a re-empowered, sane alternate ending? Perhaps it would be me saying,"I lent you that money with the understanding that you would pay me back as soon as your emergency passed. I did not volunteer to subsidize your contribution to the evolution of the universe. If that is your personal goal, fine. Amass some money and attend a TM course. But how dare you make me an involuntary patron of your dream."

2. When I worked at Livingston Manor, NY, USA as a volunteer/work-study student in 1975-76, we were given room, board, credits towards TM courses, and $25 monthly stipend (for toothpaste, stamps, etc.) One day the word came down from on high that our clothes were too "hippie." We were told that we were not to wear leather sandals any more. We objected, partly due to the expense. "Now come on," the higher ups told us, "you ladies can buy some very nice boots (boots were in style that year) for not much, only about $25." There was a brief awkward pause, as I, and I assume other volunteers, were thinking, "$25? That's the money I need for my toothpaste and shampoo. That's how much I earn in an entire month!" But I didn't say anything, and neither did anyone else.

Why not? Maybe because I was trained by the TM organization to not complain, to sit on my doubts, to not express an independent attitude. We were afraid of being considered troublemakers. We were often shut up with, "Well, this is Maharishi's express wish." That announcement would be followed by an ominous? an awkward? silence, in which it was implied that if you still disagreed, you were not a trustworthy member of the community.

What would have been an empowered, sane response? The volunteers could have said, "You're only giving us $25 a month. There's no way we can afford new clothes on that stipend. If you want us to buy new clothes, you need to raise our stipend." And then we should have all stuck to it.

3. Around 1974, a TM teacher I knew who had an engineering degree would get himself a high-paying full time engineering job. After six months, he would earn enough money to take a 6-week ATR ("advanced training and rest" rounding for TM teachers) course. At that point, he would quit his job and go on the course. (Six weeks were the longest courses they had back in those days!) After the ATR, he would start looking for another engineering job. The interviewers would naturally question him about his spotty work history: "You keep leaving your jobs after six months! Why should we hire you?" "Oh, no!" he would assure them, "Those days are passed. From now on I intend to keep my job for years." Companies kept hiring him, and he continued to quit after six months to go on another ATR, and then look for a new job again.

Rationale: Since we had been taught that TM was the best thing we could possibly do for ourselves, and that the more TM we did, the more we would have "support of nature," and things would magically go right, he risked his financial stability, his reputation, his resume, his job stability, his chances for promotion, his chances for a pension, by continually quitting his jobs.

Saner alternative ending: Clearly, don't keep quitting your jobs. I don't know how long his luck held out or if he eventually stopped getting hired. It would take a giant re-evaluation of his entire belief system to change this behavior. "If it's possible that Maharishi is not telling the truth, that rounding isn't going to make my life magically work, then I have to have contingency plans, like keeping a job."

4. About 1978, a TM teacher/governor friend of mine got engaged to a TM teacher. He hadn't learned the sidhis, and he didn't have the money to pay for the sidhis course. So she lent him the $5,000 for the course. He attended part of the course, but halfway through he was kicked off for roaming around the roof at midnight when he couldn't sleep. He never did pay her back. She eventually broke off the engagement.

Rationale: If you believe that the TM-Sidhis makes everyone a new person, a person with magical abilities, life-supporting decision-making capabilities and the support of nature, then getting engaged to a grown man who doesn't have a penny to his name and is willing to borrow $5,000 from his fiancee to learn the TM-Sidhis seems like a sane decision.

Alternate, non-dysfunctional ending: "Well, I am attracted to you. But you don't have a job. And you don't have any money. I certainly am not going to get engaged to you, or loan you money. If you think the TM-Sidhis are a good thing, why don't you go out and get the money from somewhere - get a job, or get a loan (not from me), and attend the course. When you come back after the course, let's see if you're the changed person we believe you'll be. Let's see if you get a job. Let's see if you become responsible. I'll decide then if I want to marry you."

5. 1979-1981, I was on the "Creating Coherence Course" in Fairfield, Iowa, USA. I was hired by Sidha Corporation International to work at the Super Radiance Art Glass factory. I was promised room, board, the ongoing course (use of the meditation hall and evening meetings) and $75/month stipend. For two months, all C.C.C. course participants working at the factory got everything promised, including the $75. The third month, our supervisor told us that the company wasn't making enough money, and they could only afford to pay us $30 each. No one protested. After that month, they never gave us a stipend again, for the 12 months I continued to work there. No one complained. No one said a word.

Interpretation: I, and I assume the others, felt like I was part of something giant and wonderful. I was helping to create world peace. (Remember, Bevan said, "If you leave Fairfield, you are personally responsible for World War III.") Also, I was scared to complain. If I did, they might have labeled me a "troublemaker" or an "unstresser" or "ungrateful," and then I might get kicked off the course, or denied admission to advanced courses. And I was too spaced out from meditating five hours a day to be able to think it through clearly. I assumed that if a TM-owned company was making the decision, it must be a "life-supporting" decision. I also didn't want to complain to outside authorities and make the TM movement "look bad."

Saner solution: Discuss the situation with the other course participants. Come up with a plan, such as to threaten to quit if we were not paid the stipend we were promised, or to report the company to outside authorities.

6. 1981, M.I.U., Fairfield, Iowa, USA. I was friends with some work/study kitchen staff. They got room, board, an ongoing course (use of the meditation hall and evening meetings) and $75/month stipend. There was a special event - a TM fund-raising banquet in the campus' fanciest dining room. My friends cooked for, set up, and were allowed to attend the banquet, along with the rich contributors. After a fabulous meal and inspiring speeches, rich attendees promised hundreds and thousands of dollars for the latest TM venture (possibly the construction of the meditation domes at M.I.U.). My friends, inspired by the event, stood up and pledged half their stipends for as long as they worked at M.I.U. towards the project. I was horrified. What a sacrifice, to give up $37 a month, and to try to live on $37 a month. Let the wealthy people who could afford it do the contributing.

Interpretation: Guilt-tripping. Group pressure. Desire to feel important. Desire to feel part of something important.

Re-empowered alternate ending: Staff resist pressure, and do not pledge any money. Even better, demand a full accounting of all the finances of the TMO, and ask for a raise.

7. 1981, M.I.U. I had some stocks my parents had given me, and I was trying to figure out how to invest my new wealth most wisely. Some course participants overheard me, and encouraged me to buy an "investment ruby" through them. They encouraged me to sell my stocks, at a 30% loss, and to throw in most of my own personal savings, to buy the ruby. When I expressed reluctance, the broker actually shouted at me, "That's Age of Ignorance thinking!" He said that rubies were going to go up tremendously in value. After all, we were all sidhas, living in a community of sidhas, and any decisions we made would have the support of nature. He also emphasized that I had better invest immediately, before the prices started going up. Part of "Age of Ignorance thinking," he said, was that if you think negatively, then it was going to happen.

I had always been taught to "not put all your eggs in one basket," and I knew that before you invest, you should do plenty of research, and I also had been taught not to speculate - that "if it looks too good to be true, it probably isn't." However, those were rules for non-sidhas, and they didn't seem so persuasive against the broker's arguments. I did try to discuss my reservations with a friend, but she refused to talk with me about it, saying, "I can't give you any advice, because that would be going against Maharishi's latest instructions that we should all be self-sufficient." Not knowing what else to do, I did sell my stocks at a loss, and added in most of my personal savings, as the broker recommended, and bought the ruby. Within a year, the ruby's value had gone down to almost nothing. I now was virtually penniless. I lived hand-to-mouth for about four years after that, working desperately trying to make ends meet. During those four years, I remember having $2 in my bank account. I remember sneaking the rent envelope out of the mailbox because I didn't have the money to pay my rent. I remember carrying two meals in my knapsack because I couldn't afford to eat out. I remember picking wild apples and wild lettuce in Boston parks because I couldn't afford to eat out. I remember wanting to see a doctor for a suspicious skin condition, but not going because I didn't have the $20.

Why: Brainwashed. Magical thinking. After 1.5 years of hearing daily videos of Maharishi, I believed in the infallible ability of sidhas to have "support of nature," and in the collective power of groups of sidhas. Due to 1.5 years of rounding, I couldn't think it through clearly.

New empowered ending: Take my time, and research investment alternatives. Do not be swayed by TM thinking. But how much work and effort would that have entailed? Would it have even been possible, considering the environment I was immersed in?

So, there you have it - a few of my TM and money memories. How about you? Do you have a story you'd like to share, about how you, or someone you knew, acted "funny around money" due to their immersion in Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's belief system?

"Unhooking" from TM Beliefs

If you have been reading TM-Free Blog for some time, then you are probably familiar with the theory that at TM residence courses, participants, by meditating many times a day, experienced reduced critical thinking ability which left them susceptible to having Maharishi’s beliefs installed into their minds without their consent. Many of us, myself included, returned home from these courses with new beliefs that we had not freely chosen.

In the “Comments” section of my TM-Free Blog essay “Post-Hypnotic Suggestion and Trance Logic,” published 2/06/09, Gina has wittily and brilliantly compiled a list of many of the beliefs she was taught by the TM movement. Since Maharishi’s teachings changed from week to week, each of us who spent time in the movement will have a different list. One technique that I have found helpful in “unhooking” from the TM movement is to make my own list, look at every item on it, decide whether I actually believe that item or not, and if I believe it only because Maharishi said it was true but I have no other reason for believing it, to consciously remove it from my beliefs, and to break the taboo and do it.

By doing this, I have discovered that, for me at least, all the beliefs are linked together in my brain. Therefore, as long as I believe and continue to obey even one proscription, I find myself reeled into the entire Maharishi belief system.

For example, when I first attempted to separate myself from the TM movement, I came up with two strategies: choosing a new mantra for myself, and meditating in the lying-down position. I thought that by meditating in this manner I had broken Maharishi’s hold over me. It was only when someone encouraged me to cease any sort of TM-related meditating for the sake of my recovery that I gave up my new and improved technique. When I gave it up, I discovered that even though I had changed two variables in the TM technique, I had still been meditating two times a day, 20 minutes each time, morning and evening, before breakfast and before dinner, on an empty stomach, starting with one half minute of silence and ending with two minutes of silence, and using the mantra in the exact way Maharishi had taught us.

It was only when I quit meditating all together, I realized just how thoroughly I still believed. I found myself fearfully thinking, “Oh no! I can’t give up meditating. It is my safety net, assuring me physical health, mental health, spiritual progress, support of nature and superiority to other people!” Stopping meditating all together helped me break the pull of those beliefs. And when I stopped meditating, I felt as if a weight of grief had been lifted from my shoulders.

I have also discovered that, for myself at least, it is important for the sake of my recovery to unearth, question and reverse every single tiny little insignificant belief associated with TM. (I believe this is what Sudarsha, one of the contributing writers for TMFree, has referred to as "clawing ones way out of the Maheshistic belief system, one millimeter at a time.")

For instance, on my TM Teacher Training Course in La Antilla, Spain in 1974, Maharishi instructed us to never blow out candles, (specifically, candles used during TM initiation) but to fan them out with one’s hand. More than ten years after leaving TM, I realized that I was still fanning out candles. I believed that this was certainly an inconsequential rule, but I decided that for the sake of my recovery, I would stop fanning out candles as an experiment. So I blew out the next available candle, and to my surprise, I found fear and a number of beliefs parading through my mind: “Oh no! Blowing out that candle was a bad move! My life force goes out of my body when I blow out a candle! That weakens me! My life force is precious. It needs to be preserved. My body is a delicate vessel, especially since I have been spiritually purifying it all these years. Preserving the life force will lead to enlightenment. Therefore having sex is bad. Hmm, is this why I have been uncomfortable hugging my partner? Is this why I’ve been scared to have sex?”

It was amazing how many significant beliefs and behaviors were connected to that one minor proscription. So in the spirit of recovery, I am listing all the beliefs I can remember that I imbibed during my time in the TM organization between 1971 and 1981. Maybe they will remind you of beliefs you didn’t realize you still had. Or maybe they will inspire you to write up your own list. If you'd like, share your list in the “Comments” section. What have been your experiences with “unhooking” from the beliefs that Maharishi taught?

MY PERSONAL LIST OF TM BELIEFS

Ingesting:
Don’t eat: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, onions, garlic, mushrooms, peanuts, chocolate, coffee, tea, cooked honey, brown rice.
Eat lots of: nuts (especially almonds), fruits (especially oranges), milk products (especially yogurt), honey, white rice.
Don’t partake of cigarettes, alcohol, recreational drugs.
Do the TM “grace” before meals, silently, with eyes closed.

Meditating:
Never miss a meditation.
20 minutes each time.
Twice a day.
Don’t say the mantra aloud, or write it, or think it outside of meditation.
Don’t teach anyone except by the approved 7 steps.
Meditate in a sitting position.
Do not meditate when the stomach is full.
Meditate before breakfast and before dinner.
Don't meditate right before bed.
Start with ½ minute of silence, and end with 2 minutes of silence.
Put pets out of the room when you meditate – they will drain your energy.
All other meditation techniques are inferior- don’t do them.
Use the mantra in this manner: (well, you know what I mean).
TM is not a religion.

Hatha Yoga:
Lie down for the amount of time instructed before doing hatha yoga. (Specified time, taught on different courses, varied from 10 minutes to 30 minutes.)
Do the yoga postures that you were taught by the TM organization.
Do them in the order taught.
Do them for 10 to 20 seconds each.
Do them in the manner taught.
Do the yoga postures immediately before doing pranayama (yogic breathing exercises.)
Do pranayama the way it was taught in the TM organization, for the amount of time taught, and immediately before doing TM.

(Side note: I recently took a hatha yoga class. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised at how much benefit and pleasure I got from doing the postures the way my experienced yoga teacher taught them! We did postures that I didn't learn in TM, and we held them a lot longer than 20 seconds, and we did them in a different order, and she showed me better ways to do some of the postures that I had learned in TM. [I’d been doing at least one wrong for 20 years with no results.] Personally, I recommend taking a yoga class, or learning from a yoga book, or even practicing hatha yoga from a yoga magazine, to get unhooked from "TM asanas.")

Clothes:
Only wear natural fibers.
Don’t wear hand-me-downs.
Wear bright colors.
Women, cover up your arms and legs.
If Maharishi touches your coral bead necklace, he has "blessed" them.
Wearing the beads next to your skin will help your spiritual growth.
Don't let anyone touch the beads after Maharishi has touched them, or it will undo the blessing.
Dignified clothes are best.

Mental Health:
Psychotherapy is bad for you.
Don’t see a therapist.
To heal emotional problems:
- do TM
- go on residence courses
- do more asanas
- bath more frequently ("Psychological problems are caused by not bathing frequently enough." - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi)
- read the Ninth Mandala (Sama Veda) out loud.

Sex:
Sex is bad for you.
Having sex slows down spiritual growth.
One of the worst things you can do for your spiritual progress is to have sex if you're not married.
When you have sex, you exchange karma with your partner.
Only lifetime celibates can achieve immortality.
Don't have public displays of affection.

Miscellany:
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is a supernormal person. He is not a person like you and me.
Women, stay in bed for the first three days of your menstrual cycle.
Don’t criticize, don’t gossip.
When you say curse words or dirty words, you create a demon.
That which you put your attention on grows stronger.
Many sidhas putting their attention on something causes results.
Social and political action is a waste of time.
Do not place on the floor any flowers that you will be offering.
Do not sniff flowers that you will be offering.
Sleep with your head facing east.
Be in bed by 10:00 p.m.

Oh yes, and fan out your candles – don’t blow them out.

Post-Hypnotic Suggestion and Trance Logic

"How could I have believed such dumb stuff? And how come I still believe it sometimes? And how come I went against my morals and lied to people when I was a TM teacher? And how come I couldn't see through Maharishi's pathetic so-called logic?"

Those are four good questions that some people who have left the TM organization ask themselves.

Looking at the TM experience through the lens of post-hypnotic suggestion and trance logic may provide a possible answer to these questions.

A post-hypnotic suggestion is an instruction the hypnotist gives the subject while the subject is in the hypnotic state, which the subject is to carry out after he is out of that state. For instance, the hypnotist may say to her subject, "A few minutes after I take you out of the hypnotic state, I will say the word 'horseradish.' When I do, that will be your cue to lie down on the floor." The hypnotist then awakens the subject from his hypnotic state. A few minutes later, she says 'horseradish." And sure enough, the subject lies down on the floor.

Ha ha. Stage hypnotists have gotten laughs for this sort of entertainment. Now the story gets even more interesting. The hypnotist says to the person on the floor, "Why are you lying on the floor?" The floor-lier does not reply, "Why, because you gave me a post-hypnotic suggestion to lie down when you said 'horseradish'." Nor does he say, "I had this sudden impulse to lie down on the floor, but I don't know where it came from." Instead, he says, "I was tired; I just had to lie down." Strange, huh?

It gets even stranger. The hypnotist presses the person, saying, "If you were tired, why didn't you go back to your seat? Why did you lie on the floor on the stage in front of this whole audience?" Now the subject does not answer, "You're right. I sure am behaving strangely." Instead he says, "I felt too tired to walk all the way back to my seat," or "I'm more comfortable lying down than sitting, " or "The chairs smell funny," or "It's healthy to rest on a hard surface."

This is known as "trance logic." Trance logic is garbled logic, logic used to rationalize trance-related moments, logic that the person would find unsatisfactory under normal circumstances. The person is not aware he is rationalizing, and he is not aware that his logic is faulty.

For some of us, our TM beliefs and behaviors may have been acquired in a similar way. For instance, in 1972 I attended a residence course where we meditated up to six times a day. I started that residence course as a skeptic about TM. I came out one month later as a true believer who wanted to become a TM teacher. If you had asked me back then what happened on that course to change my beliefs, I would have said that I had learned new and wonderful things, that I saw the light, and that I was convinced by the scientists. What I would not have said was, "Meditating many times a day produced something akin to a hypnotic trance, and I was given a post-hypnotic suggestion to believe in TM and to become a TM teacher."

A person very dear to me attended a similar one-month TM course in 1974, and wrote me during the course, "I have a sensation like I am holding onto a wall, and a strong wind is tearing me off the wall, moving me to become a TM teacher, and it is only a matter of time before I will give way." After the TM course, she, like I, became a TM teacher. Looking back, 35 years later, her words sound to me like she could have been describing a post-hypnotic suggestion being implanted. Her words almost sound like a plea for help. What do you think?

When I went on my TM teacher training course in 1974, I meditated up to 12 times a day. On that course we were taught - or given a post-hypnotic suggestion? - to lie to our students if we thought it would help spread the TM message.

Maybe some attendees really did see the light or were convinced by the scientists. But how about me? How about you? Did you become a TM true believers because you were given post-hypnotic suggestions to believe? Did I, did you, lie to TM students, despite our ethical standards, because of post-hypnotic suggestions to lie? Did I, did you, rationalize this lying, due to trance logic? And did I, did you, use tortured logic to defend the TM movement because of trance logic?

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 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.)

Book Review. My Father's Guru: A Journey through Spirituality and Disillusion by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. 1992, 174 pages.

From time to time, commentors and contributors to TMFree have suggested books that they have found relevant. I have recently read a few of them, and thought you might enjoy a few book reviews. This is the third in the series.

In 1947, when Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson was 6 years old, his father brought home "Dr." Paul Brunton, a soft spoken, mild mannered sweet little Englishman. Brunton, a minor author of "spiritual" literature in the early 20th century, was to become Masson Sr.'s guru for the next 19 years. During those years, "Brunton" (the name he gave himself) lectured, philosophized, led, cajoled, encouraged celibacy (leading to mental health problems in the family), supported fasting, advised, taught a form of meditation which brought no results but which the family nevertheless practiced for over a decade, inspired, instructed, lived with and sponged off the Masson family.

He was modest and disarming, underwhelming in appearance. He never took sexual advantage of his disciples, and he didn't always accept the large sums of money Mason Sr. offered him. But what he did do was claim to have a Ph.D., be a Sanskrit scholar, foresee the future, talk with higher beings, have a grand mission to save the human race, remember his past lives, be a sage, be from another planet, and to know the answer to all questions.

He invented a quasi Hindu/ Buddhist/ Theosophical system. He never admitted ignorance on any topic, secular or spiritual. If he didn't have an an answer, he would give a mysterious smile that seemed to say that he had secret knowledge that he was not at liberty to share, or alternately he would invent an answer.

Here are a few of his teachings (paraphrased), to give you a taste of what he offered.

On his powers: "Should you ever feel a hostile force, immediately kneel, then say very firmly, 'I command you in the name, by the power and compassion of Paul Brunton, to come out of my body.' Then make a sign of the cross...No evil force can withstand this."

On reincarnation: "All my incarnations were not on this planet. Life on other planets are inhabited by higher beings. They never come to visit us because we are not worthy."

On evolution: "Man did not evolve from the monkey. The race of apes came from a sexual union between primitive man and female beasts."

On his mission: "Buddha himself foresaw that a new teacher would arise within a few thousand years after himself...with a higher spiritual status than himself, within this current century."

On the family's financial problems: "Either earn more or spend less." (This said in a solemn, sage voice.)

On his teachings: "Any negative thought my disciples may have about this path, their guru and his powers are at best tests and at worst the work of external mischief-makers."

Jeffrey lived a double life. His normal-looking outside life consisted of school, extracurricular activities, friends, etc. Then there was the secret life he, his family, the other disciples and Brunton shared. Jeffrey never told his friends that there was a guru living in his house on and off for 19 years, that his family was specially favored by God, that his parents sometimes fasted for 40 days until they were skeletal, and that the only topics discussed in the house was spirituality and esoterica, filtered through Brunton's philosophy.

After 19 years, the family fell out with Brunton after he inaccurately predicted the imminent arrival of World War III and had his disciples pull up stakes in the U.S. and move to South America to avoid the coming radioactive fallout. Jeffrey made his own escape when adolescent independent thinking kicked in. He studied Sanskrit and Pali, and discovered that Brunton had lied about being a Sanskrit scholar, and that Buddha had never made any predictions about a guru appearing in the 20th century. He broke the family's "gentleman's agreement" of not asking Brunton embarrassing personal questions, forcing Brunton to reveal his inconsistencies. And he caught Brunton in a parlor trick which Brunton was perpetrating in order to convince his disciples that he had psychic powers.

I felt both horror and fascination as I read this book. What, I wondered, would make perfectly intelligent people give their minds, their money, and 19 years of their life to a person and a system so obviously flawed and fraudulent? Here is some of what I theorize happened to the Masson family. Perhaps as Isaac Newton said, things in motion tend to remain in motion and things at rest tend to remain at rest. Objects continue on their paths until they are met with an immovable object. Continuing to believe in Brunton was the path of least resistance. Brunton combined the carrot and the stick - he appealed to his disciples' pride, desire to be special and to have esoteric wisdom, and to their fear of falling outside the loop of this charmed life. Also, Masson's family lived in a closed system - they socialized only with other disciples, who could reinforce each other's awe for Brunton. And maybe Jeffrey's family and Brunton got caught in a strange unconscious dance, where he craved to be admired and they craved a guru. He offered "proofs" of his specialness, which caused them to put him on a pedestal, and then to demand more extreme proofs of his specialness, which caused him to produce grander and more entrenched lies, until eventually Brunton himself may have come to believe his own lies. And, the longer the Masson family followed Brunton, the harder it became to admit that they had been hoodwinked.

Ever since I left the TM movement after 10 years in it, I have been asking myself how I could have totally believed a system so full of contradictions, and why I found it so hard to leave. An exit counselor once told me that a helpful tool in assisting a person to leave a cult is to educate them about a different cult. The objectivity that comes with distance makes it easy to see the craziness of the other group, and the cult member can then more easily spot the dysfunctional systems holding oneself hostage to ones own cult. As I ponder what held the Massons captive, I am struck by some of the parallels
with Maharishi and the TM movement. Maybe reading about this family will help others gain more insight into their own life journey and become a little more free.

"Larry King Live!" July 31st interviews Juliana Buhring of 'Children of God'/ 'The Family'

Keep your eyes peeled for "Larry King Live" on July 31st! (I hope Larry King doesn't change the program's date)

Juliana is young, beautiful, intelligent and a dynamic speaker! This interview undoubtedly will be wrenching and enlightening for American viewers!

Her memoir with her sisters "Not Without My Sister" was a 2007 & 2008 bestseller in UK and Australia; their publisher, Harper Collins, did not promote the book well in the USA.

Juliana and her siblings were raised around the world in the cult 'Children of God'/'The Family', the ultimate Bible-based free love group, which included ample 'sharing love' with everyone including children, i.e. pedophilia as religious practice.

The 'Children of God' organization now officially denies these teachings. Their leadership remains in hiding.

Juliana unrelentingly publicizes damage wrought to children raised within destructive groups, and works to create international codes for child protection, including removal of statutes of limitations which protect perpetrators.

Juliana is driven by concern for her younger siblings still within the group, and for others who live with crippling psychosis or who've needlessly died.

You won't want to miss this one!

Juliana's engaging, heartfelt stories, matter of fact humor, and poise are a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.

Devotion

Devotional Video honoring Maharishi's Message January 2008, Maharishi European Research University, Vlodrop, The Netherlands

Victory Day Celebration October 2007, Vlodrop, The Netherlands
(MUST SEE! Rajas performing group puja!)

Guru Purnima celebration July 2007, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa USA


Universal Love and Peace by 2012 An Interview with John Briganti from Maharshi TM Center in Beverly Hills, California

Dr. Benson and the Faith Factor

I remember when Dr. Benson was one of the performing acts in the TMO circus. Of course, then, it was called an SCI Symposium. Dr. Benson was brilliant. I remember enjoying his very extensive talk. And I remember that he wasn't interested in being one of Mahesh's "acts" (like Orm-Johnson and Hagelin, et al.). It must also be noted that Dr. Benson specifically did not learn TM so that it would not interfere with his opinions or prejudice his research, I do not believe that this is something that the people who have turned out the 600+ TM "scientific studies" are able to legitimately affirm as part of their research protocol.

Then, of course, heresy of heresies, Dr. Benson took Mahesh up on his suggestion to study TM. I'm sure the current take on this by the TMO is extensively edited. But it was indeed Mahesh who recommended that Dr. Benson study the results of TM.

Dr. Benson did just this. And for the benefit of many Dr. Benson formulated the Relaxation Response. Actually, Dr. Benson formulated a simple, natural method to elicit the relaxation response, deep but conscious rest.

The text The Relaxation Response is still a best seller and can be learned quite successfully and inexpensively from the text or from many health care facilities in the US and Canada.

I recommend, for example, http://www.vhl.org/newsletter/vhl1997/97dafait.htm as an interesting source for seeing what the basics are all about and how faith and belief influence our daily lives. As well, please take a look at the Benson-Henry Instutite for Mind Body Medicine (http://www.mbmi.org/home/).

Best wishes to all of our readers for a healthy and prosperous New Year, one free from cult thought and cult mind control.

Sudarsha and the Editors of TM-Free

Read more >> Options >>

The Heart of a Cult

Cult is as cult does.

Our stories with MMY and the TM Movement are not unique.

Review of "The Heart of a Cult" by Lena Phoenix.

Cult is as cult does.

Denial Makes the World Go Round

An interesting article about the dual purpose that denial serves for human coping.

Many of us crossed the line to detrimental denial in justifying continued Movement involvement, or avoiding facing it full-on after departure. Enjoy!

Denial makes the world go round.

Calling a spade a spade may be painful, but it's the only way to wake up and recover.

If it walks like a cult, quacks like a cult, acts like a cult, and looks like a cult.. well then...

The Raja speaks : It's your fault/obligation. Please come!

Invincible America

For Information and to apply to the course: www.InvincibleAmerica.org

Please Read Immediately

OPEN LETTER FROM DR. JOHN HAGELIN
TO AMERICA'S YOGIC FLYERS

September 24, 2007

Dear Fellow Governors and Sidhas:

I had the great honor of announcing in July to Maharishi and the world press the results of the first year of our Invincible America Assembly.

The news was excellent-and exactly what we had predicted one year earlier: a record-breaking stock market and a surprisingly robust economy; mounting bipartisan support for a peaceful resolution of the Iraq conflict; improved relations with North Korea, including an unexpected treaty; and fewer natural disasters (in fact, no hurricanes hit the US mainland in over a year-defying the predictions of every respected meteorologist in the country!).

The cause of such extraordinarily good news is an established scientific fact: nearly 1800 Yogic Flyers assembled together in groups in Maharishi University of Management and Maharishi Vedic City-enough to create a high degree of coherent national consciousness-the basis for a healthy, peaceful, prosperous, invincible nation.

But now, two months later, it's a different story. The market has turned volatile, peace efforts in Iraq have stalled, and US-Iran relations are flaring up again.

Why? There are now up to 200 fewer Yogic Flyers in the flying halls.

I write to every Yogic Flyer in America to give a gentle but urgent call: Please come here and fly together in a large group! We must immediately bring our numbers up again above the super radiance threshold of 1730. And ideally, we must increase those numbers to 2000 and beyond!

Yes, it is true that more Vedic Pandits are on their way from India and should be here in a few months. And their arrival will certainly raise our numbers.

But the Vedic Pandits should come here to "crown the nation with invincibility"-not to lay the groundwork. Creating national coherence is the responsibility of all American Yogic Flyers-including all of us who are blessed to be living in this sublime community.

Please come. You will hasten the rise of your own supreme enlightenment and enjoy life in a state of perpetual bliss consciousness. And you will radiate your bliss to America and the world.

Thank you so much.

Jai Guru Dev

John

Enlightened Education

Truth is stranger than fiction.

A comparison of Hogwart's School to Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment.

Education should help one use critical thinking to distinguish from flights of fantasy.

Talk presented at McGill University of Health Sciences (by a real medical physicist)

"Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapies: How Quantum Mechanics and the Mind-Body Paradigm are Used to Explain Spontaneous Regression and Self-Healing."

Christian Janicki, Ph.D., Radiation Safety Manager, Quality Management, MUHC.

Talk Presented at the MUHC, Radiation Oncology Department, April 2nd 2007.

Abstract:

For many years, New Agers and spiritual gurus have claimed that all illnesses have a metaphysical origin and can be treated by a deep evaluation of long held negative emotional and spiritual attitudes. This modern age system of beliefs, although scientifically unproven, is adopted by a growing number of people in our modern society as it is being promoted relentlessly by self-help gurus, word of mouth, books, articles, news media and popular talk shows. For example, a New Age movie entitled "The Secret" (Law of Attraction) was featured recently as a "phenomenon that is sweeping the nation" on the popular TV show "Oprah". It featured a dream team of experts, self-help gurus and motivational speakers among which we find medical doctors, quantum physicists, psychologists, spiritual leaders and other psychics who support the claim, among other things, that cancer can be cured "without radiation or chemo" by the sheer application of will. Modern physics (quantum mechanics) and psychoneuroimmunology (mind-body paradigm) are some of the scientific disciplines that are being grossly distorted by pseudo-scientists and New Age gurus to support their health claims and to sell their technology, products or spiritual methods according to the critics. In this talk, we will explore the some of the origins of these claims (quantum mechanics and the mind-body connection) and try to explain the rational behind the NIH-NCCAM ongoing "Quantum Healing" cancer clinical trials. We will also discuss about the difficulties doctors may face with credulous patients who have been exposed to snake oil salesman's manipulative techniques and non falsifiable rhetoric, a powerful scam that may lead to self-selected medical neglect by well-intentioned True Believers.

Physicists vs. Salesmen

by Gina Catena, M.S.

In the TM Movement,and other New Age circles we hear frequent reference to the much touted films "What the Bleep Do We Know?" and The Secret." These films blend pseudo-science, mysticism, faux "experts" and psychics for a sharp presentation on the power of the mind. Those without scientific training often succumb to deemed "truths" of these movies.

Our TM background accostomed us to scientific terms misapplied to pseudo Eastern philosophy.

The following scientific conference abstract comes from a practicing physicist tired of charlatans misapplying his profession:


The Contribution of Quantum Mechanics to the Physics of Consciousness and the Rise of Mind-Body Complementary and Alternative Therapies: Quackeries from New Age Movements or a New Medical Science?

Unfortunately, most practicing physicists lack the time to demonstrate ineptitude of those twisting science to advance their own interests.

I hope the above link provides some awareness of real physics, vs TM's false physics.

As to deemed physiologic benefits of TM, the same benefits can be obtained by low dose morphine, certain antidepressants, regular practice of other forms of meditation (not linked to wealth building advanced courses), or regular exercise.

Pharmacology research is required to address adverse effects of exogenous chemicals introduced to the body. TM researchers are not required to reveal potential negative effects of TM, even if they are aware of such, because their research does not involve pharmaceuticals.

That is why negative effects of TM are not discussed by TM's research scientists. They neither seek nor measure negative effects, thus they are not reported. No need to measure adverse effects, since no foreign substance is introduced into the body, right?
WRONG!

If one scratches the surface, with a little understanding of statistics or physics, it is easy to question the validity and usefulness of TM's deemed-scientific research.

Transcendental Meditation, as taught 20 minutes twice per day, may offer benefits.

There is a down side that new initiates should be aware of, prior to "investing $2500 to learn a scientificly proven method for deep rest and release of stress."

The warning label should read, "TM, the cult, may be hazardous to your health, your emotional, psychological, financial and familial well being. Many teachings are taught by deceived, but sincere, individuals. Others methods offer similar or identical benefits for less cost and no risk of cult persuasion."

With appropriate warning applied to TM's marketing, I would have no objection. Truth in Advertising.